Southern Illinois claimed its fifth regular season MVC Championship and first since 2010. The Salukis earn the No. 1 seed for the MVC Softball Championship having gone 23-4 against Valley opponents. This marks the fifth time in school history SIU has earned the No. 1 seed. Southern Illinois will have the opportunity to win back-to-back MVC Championships. SIU’s first game will be the first quarterfinal on May 9th 10:00 am (CT) against the winner of No. 8 seed UIC and No. 9 seed Murray State.
Martin tallied six hits, hit .400, slugged .867 and smashed two home runs across four games last week. Martin gave the Bulldogs a temporary lead against Iowa State on Wednesday when she hit a clutch three-run homer in the fourth inning. She carried her hot bat into the weekend series against Belmont and began the series going 1/3 at the plate in game one. Martin caught fire in game two, going 2/4 at the dish with a double and an RBI, leading Drake in a 9-3 rout of Belmont. With the final regular season series on the line, Martin tied the contest at five apiece with a three-run shot in the bottom of the third inning. The game ended up going into extra innings, where Martin laced a single that drove in the walk-off run for a 6-5 Drake win. Martin has a .294 season batting average, she has three homers and she’s fourth among Drake starters in OPS with an .838 mark.
Paige McLeod erned all three wins on the weekend in the three-game sweep of Evansville, including her second-career no-hitter and her second of the season. The no-hitter was the first at home for the Redbirds in 23 years, the last one being back in 2001. The no hitter made McLeod only the second-ever Redbird to have multiple career no-hitters, the only Redbird freshman to have multiple no-hitters in a season, and the first-ever freshman to record two no-hitters in a season. McLeod posted a 0.46 ERA with 15.1 innings pitched, while surrendering just one earned run. Paige pcked up five strikeouts on the weekend, while holding opponents to a .151 BAA.
ABOUT THE TEAMS
Belmont
- Belmont fell 1-2 in the final series of the regular season against Drake.
- The Bruins took a 4-0 win to open the series versus Drake. Friday's win marked the 30th win for Belmont this season.
- Belmont is one of only three MVC teams to reach 30 wins this season.
- The Bruins head into the MVC Tournament as the no. 3 seed and set to face the winner of no. 6 Missouri State/no. 11 Indiana State.
- Maya Johnson pitched a complete game in the Bruins' 4-0 win against Drake. The pitcher tallied 14 strikeouts to tie a season-high while only allowing one hit for a weekend ERA of 0.00.
Bradley
- Kierston McCoy adds to her team leading HR total, which now stands at 7.
- Braves offense produced 12 runs this weekend while recording 14 hits
- Bailey Sample led the Braves with 3 hits on the weekend to help propel the Braves to their sixth series win.
- Sydney Kennedy led on the mound, while also continuing her tear at the plate.
Drake
- The Bulldogs concluded their 2024 regular season slate with their fifth series win of the season as Belmont visited Iowa’s capital city. Drake dropped the first game of the weekend set before taking the next two with a potent offensive display. First-year head coach Lindsay Diehl and her squad earned the No. 7 seed in the upcoming MVC Tournament and will battle No. 10 Evansville on Wednesday afternoon in the first round of bracket play.
- Frankie Rita hit .417 over the week with a .467 on-base percentage and a .417 slugging percentage. Rita started her week with a perfect three-hit performance against Iowa State on Wednesday, May 1. She slapped three singles and drew two walks, reaching base in all five of her plate appearances. Rita went hitless on Friday in the Bulldogs’ series opener against Belmont but tallied two hits in game two. Rita drove in two runs to help lead the Bulldogs to a 9-3 victory over the Bruins. Rita went 0/2 at the plate in the rubber match of the series, but she drove in a run on a sacrifice fly to aid the Bulldogs in a 6-5 winning effort. Rita’s stellar weekend brought her season batting average up to .297 and her OBP up to .369.
Evansville
- Set for the Tournament – After completing the regular season against Illinois State, the Purple Aces are set to face Drake in the MVC Championship. In the regular-season series against the Bulldogs, Brooke Voss led UE with a .556 average and three runs scored. Sydney Weatherford tossed 13 innings and posted a 1.62 ERA.
- Getting the Job Done – Lacy Smith performed at an elite level both offensively and defensively in the final weekend of the regular season at Illinois State. Smith recorded her first home run of the season in Sunday’s finale while her defense was equally impressive. Multiple diving catches kept sure ISU runs from crossing the plate.
UIC
- The Flames finish their last week of conference play with a series sweep against Valparaiso in a 2-0 victory in the home finale at Flames Field. Graduate student Carlee Jo Clark pitched a two-hit complete game shutout, striking out a season-high six batters. Jazmyn Casas and Larissa Ortiz each collected an RBI in the win.
- UIC then traveled to Peoria, where they fell 2-1 in their MVC series finale against Bradley. Graduate student Christina Toniolo led the Flames to their lone win on Saturday with a 4-1 victory. She pitched a two-hit complete game, striking and walking a pair. Jazmyn Casas, Grace Fleming and Anna Walker all collected an RBI in the win.
