Conference play begins this week in MVC softball, starting with two league games on Tuesday, March 12 (Indiana State-Evansville; Southern Illinois-Missouri State). By the weekend, all 12 league teams will have started league play. In the coaches' pre-season poll, UNI was picked as the favorite, earning 10 of 12 first-place votes. Southern Illinois (2nd) and Missouri State (3rd) were the coaches' second and third picks in the poll.
The initial installment of the NCAA RPI has been released and three MVC programs are in the Top 100, led by Southern Illinois (45). UNI (71) and Belmont (96) also represent the Conference among the national leaders. As a conference, the MVC ranks 16th overall, per Warren Nolan.
Southern Illinois enters the week (through games of March 11) with an eight-game win streak. That ranks 9th-best nationally.
Southern Illinois ranks 33rd nationally and leads the MVC in ERA (2.07). Murray State (57, 2.49) and Belmont (59, 2.58) also rank among the Top 60 in the NCAA.
UNI (65th, 0.75 per game) and Southern Illinois (70th, 0.74 per game) rank among the NCAA leaders in home runs per game this year.
Murray State's Taylor Jackson has thrown out 13 baserunners, which leads the NCAA this year. Maddia Groff of Southern Illinois ranks 6th in the NCAA in ERA (0.45). Groff's four shutouts are seventh-best in the NCAA. And Jenna Veber of Murray State ranks second nationally in innings pitched (83.1)
Marah Wood put together a big week at the plate for the Purple Aces, ,batting .429 with two home runs, seven RBI and six runs scored while slugging .857. After going 1-3 in Wednesday’s opener against Lindenwood, Wood picked up the biggest hit of the year for the Aces in game two. With her team trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the 6th, Wood launched a 2-run home run that would prove to be the game winner while giving Evansville its first win of the season. She went 2-3 in that contest. Saturday’s victory over Bellarmine saw her go 3-4 with a RBI, two runs and a stolen base. Wood opened the day on Sunday with a 2-3 game against St. Bonaventure while adding her second home run of the week, three RBI, a run and steal. She added a hit, RBI and two more runs in the weekend finale that saw UE finish with its fourth win in five games. Just as impressive – Wood struck out just twice in 21 plate appearances over the course of the week.
Maya Johnson went 2-0 this week in the circle. With Johnson's wins against Samford and UIC, the pitcher moves to 6-2 this season. The pitcher recorded an impressive 15 strikeouts while holding opponents scoreless through 10 innings. Johnson only allowed eight hits, three walks, and no runs for a 0.00 ERA. Most notably, Johnson pitched a complete game against UIC where she threw 11 strikeouts.
Freshman Maddia Groff threw 9.1 scoreless innings including a seven-inning complete game against Loyola where she struck out a season-high 10 with no walks in her home debut. Groff also came in to throw two plus scoreless innings on Sunday against the Ramblers as she locked in her 10th win of the season. Groff is currently one of two pitchers in the country with 10 wins and no losses. After another weekend with no walks, Groff still leads the nation with a 23.00 k/bb ratio as well as having the 6th best ERA in the country, best among any pitcher with 45 or more innings.
ABOUT THE TEAMS
Belmont
- The Bruins finished the week 5-0 with wins over Samford, Iona, and UIC. This is the team's second five-game win streak this season.
- In the past week, the team totaled 44 hits bringing in 23 runs.
- Belmont looks to extend their win streak against Ohio State Tuesday.
- Nicole Hughes had a strong offensive showing this week. Hughes recorded seven hits, two runs, and 5 RBI in just 17 at bats for a batting average of .412. The short stop's performance helped the Bruins secure five wins.
Bradley
- The Braves had a solid weekend from the plate with double digit hits in 4/5 games at the Austin Peay Cathi Maynard Invite. Facing a 5-0 deficit on Sunday vs Akron, the Brave bats exploded in the final 3 innings to win 7-6 on a walk off single by Jordy van der Werf.
- Sydney Kennedy continued her strong play in the circle increasing her strikeout total to 49 on the year and adding two wins to her total. The Braves open conference play at Indiana State this Friday for a three-game series.
