Southern Illinois (20-4 in MVC softball) enters the final week with a chance to claim the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title as early as Friday. SIU's magic number to clinch and earn the MVC Tournament's top seed is two (any combination of SIU wins and UNI losses this week totaling two or more). SIU's four regular-season league titles ranks fourth best in league history, but the defending MVC Tournament champion has not won a league-regular season crown since 2010 (1991, 2004, 2005 are the others.)
UNI is in second place (16-5 in the MVC) and has secured no worse than the No. 3 seed for next week's tournament in Normal, Ill. (hosted by Illinois State). All 12 MVC teams qualify for the league championship, which will be played Wednesday-Saturday, May 8-11, at Marian Kneer Stadium.
Belmont is currently in third place in the MVC race as the Bruins hold a 15-9 mark. Belmont trails UNI by 2.5 games in the standings and will need a sweep at Drake plus three UNI losses at Valpo to climb into second place. The Bruins have a two-game lead over Bradley and Illinois State (co-holders of fourth place in the league race at 13-11).
The Salukis are 36-9 overall and continue to climb in the NCAA RPI ratings. SIU enters the week at No. 52; UNI is the league's next best at No. 65. Belmont, at No. 114, is just outside of the Top 100. SIU holds a winning record against the NCAA's Top 100 (6-5), while UNI leads the league with seven Top-100 victories this season. Last season, Missouri State led the league in RPI heading into the NCAA Tournament selections, at No. 76. Last year, three teams 40 or higher in the RPI earned at-large berths into the NCAA field [Texas State (40), Cal State Fullerton (41), and Notre Dame (45)].
In terms of NCAA statistical rankings, Southern Illinois ranks sixth in the nation in team earned run average (1.68). Murray State (30th, 2.47) and Belmont (34th, 2.52) also represent the Conference in the Top 50 in ERA. SIU's 13 shutouts this year lead the MVC and are 14th nationally. Belmont's strikeout to walk ratio (3.00) is 5th in the NCAA.
Individually, Maddia Groff of SIU ranks No. 2 in ERA (0.75). She trails only Stanford's NiJaree Canady (0.55). Groff's seven shutouts ranks 8th nationally, her strikeout to walk ratio (10.55) leads the nation., while her 211 whiffs are No. 4 nationally. She also leads the NCAA with 26 wins (tied with Texas State's Jessica Mullins).
Groff's 26 victories this year are tied for 12th all-time in MVC history. Tara Oltman of Creighton holds the league record (32 wins in 2010). Groff's current 0.75 ERA would rank 16th-best all-time in the league's single-season record book, but that figure is third best in the MVC this century (behind Katie Kloess of SIU, 0.57 in 2000 and Tammy Nielsen of Creighton, 0.67 in 2004).
Bradley's Sydney Kennedy (185.1 innings pitched) ranks third in that category, while Groff (176.2, 7th) and Murray State's Jenna Veber (171.1, 10th) are close behind.
Missouri State's Gracie Johnston leads the league and ranks 5th nationally with her 37 appearances this year. Johnston's seven saves is an MVC best and ranks No. 4 in the NCAA.
Missouri State senior Annie Mueller continued her impressive offensive tear across a 3-1 week for the Bears that saw her break a couple of program records. Mueller batted .467 (7-for-15) with four home runs, five runs scored and eight RBI. She also owned a 1.267 slugging percentage and .467 on-base percentage, and she broke the Missouri State single-season home run and RBI records in the process. On Wednesday night against first-place Southern Illinois, Mueller knocked a three-run homer in the sixth inning that ultimately served as the game-winner for the Bears. In game one of the series at Evansville, Mueller picked up right where she left off, sending a two-run home run to left field in the first inning - breaking the MSU single-season home run record of 14 set by her teammate McKenzie Vaughan last season. Game two saw Mueller go 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored off a solo home run in the third inning. In the series finale, Mueller collected her fourth three-hit game of the season with a 3-for-5 outing that included two RBI and two runs scored. Her two-run homer in the second inning broke MSU’s single-season RBI record as she recorded RBI 47 and 48 on the season in the series-clinching win. Mueller extended her home run streak to six consecutive games, and over that six-game span, she is batting .524 (11-for-21) with seven home runs and 19 RBI. Mueller leads the MVC and ranks 14th nationally with 17 home runs on the year. Mueller was also recognized by Louisville Slugger/Wilson D1 nationally for her performance this past week.