- Anna Walker finished the weekend series with a team-high three RBI. She has tallied an RBI in four of the past five games for UIC.
- Christina Toniolo was pivotal in UIC’s lone win against Bradley on Saturday. The graduate student pitched a complete game, allowing one run on two hits, walking and striking out a pair. She finished the weekend pitching 9.1 innings, scattering five hits, striking out four and walking three batters with a 1.93 ERA.
- Larissa Villa was pivotal in the Flames final week of conference play, leading the team with five hits, batting .417 over the four games. She collected back-to-back multi hit games opening the weekend against Bradley, becoming UIC’s hit leader in the regular season with 45 hits. On the defensive side, she made 34 putouts at first base, and was credited with one assist and not a single error.
Illinois State
- The Redbirds earned the three-game sweep over the Evansville Purple Aces to secure the fourth seed in the upcoming MVC tournament. Paige McLeod recorded her second-career no-hitter in the first game of the series, and the first no-hitter at home for the Redbirds in 23 years. The ‘Birds had 27 hits in the series, while McLeod surrendered just one earned run on the other side of the ball. The Redbirds will play host to the MVC tournament and have secured themselves a first-round bye to play their first game on Thursday, May 9 at 1:05 p.m. against the winner of the #5 and #12 seeded game.
- Ella Boyer batted .571 on the week with four hits in just seven at-bats during the three-game sweep over Evansville while picking up 2 RBIs with a .571 SLG% and a .667 OB%. Boyer earned the walk-off walk that allowed the Redbirds to take game two over the Purple Aces to secure the series victory.
Indiana State
- The Sycamores (20-29, 8-16) clinched the series over Missouri State this weekend, 2-1. The Sycamores fell in game one with a score of 4-2 and won games two and three with scores of 6-5 and 3-1.
- Chipps continues to lead the Sycamores offensively, with a .352 batting average, where she records 56 hits on the 2024 season.
- Megan Asher picked up her third save of the season in the series victory this weekend, against Missouri State.
Missouri State
- In conference games, Missouri State led the MVC with 30 home runs and ranked second in average (.295), hits (203) and slugging percentage (.474).
- Missouri State fifth-year senior Olivia Krehbiel has cemented her legacy as a Bear, setting new career marks in home runs, RBI, doubles, runs scored, total bases and grand slams in her final season.
- Head coach Holly Hesse is set to head to the final MVC Tournament of her career this week in Normal. During her 36 seasons at the helm of the program, Hesse owns six MVC Tournament titles and is tied for the most tournament wins at 53.
- Missouri State senior Olivia Krehbiel led the way for the Bears last week in the final home series of her career, batting .500 (5-for-10) with a 1.100 slugging percentage and .583 on-base percentage. Krehbiel collected five RBI, two walks, two runs and hit for the series cycle. She also continued to cement her Missouri State legacy as she broke the career records for RBI, doubles, total bases and grand slams. In game one of Friday’s doubleheader, Krehbiel went 2-for-4 with four RBI and a run scored. Her second-inning grand slam served as the game-winner for MSU and it put her at the top of the record book in career RBI and she became the only Bear in program history with four career grand slams. Game two of the doubleheader saw Krehbiel go 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Her leadoff double in the contest secured the MSU career doubles and total bases records for the fifth-year Bear. In the series finale, Krehbiel went 1-for-3 with an RBI and walk as she collected the final piece of the series cycle with an RBI triple in the second inning against the Sycamores.
Murray State
- The Racers drop their final regular season series against Southern Illinois, Friday through Saturday.
- The Murray State Softball are ready for their second go at the Missouri Valley Conference Softball Tournament when they take on the UIC Flames at Normal, Ill., Wednesday.
- The MVC stages its postseason tournament with the Racers and Flames meeting in the first game of the event, Wednesday at 10 a.m.
- The Racers are the No. 9 seed and the Braves are No. 8, with the winner facing No. 1 seed Southern Illinois at the same time Thursday.
UNI
- UNI enters the MVC Tournament as the two-seed and will face the winner of Drake and Evansville in Thursday's 4 p.m. quarterfinal.
- The Panthers seek to win their second MVC Tournament crown and first since 2013 this week in Normal. UNI previously made the championship game in 2021 and 2022.
- Northern Iowa leads the conference in home runs (47) and total walks (200). The Panthers are also second in on-base percentage (.373) and slugging percentage (.439).
- Alexis Pupillo leads the MVC in RBIs (50), RBIs per game (1.06) and sacrifice flies (5). She is also second in the league in home runs (16), total bases (98). Her next run batted in will be the 100th of her career.
- Madison Parks set UNI's single-season walks record with her 46th base on balls over the weekend at Valparaiso. Parks also is UNI's career leader in walks (148) and is third all-time in school history in stolen bases (54) and fifth in runs scored (138).
- Head coach Ryan Jacobs is five wins shy of his 500th career victory. UNI's 17th year head coach is eighth on the MVC's all-time wins list, as well as sixth in league history with 258 wins in conference play.