Drake
- The now .500 Bulldogs competed at the Colorado State Rams Invitational in Fort Collins, Colo. this weekend. Drake went 2-3 over five games with another comeback win over Big Sky Conference preseason favorite Idaho State in the opener and a 9-1 drubbing of Maine. Their losses included two in shortened fashion to the Bengals of ISU and the tournament hosts of Colorado State. Drake will now set their sights on conference play as they will begin MVC action at league-leading Southern Illinois this coming weekend.
- Junior utility player Emma Dighton had her best week of the season so far as Drake wrapped up play at the Colorado State Rams Invitational in Fort Collins, Colo. Dighton went 8-for-17 for a .471 batting average as Drake went 2-3 over five games. Five of Dighton’s hits were for extra bases including a three-run home run and four doubles. She drove in four runs and scored four more of her own. Dighton also saw 4.2 innings of pitching work for the Bulldogs. The Boone, Iowa native now leads the Drake offense with a .379 batting average for the season. She is also tied atop the Bulldog stat sheet with three long balls.
Evansville
- Turning it around – After opening the season with an 0-17 mark, the Purple Aces have won four of their last five as they open MVC play on Tuesday. In its 4-1 finish to the last week, UE hit .357 as a team while outscoring the opposition by a 49-31 margin. UE also slugged .593 as a team with its runners reaching base 43.1% of the time.
- Huge Hit – Marah Wood had the biggest hit of the year on Wednesday against Lindenwood. With the Purple Aces trailing by a 1-0 margin in the bottom of the 6th, Wood launched a 2-run home run that led UE to its first win of the season. Wood wrapped up the week batting .429 with two home runs and seven RBI.
- Evansville pitcher Megan Brenton won three games over the last week while striking out 12 batters and posted a 3.59 ERA. On Wednesday against Lindenwood, Brenton tossed a complete game gem to help the Purple Aces to their first win of the season. She scatted six hits and one run in seven frames while fanning five batters. Saturday’s game at Bellarmine saw her throw perfect innings while striking out two on the way to her second victory. Sunday’s finale versus the Knights saw her give up two runs on four hits while fanning five in 4 2/3 innings of work.
- Batting .357 and scoring eight runs on the week, freshman Brooke Voss helped the Purple Aces to four wins in their last five games as they prepare to open Missouri Valley Conference play. Voss accumulated five hits in 14 at-bats while slugging .786 and reaching base 47.1% of the time. All five hits came in her final eight at-bats of the weekend. Wednesday’s doubleheader against Lindenwood saw her earn two walks while scoring a run. She added a run in Saturday’s game against Bellarmine as a pinch runner. Voss put together her top day of collegiate softball on Sunday. In the opener against St. Bonaventure, she was a perfect 3-3 with a home run, two RBI and four runs scored. She followed that up with a 2-for-5 performance in the weekend finale versus Bellarmine. Voss added her second home run of the day while picking up two RBI and two more runs.
UIC
- The Flames managed to go 1-3 at the Music City Classic this past weekend, with their lone win coming against Lipscomb in game one of the doubleheader. Graduate student Carlee Jo Clark batted .308 over the weekend, with a double, triple and a home run with three RBIs. Redshirt-junior Alyssa McIntosh pitched 11.2 innings over the weekend, maintaining a 0.77 ERA and winning the game against Lipscomb in relief.
- The Flames travel this weekend to Murray, Ky. to face off against Murray State at Racer Field March 15-17. This will be the first time these teams are set to compete since UIC joined the MVC last year, and first time since 2018.
- Carlee Jo Clark remained consistent in the batter’s box for the Flames this past weekend at the Music City Classic, collecting a hit in three of the four games. Clark opened strong against Lipscomb, going 2-for-4 with a double and a triple with an RBI. In game two against the Bison, Clark crushed her third home run of the season, collecting UIC’s lone two RBI of that game. She is now tied for fourth in home runs this season, having already surpassed her RBI total from a season ago (10).
