Bears Softball Set for Series at Evansville

The Starting Lineup

• Missouri State softball stays on the road for a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series at Evansville. The Bears lead the all-time series against Evansville, 54-29, including a 23-14 record on the road. 
• The Bears are coming off a big midweek win at first-place Southern Illinois, defeating the Salukis 4-2. Annie Mueller had a three-run homer in the sixth to give MSU the lead before Alexis Perales extended it with a solo shot in the 7th. It marked the most earned runs against SIU’s ace Maddia Groff this season. 
• Prior to the start of the season, head coach Holly Hesse announced her plan to retire following the 2024 season. Hesse owns a 917-885-2 career record in her 36th season as the leader of the Missouri State softball program. She is the second-winningest coach in MVC history in both overall (917) and conference (4010) victories. She ranks 19th among active Division I coaches in career victories. 
• In MVC games, the Bears lead the league with 25 home runs and a .470 slugging percentage, while ranking third in RBI (92), runs (101) and batting average (.291). MSU has six players batting over .300 in conference action, including five starters. 
• Olivia Krehbiel (Sr., Lee’s Summit, Mo.) was named the Louisville Slugger/NFCA D1 Player of the Week on Tuesday afternoon. Last week, she slashed .636/. 692/1.364, which included 7 RBI, 6 runs scored, 2 doubles, 2 home runs and 2 walks across a 3-1 week for MSU. She became MSU’s career home run leader, surpassing the previous record of 27 set by Jessie Smith from 2006-09. She also became the career leader for runs scored at MSU with 124, passing Jessie Smith and Kate Madden (1993-96) for the top spot. She is the second Bear to receive the national weekly honor, joining Mary Stephens (2017). 
• Annie Mueller (Sr., Pacific, Mo.) has been Missouri State’s biggest power threat this season. Twenty of her 34 hits this season have gone for extra bases and she leads the team with 14 home runs, 43 RBI and a .709 slugging percentage. Her 14 homers this season are tied for 1st in the MVC. Against MVC competition, her slugging percentage rises to .900 as 11 of her 20 hits in league action have been home runs. Last weekend in the series against Valpo, Mueller knocked three homers and drove in 11 runs, while tying the MSU single-game record with 8 RBI in Saturday’s win with an RBI single, grand slam and three-run homer. She is also one home run shy of breaking the MSU single-season record. 
• Gracie Johnston (Sr., Augusta, Kan.) ranks 7th nationally and first in the MVC with six saves on the season. She also ranks 10th nationally with 34 appearances in the circle this season. 
• Kayla Ulrich (Fr., Sullivan, Mo.) leads the MVC with a .384 battting average this season. 
• MSU is 10-1 this season when scoring six or more runs and 10-0 when out-hitting opponents.

Series History
    Missouri State leads the all-time series against Evansville, 54-29, including a 23-14 record on the road. MSU has won the last eight games in the series, with their last loss to the Purple Aces coming on April 20, 2019 in Springfield. 
    Last season in Springfield, the Bears swept Evansville by scores of 1-0, 3-2 (10) and 3-0. In game one of a Saturday doubleheader, the game was scoreless until the seventh inning as Alex Boze knocked an RBI double to left center field to walk it off for the Bears. In game two of the doubleheader, the Bears and Purple Aces sent the game into extra innings tied at 2-2, with Missouri State eventually walking it off in the bottom of the 10th inning with an Ellie McCoy RBI bunt single. In the series finale it was all Missouri State as Mackenzie Chacon threw a complete game shutout, allowing just four hits and striking out three, while Tess Weakly drove in all three MSU runs. 
    Two seasons ago when the teams met in Evansville, the Bears secured the sweep with victories by scores of 8-2, 4-1 and 7-1. In game one of the doubleheader, Missouri State knocked three homers and was led by Annie Mueller with a home run, a double, two walks and four RBI. In the second game, Madison Hunsaker was a perfect 4-for-4 with three RBI as the Bears secured the series. The series finale saw the Bears get behind one run early, but an Olivia Krehbiel grand slam in the fifth gave MSU the lead for good as former Bears ace Steffany Dickerson earned her third victory of that weekend.