Samantha Heyer finished the week with a perfect 3-0 record in her three appearances. Heyer finished the week with a 0.60 era only giving up 10 hits in her 15 innings pitched. Her opponent batting average totaled .192 over the four-game stretch. Against Illinois State, Heyer recorded her sixth double-digit strikeout game with 10 strikeouts against the Redbirds including the first six straight batters.
Martin hit .545 over the weekend in a three-game series against UIC. She had three hits in the series opener, including an RBI and a stolen base. She continued her hot streak into game two, where she went one for three at the plate with a double, two RBIs, and one walk. Martin finished her weekend strong in the final game of the series with two base hits, including a double and two more RBIs. Martin’s 5-RBI, six-hit weekend helped the Bulldogs secure a series victory on the road at UIC. She also finished with a .583 on-base percentage and a .727 slugging percentage. Martin is fifth on the Bulldogs in OPS, sixth in batting average, fifth in slugging percentage, and tied for first in walks.
ABOUT THE TEAMS
Belmont
- Belmont finished the weekend 2-1 to claim a series win over Bradley.
- This weekend marks the sixth conference series win for the Bruins this season.
- The Bruins clinched the series in a nine-inning battle on Sunday where Nicole Hughes hit a walk-off to secure the win.
- Nicole Hughes stepped up in the big moments for Belmont. The sophomore recorded back-to-back walk-offs to bring home wins for the Bruins on Saturday and Sunday.
Bradley
- Bradley went 3-2 last week with 2 stellar performances from senior Camryn Schaller who threw 14 innings only allowing 2 runs and striking out 15.
- Sydney Kennedy continues to prove she is here to stay with 5 hits, an rbi, and a 1.21 ERA through 17.1 innings. The Braves have their final home series of the season versus UIC this weekend.
Drake
- The Bulldogs took the weekend series from UIC, winning two of the three games and improving to 21-23. Drake won the series opener in an impressive 8-1 offensive explosion victory. Molly Hoekstra hurled seven innings and secured the win for the Bulldogs. The second game was also a high-scoring affair, but the Flames defeated the Bulldogs 8-7. Four Bulldogs had two hits in the contest, but Drake couldn’t stop the Flames’ offenses. Hoekstra hopped back in the pitching circle for the rubber match and led Drake to a 5-2 victory on Sunday to win the series. Martin hit .545 on the weekend with five RBIs and a .727 slugging percentage in the series to lead the Bulldogs offensive charge. Drake will host Iowa State on Wednesday, May 1 for a mid-week game before Belmont comes into town from May 3-5 for a three-game set.
- Molly Hoekstra was the winning pitcher for both Bulldog wins over the weekend against UIC. She hurled 7 innings of 3-hit, six-strikeout, shutout softball in a 114-pitch effort in game one. She entered the pitching circle in game three against UIC and stymied their offensive effort again. She hurled six innings, had two strikeouts, and allowed one earned run. She was the winning pitcher in the victory, which secured the series win for Drake. Hoekstra leads Drake with a 3.03 season ERA, 12 wins, and 72 strikeouts.
Evansville
- Senior Weekend – Evansville played its final home series over the weekend with seven seniors being recognized on Saturday. The Class of 2024 for UE includes Hannah Hood, Megan Brenton, Alexa Davis, Mikayla Jolly, Brooke McCorkle, Jenna Nink and Marah Wood.
- Leaving Her Mark – Marah Wood enters the final weekend of the regular season with a chance to move up the UE record book in two stats. With a home run on Friday against Missouri State, Wood is tied for third on the Aces all-time list with 29 in her career. Chandra Parr holds the mark with 32 while Krista Price is second with 30. Wood also has 102 RBI, which is 4th in the record book, one behind Tina DeWeese’s total of 103.
- Brooke Voss had a strong week for the Purple Aces, batting .455 with a home run, two RBI, three runs and two walks. In Wednesday’s road win at Indiana State, Voss reached on a walk and hit-by-pitch. In the Missouri State series, she batted .556 with five hits in nine at-bats. Friday’s win over the Bears saw her go 1-2 with a run, walk and another hit-by-pitch. Voss posted two hits in four at-bats with another run on Saturday before going 2-3 with a home run and two RBI on Sunday.
UIC
- The Flames collects their lone win Saturday in an 8-7 victory with six members collecting an RBI in the game. Carlee Jo Clark nearly threw a complete game, pitching 6.1 innings holding Drake to just three runs through the sixth innings. Redshirt junior Alyssa McIntosh finished the game in the circle, collecting her first collegiate save of her career.