- Alyssa McIntosh had back-to-back strong outings in the Music City Classic for the Flames. In game one against Lipscomb, McIntosh entered in relief for the Flames, pitching five innings, allowing five hits, not allowing a single run on her way to a win. She entered the circle once again against Belmont in game two of the doubleheader, pitching 6.2 innings for the Flames, allowing just one run on a dozen hits in route to the loss. McIntosh maintained a 0.77 ERA over the weekend and holds the second-best ERA on the Flames this season, with a 2.30 ERA in 12 appearances in the circle this season.
Illinois State
- The Redbirds earned a dominant victory over Bowling Green amassing 16 hits and scoring 13 runs. Six different Redbirds had multi-hit weekends with 11 ‘Birds tallying at least one hit.
Indiana State
- The Sycamores (11-12) recently went 0-4 at the Marshall March Madness tournament where they fell to Ball State, Notre Dame (twice) and Marshall. Isabella Henning had a great weekend in West Virginia for the Sycamores where she recorded a .462 batting average which included six hits, four being doubles, 5 RBIs, while scoring three runs for Indiana State. Henning also recorded a .588 on base percentage over the weekend and had 17 putouts in the Marshall March Madness.
- Kennedy Shade has been the Sycamores top hitter in the 2024 season, where she holds a .413 batting percentage, which includes 26 hits, six doubles, two home runs, 38 total bases, and leads the team with 20 RBIs.
- Lauren Sackett is 5-5 in the circle for the Sycamores with one save and ten starts. Sackett has recorded 44.0 innings of work, where she leads the team in strikeouts with 33.
- Isabella Henning had a great weekend in West Virginia for the Sycamores where she recorded a .462 batting average which included six hits, four being doubles, 5 RBIs, while scoring three runs for Indiana State. Henning also recorded a .588 on base percentage over the weekend and had 17 putouts in the Marshall March Madness. Isabella Henning led the Sycamores in the game against Notre Dame where she went 3-4 with two doubles and 3 RBIs. Henning also led the Sycamores in Sunday's game against Marshall where she went 3-4 with two doubles, and 2 RBIS.
Missouri State
- Missouri State opens up its home slate this week, beginning a six-game home stand at Killian Stadium in Springfield. The Bears will have their first chance this season to extend their NCAA Division I leading 18-game home win streak against Southern Illinois. MSU’s last home loss came on April 30, 2022 against Bradley.
- Annie Mueller is coming off a nice weekend at the plate at the Tennessee Invitational. The senior batted .385 (5-for-13), drove in three runs and scored two runs. Four of her five hits on the weekend went for extra bases (two doubles, a triple and a home run). She leads MSU this season with 10 RBI and three doubles.
- Abby Ford leads Missouri State this season with a .302 batting average and 16 hits from the leadoff spot. The speedy outfielder is also 6-for-7 in stolen base attempts to begin the season.
- Senior Annie Mueller led the way for Missouri State this weekend at the Tennessee Invitational. Mueller batted .385 (5-for-13), drove in three runs and scored two runs, while slugging .923. Four of Mueller’s five hits were for extra bases as she collected two doubles, a triple and a two-run home run in Missouri State’s final non-conference tournament. On Friday against Ohio State, Mueller went 1-for-4 with a double before her bat really came alive on the final two days of the tournament. On Saturday against South Dakota, Mueller went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. In the finale against the Coyotes on Sunday, she was 2-for-3 with a triple and a home run, two RBI and a run scored. Mueller is tied for second on the Bears roster with 11 hits and two home runs, while leading MSU this season with 10 RBI, three doubles and a triple.
- Freshman Kayla Ulrich was one of two MSU hitters to hit .300 on the weekend at the Tennessee Invitational. The designated player batted .300 (3-for-10) with three walks and an RBI. On Friday against Ohio State, Ulrich went 1-for-2 with two walks, before drawing her third walk of the day in the next game against No. 8 Tennessee. On Saturday against South Dakota, the freshman went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Ulrich is now MSU’s second-leading hitter on the season with a .296 average and is second on the team with six walks.
Murray State
- The Racers went 3-2 through the week. They lost 3-8 in a midweek matchup at UT Martin before going 3-1 on their weekend at the North Alabama Tournament. The Racers have the most shutouts (6) and the second lowest ERA in the MVC with 2.49.
