The biggest disappointment for Missouri Southern in the early stages of the softball season is its home performance.
The Lions compiled an 11-4 record in tournaments at Durant, Okla., Bentonville, Ark., and Oklahoma City.
But in last week’s home debut, Missouri Southern dropped three games in the rain-shortened Border Battle — 8-2 to Central Missouri and 4-1 and 7-6 to Upper Iowa.
The Lions are back at home again this weekend to start the MIAA season. The Lions face No. 8-ranked Central Oklahoma at 3 p.m. today and Northeastern State at 2 p.m. Saturday.
The MIAA schedule consists of 28 games — 14 doubleheaders against each of the other teams in the league. The top eight teams qualify for the postseason tournament on May 2-4 in Overland Park, Kan.
“We’ve gone to the tournament in odd-numbered years,” Lions coach Bill Gray said. “We hope to continue that trend this year and break it next year.
“MIAA softball is very competitive. There’s not a day where the No. 15 team can’t beat the No. 1 team. It shouldn’t happen, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t as the year goes on.”
The Lions have two league twinbills almost every weekend through the end of April. Their league games against Pittsburg State are on Wednesday, April 17, in Pittsburg. The Lions and Gorillas are both at home against Lincoln that weekend.
Right fielder Shelby Romines leads the Lions with a .458 batting average. She’s also been the most productive batter with eight doubles, six home runs and 20 runs batted in.
Shortstop Michala Wood is hitting .400 and has seven doubles among her 24 hits. Second baseman Brooke Swadley and center fielder Alana Hester are batting .364 and .333, respectively, and first baseman Dawn Grass ranks second behind Romines with five homers and 12 RBI.
The Lions’ pitching duties have been shared among Sarah Williams (2-3, 3.00 earned run average), Hannah Cooke (2-1, 3.50), Haley Kinnison (3-1, 4.41) and Haley Pypes (4-2, 4.73). Pypes has struck out 34 batters and walked 31 in 37 innings, and Kinnison has 32 strikeouts and 29 walks in 33 innings.
Central Oklahoma (14-4) hasn’t played since it swept Southern Nazarene 12-3 and 8-3 on March 6. UCO pounded 26 hits in the doubleheader, including grand slams by Nicole Workman in the first game and Hayley Hudson in the nightcap.
The Bronchos have slugged 22 homers this season, including seven by Kacie Edwards and four by Workman. Workman has a team-high 21 RBI, two more than Edwards.
Leadoff hitter Ally Dziadula is batting .463, and Edwards and Devyn Frazier are hitting .446 and .415, respectively.
Kalynn Schrock leads the pitching staff with an 8-2 record and 1.63 ERA. She’s fanned 89 batters and walked 18 in almost 69 innings.
Northeastern State is 8-12 entering today’s games at Pittsburg State. A 5-2 nightcap victory over Arkansas Tech at home on Wednesday halted the RiverHawks’ eight-game losing streak.
Clay Davis is NSU’s new head coach, taking over for Dee Gerlach, former Missouri Southern assistant who resigned after last season to concentrate on finishing her Ph.D. She guided the RiverHawks to 234 victories in the previous 13 seasons.
Missouri Southern Sports
MSSU softball remains home for MIAA play
- Missouri Southern Sports
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2 Lions earn All-American track honors
Missouri Southern freshmen Kaylee Morgan and Brittani Reagan earned All-America honors in the long jump on Thursday during the first day of the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the Neta and Eddoe DeRose Thunderbowl.
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Division II track championships begin today
Almost half of Missouri Southern’s 16 entries are top-8 seeds in this week’s NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
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Rutledge retiring after national track and field competition
Patty Vavra knows it’s going to happen at some point during the next school year.
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4 named to MSSU Athletics Hall of Fame
Four former athletes — football player Yancy McKnight, pole vaulter Seth Isringhausen, baseball player Bryce Darnell and volleyball-softball player Stacy Harter Smith — comprise the 2013 class for the Missouri Southern Athletics Hall of Fame, it was announced Tuesday.
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'No one deserved to lose' Southern opener against Mavs
It’s hard to imagine a bigger emotional roller-coaster than the one the Missouri Southern baseball team rode the past week.
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Lions eliminated at regional
After a 14-inning heartbreaking defeat late Thursday night to Minnesota State, there was a question as to how Missouri Southern would respond on such a short turnaround.
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Lions squeezed in 14-inning loss to Minnesota State
An instant classic.
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Lions open regional play against top-seeded Minnesota State
For most of March and April, Minnesota State endured a long winter as it gradually made its case for the home-field advantage that goes along with being the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division II Central Region baseball tournament.
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Lions qualify 12 for track nationals
Missouri Southern has qualified a dozen athletes — six men and six women — for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships, it was announced Tuesday.
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Times set for MSSU's regional tourney
MIAA Tournament champion Missouri Southern will travel to Mankato, Minn., today by bus in preparation for the six-team Central Region tournament at Franklin Rogers Park.
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