- Clark had a strong week in the batter’s box, batting .308, scattering four hits over the four games with two RBI. She leads UIC this season with 43 hits.
- Redshirt freshman Jazmyn Casas has collected a hit in 10 of the past 11 games she has competed since being penciled in as the starting shortstop for UIC.
- Cameran Rios went four-for-ten this past weekend against Notre Dame and Drake, shining in the 8-7 win over the Bulldogs on Saturday. She batted 3-for-4 in the game, with a triple, two runs scored, and a stolen base. The freshman third baseman was also accredited with five putouts and nine assists on defense. Rios has now tallied nine multi-hit games this season with 35 hits this season, ranking third on the team.
Illinois State
- The Redbirds played their first indoor conference series indoors taking on the Panthers at the UNI Dome. It was a double dose of “Addison’s” as Addison Masching hit her second career home run, while Adisyn Hopkins batted .500 in the series.
Indiana State
- The Sycamores (18-28, 6-15) are coming off an 0-3 weekend, where they were swept by Southern Illinois.
- Abi Chipps leads the Sycamores offensively, with a .358 batting average, where she is second in the MVC in hits, with 53. The Sycamores totaled for three hits on Sunday's loss against SIU, and Chipps recorded two of the three.
Missouri State
- Missouri State outfielder Annie Mueller continues to add to her stellar senior campaign. This past weekend, she extended her home run streak to six consecutive games, and over that six-game span, she is batting .524 (11-for-21) with seven home runs and 19 RBI. She owns 12 multiple hit and 13 multiple RBI games this season, and she just broke the Missouri State single-season records for home runs and RBI. Her 17 home runs this season lead the MVC and rank 14th nationally.
- Missouri State will host Indiana State for the final weekend of the regular season. The weekend will serve as the final home games of head coach Holly Hesse’s incredible career. Hesse owns 919 career wins and 412 conference victories, and she ranks 19th among active Division I coaches in career victories.
- Senior pitcher Gracie Johnston tied the Missouri State single-season record for saves after collecting her seventh of the season against Evansville. Her seven saves rank first in the MVC and 4th nationally. She also ranks 5th nationally with 37 pitching appearances this season.
- Sophomore Makenzi Swick led the way for MSU’s pitching staff last week, going 2-0 with a 1.91 ERA. In 7.1 innings of work, she allowed just two earned runs and scattered six hits, while striking out one. Swick came on in relief in Saturday’s game at Evansville, tossing 2.1 hitless innings and logging one strikeout in her first victory of the season. Swick drew the start in Sunday’s series finale, going 5.0 innings in her second victory of the weekend. In the start, she allowed two earned runs on six hits, and didn’t allow a free pass. Swick ranks fourth in the MVC in both hits and runs allowed this season.
- Missouri State freshman infielder Kayla Ulrich keeps swinging a consistent bat as she led the way for MSU across a 3-1 week for the Bears. She batted .545 (6-for-11) with four RBI, four walks, a double and a run scored. She owned a .636 slugging percentage, .625 on-base percentage and was once against flawless in the field. On Wednesday night at first-place Southern Illinois, Ulrich collected a multiple hit game with a 2-for-3 outing in MSU’s win over the Salukis. In game one of the series at Evansville, she logged a hit, an RBI and a walk. In game two, Ulrich officially went 0-for-1, but she worked two walks and collected an RBI with a sacrifice fly in the third inning of the Bears’ victory. The series finale saw Ulrich go 3-for-4 with two RBI, a walk and a run scored. The freshman knocked an RBI single in the first and an RBI double in the second as the Bears jumped out to a big lead early in the series-clinching win. Ulrich leads the MVC this season with a .393 batting average and ranks second in on-base percentage (0.489).
Murray State
- The Racers won their midweek non-conference matchup against SEMO 6-3 before sweeping their final road series of the season at Valparaiso, 2-0.
- Jenna Veber posted her 350th career strikeout in the second game against Valparaiso.
- Murray State will host Southern Illinois for their senior weekend and final series of the season, Friday through Sunday.
- Adison Hicks had a .375 batting average this past week. She scored three RBIs through three hits including a home run against Valparaiso. She scored three runs while also stealing two bases on two attempts.
- Kayleigh White has a .500 batting average with four hits. She scored two runs and one RBI this past week.