- Murray State softball enters Missouri Valley Conference play with a 12-13 record. They will host UIC for conference opener weekend.
- Jenna Veber went 2-0 in the circle this past week. She allowed no runs through the week. Posting 11 strikeouts while only allowing nine hits through 14 innings pitched. She pitched shuts out against Southern Mississippi (2-0) through eight innings and pitched six innings in the Racers’ shutout (4-0) win over Detroit Mercy. Veber has the second lowest ERA in The Valley through the season with .92 while having pitched the most innings (83.1 innings).
- Kayleigh White has a 3.94 ERA through the weekend while going 1-1. She pitched her first career complete game while only allowing 10 hits and six runs through 10.2 innings. On offense, she made three hits while scoring two runs.
UNI
- UNI softball went 2-3 last weekend at Arkansas' Razorback Rumble. The Panthers split games last Friday, losing to Nebraska before taking down South Alabama 7-2. Last Saturday, the Panthers began the day with a 6-4 victory against Saint Francis University before falling to No. 20 Arkansas. The Panthers rounded out the weekend with a second loss against the Razorbacks on Sunday.
- Maddy McDermott had the longest outing of her collegiate career last Friday, pitching 4.2 innings in the Panthers' loss against Nebraska.
- Ava Smithson made her first career start in right field for the Panthers last Friday against South Alabama, and blasted a home run in the top of the sixth inning against the Jaguars to give UNI a 4-2 lead. The home run marked Smithson's first as a Panther, and also her first hit at the Division I level.
- Paige Peterson recorded her first collegiate RBI last Saturday against Saint Francis University.
- UNI softball won its 1,400th game in program history last Saturday against the Red Flash.
- Daryn Lamprecht posted a team-high .500 batting average last weekend at the Razorback Rumble, starting and playing in all five contests for the Panthers. Lamprecht went 6-for-12 with two doubles, a home run, three RBIs and 11 total bases in UNI's games against Nebraska, South Alabama, Saint Francis University and No. 20 Arkansas. Lamprecht recorded two RBIs in UNI's 13-3 loss against Nebraska last Friday, which included her second home run of the 2024 campaign. She also picked up an RBI in UNI's 7-4 loss against No. 20 Arkansas last Saturday. Through 20 games, Lamprecht has two home runs and seven RBIs, and enters Missouri Valley Conference play with a .213 batting average. Lamprecht has started all 20 games for the Panthers.
Southern Illinois
- Southern Illinois went 4-0 at the Coach B Classic as it extends its winning streak to now eight games heading into Valley action. The Salukis will open the MVC schedule with a two-game road trip to Springfrield to take on Missouri State. SIU won the series 2-1 a season ago, winning both games in Carbondale to start the year.
- Jackie Lis hit a pair of home runs of the weekend despite being walked five times. Lis homered in her first home at-bat of the season as well as hitting a three-run bomb against Green Bay in the very next game. Lis got on base in all four games of the weekend as she totaled a .615 on base percentage to go along with her 1.125 slugging percentage. The sophomore drove in five runs while also scoring five as well.
Valparaiso
- Valpo finished pre-conference play with a 6-15 record, a 119-point jump in winning percentage from its pre-conference performance last season.
- The Beacons open MVC play this coming weekend at Evansville, playing the Purple Aces for the first time since taking two of three to close out the 2022 regular season. Valpo is in search of its first road win over the Purple Aces since joining the Valley, as Evansville earned three-game home sweeps in 2019 and 2021.
- Regi Hecker hit .429 over Valpo's three games last week, picking up a hit in all three contests to extend her hitting streak to seven straight games and her on-base streak to nine consecutive games. Her week was highlighted by a two-run homer in the Beacons' win over Rider on Saturday, her first homer of the season and second of her career. Hecker enters MVC play hitting .362 on the year with a team-best 11 RBIs.
- Kam Utendorf hit a team-best .571 last week at the Connie Claussen Classic, highlighted by going 3-for-4 with a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Valpo's win over Rider. It was her team-best third three-hit game of the season. Utendorf's performance last week pushed her season batting average to .438, a mark which leads all Valley regulars.