- Anna Wischnowski improved her season pitching record to 14-7 with wins over Iowa and Valparaiso this week to close out the 2024 regular season. Against the Hawkeyes, she pitched the final four innings, holding Iowa's offense at bay with just three hits and one run allowed while the Panther offense rallied in the final two innings to complete UNI's largest comeback win of the year in a 6-5 victory. In the second game of the weekend against the Beacons, Wischnowski struck out five batters and gave up just a single earned run in a 5-4 loss. In relief in Sunday's regular season finale, she slowed Valparaiso's offensive momentum with just two earned runs allowed in five and one-third innings of work, forcing the game into extra innings in a 4-2 victory in nine innings.
- Madison Parks led the Panthers in a 3-1 week with a team-high six hits, including four extra-base hits in a non-conference win over Iowa as well as UNI's weekend series at Valparaiso. The redshirt senior recorded two doubles in Saturday's 5-4 loss and another in Sunday's 4-2, nine-inning win with RBI in the final inning. Additionally, she set UNI's single-season walks record with her 46th walk of the year, while also recording her first triple of the year against Iowa in the program's largest comeback win of the season and stole three bases over the weekend against the Beacons.
Southern Illinois
- Southern Illinois (39-9, 23-4 MVC) finished the regular season with its sixth Valley sweep of the season. The Salukis claimed the 2024 MVC regular season championship after winning game two of the series on Saturday, in the first game of a doubleheader. It’s SIU’s fifth regular season MVC championship and first since 2010. Southern has won nine total MVC Championships (five regular season, four tournament) with three coming over the last four seasons after winning the tournament in 2021 and 2023.
- Freshman Maddia Groff made the start in two of the Salukis three wins over the weekend as she shut down Murray State for 14 consecutive innings. Groff started in each of the first two games of the series and tossed a pair of seven-inning shutouts. She allowed just five hits and two walks while striking out nine batters. Groff now totals 28 wins on the season with a record of 28-3 as she ties the program record for single-season wins. At the end of the regular season, she leads the conference in ERA, wins, strikeouts, and opponent batting average.
- Bailey Caylor had an outstanding weekend for the Salukis as she totaled a .500 batting average and a .667 on-base percentage in the series sweep over Murray State. In the doubleheader Saturday, she totaled three hits and three walks while scoring a pair of runs. Caylor recorded a season-high three walks in game one of the doubleheader as she went 1-for-1, reaching base in all four of her plate appearances. She followed it up with a two-hit game in the regular season finale, going 2-for-3 with a pair of singles at the plate.
Valparaiso
- Valpo's seniors brought their home careers to a close in strong fashion last weekend. Senior Caitlyn Kowalski started in the circle on Senior Day Saturday, making the 107th appearance of her Valpo career - tied for fifth-most by a pitcher in program history. Three seniors were then instrumental in the Beacons' seventh-inning rally for the upset win over UNI - Kayla Skapyak scored the game-tying run and Alexis Johnson scored the walk-off run, driven in by classmate Regi Hecker. The lone senior position player not involved in Saturday's seventh-inning rally, Emily Crompton made up for it on Sunday as she recorded a three-hit game - the second of her career.
- The Beacons played flawless defense last week, posting a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage over their four games, tallying 87 putouts and 29 assists without an error while also making a number of sparkling plays. It is the second straight season Valpo has had a run of four consecutive errorless games - prior to last year, the program had not had such a run since 2013. Highlights of the week included second baseman Alexis Johnson handling 20 chances (10 PO, 10 A) perfectly and center fielder Kayla Skapyak tallying nine putouts in Valpo's Saturday win over UNI - the second-most by a D-I outfielder this season in a single game, and the most in a game by a Valpo outfielder in at least 25 years.
- Sydney McDermott had a trio of strong pitching performances last week, posting a 2.71 ERA over 20.2 innings of work. She opened the week with a complete game against UIC, scattering seven hits while allowing just two runs and striking out five. McDermott next toed the rubber in relief in the middle game of the series against UNI, and after surrendering two runs in her first inning of work, shut the Panthers out over the final five innings on just four total hits as Valpo earned the come-from-behind win. She returned in the series finale against UNI in a starting role, and after giving up two first-inning runs, kept the Panthers off the board for the next seven innings to help keep Valpo in contention.
- Alexis Johnson closed out her final weekend of regular season play by tallying at least one hit in all four games, going 5-for-11 at the plate with a walk and three runs scored. She was perfect in three plate appearances in the series opener against UNI, going 1-for-1 with a walk and a sacrifice. In the middle game against the Panthers, Johnson contributed to Valpo's seventh-inning rally in the upset win with a bunt single and eventually scored the walk-off run. In the final game of her home career, Johnson went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. She stole a pair of bases on the week as well, giving her 16 on the year - good for fourth in the Valley and one shy of Valpo's single-season top-10. Defensively, Johnson handled 20 chances at second base flawlessly with 10 putouts and 10 assists, and finished the Valley slate with a .990 fielding percentage (53 PO/47 AST/1 E) despite playing exclusively in the middle infield.