- Bre Haislip pitched 6.2 shutout innings while only allowing one hit throughout the week. She posted six strikeouts and did not allow any walks. Haislip earned a win against SEMO and a save against Valparaiso.
UNI
- UNI's 19 runs on Sunday were the most scored by the Panthers since a 22-run matchup against Evansville in 2021. UNI recorded its 13 game in the Ryan Jacobs era with 15 or more runs with the 19-1 victory over Illinois State. It is also the eighth in the last five years.
- Madison Parks needs three more walks to pass Kennedy Bailey for the UNI single-season record. She passed Sammey Bunch for no. 2 this weekend.
- Alexis Pupillo hit UNI's first grand slam of the season against Illinois State on Sunday. She is now fourth in single-season home runs with 16 and just six short of tying Sammey Bunch's single-season record.
- Samantha Heyer recorded her sixth double-digit strikeout game with 10 strikeouts against the Redbirds including the first six straight batters.
- Daryn Lamprecht led the Panthers in a 4-0 week with a .500 batting average with 6 hits on 12 at bats and four runs. Lamprecht hit three home runs last week and recorded the game-winning run or RBI in two of the four matchups of the week. With eight RBIs and 16 total bases, Lamprecht displayed a 1.333 slugging percentage and a .571 on base percentage, leading the team over the four-game stretch. In the field, the first baseman recorded 22 putouts and one assist with a 1.000 fielding percentage including a pair of line-drive snags against Illinois State, one of which resulted in an unassisted double play.
Southern Illinois
- Southern Illinois (36-9, 20-4 MVC) picked up another weekend series sweep at Indiana State as it outscored the Sycamores 29-1 in the three game series. The Salukis dropped its midweek matchup against Missouri State that snapped a seven-game winning streak before the Dawgs were able to get back on track over the weekend. SIU was able to use big fourth innings in all three games over the weekend as they plated six runs in the top half of the fourth on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The Dawgs totaled nine home runs over the weekend from five different players.
- Jackie Lis had a dominant week at the plate as she reached base at least three times in all four games. Lis had five hits, including three home runs and a double on the week as she walked nine times in four games. Lis homered in three of the four games, and the only game she didn’t she was walked in all four plate appearances. In 16 appearances at the plate, Lis got herself out just two times as she scored a team-high seven runs. Over the weekend, Lis was walked eight consecutive times after doubling and hitting a home run in her first two at-bats on Friday. Lis broke the streak of eight walks with a home run in the fourth inning on Sunday. Her four walks drawn on Saturday tied the program record for walks drawn in a single-game.
- Freshman Maddia Groff made the start in all three wins over the weekend as she improved her win total to 26-3. Her 26 wins on the season are tied for the third most in program history. On the week, Groff went 3-1 while totaling 17.1 innings. She struck out 28 batters in her four appearances with three runs allowed and just one walk. With just three games in the regular season, Groff continues to lead the MVC in ERA, wins, strikeouts, and opponent batting average.
- Katherine Johnson had quite the weekend for the Salukis as she hit her first three collegiate home runs against the Sycamores. Johnson came into the game on Friday to pinch hit and sent out her first career home run. She followed it up with another home run on Saturday and her third of the season on Sunday after making the start in the final two games of the series. The freshman totaled a team-high eight RBIs on the week as she went 4-for-8 at the plate, with all four of her hits driving in at least one run.
Valparaiso
- Senior pitcher Caitlyn Kowalski made a pair of relief appearances last week, giving her 24 appearances in the circle this year and 106 for her career. She ranks sixth in program history in career pitching appearances and will crack the top-five with her next outing in the circle.
- Freshman Lana Tellez made just her second collegiate start and her first at catcher in the nightcap last Wednesday against Northern Illinois and took full advantage. Tellez walked in her first plate appearance against the Huskies to reach base for the first time in her collegiate career, and followed that up with a single in her second time at the plate for her first career hit.
- Fresh off of hitting her first collegiate home run last Sunday, Bush kept swinging a hot bat throughout Valpo's four games last week, picking up at least one hit in all four games as she OPSed 1.674 for the week. She went 3-for-5 with a double and a walk in a nonconference doubleheader against Northern Illinois, and followed by going 3-for-6 with a run scored and two RBIs in an MVC twinbill against Murray State. Bush delivered two doubles in the opener against the Racers and then connected on a two-run homer in the nightcap off of Murray State ace Jenna Veber, who had surrendered just four home runs in 167 innings this season entering the game.