2010 Missouri State Season Review
Back In The Hunt
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Bears Overcome Slow Start to Shake Up MVC Race
edemption was sweet last spring for the Missouri State softball team and 22nd-year head coach Holly Hesse. The Bears returned to the upper half of the Missouri Valley Conference standings for the first time in four years, finishing in a tie for fourth place. MSU then mounted a charge through the State Farm MVC Championship in Des Moines, before coming up just a base hit short of advancing to the title game. While the Bears’ renaissance culminated in a series of all-around extraordinary performances at the league meet, the foundation of their turnaround was laid well in advance. In fact, the signs were there all along the way: they were there in a recordshattering offensive display in mid-March; they were there in a pair of gut-wrenching, one-run losses to nationally-ranked Oklahoma State; they were there in a landmark three-game road sweep of three-time defending MVC champ Creighton; they were there in the form of a talented freshman class that contributed from day one; they were there throughout the year with the collective performances of three juniors who etched their names alongside some of the program’s greatest players; and they were there when a sophomore stepped in the circle in early May and refused to leave, repeatedly willing her team to victory at the most critical point of the season. All that after the Valley coaches picked MSU seventh in the league’s preseason poll. All that after returning just four regular starters from a 19-25 squad the previous season. All that after the Bears staggered out of the gate with seven straight defeats to surpass the school record for consecutive losses. All that after being outscored 28-5 over a four-game span in March that included a pair of losses to eventual league champion Southern Illinois on the opening weekend of MVC play. It was quite a comeback for a team that, despite utilizing a lineup that had combined for just 11
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2011 Softball Guide
career homers entering the season, ultimately tied the Missouri State single-season home run record. Quite a comeback for a team that, despite its 21-32 overall record, extended a long-standing tradition of excellence in the MVC tournament to come within a whisper of taking down the meet’s top seed— twice. Yes, redemption was certainly sweet for the 2010 Bears.
Humble Beginnings
The strong finish for Missouri State probably could not have been predicted based on the Bears’ rocky first month of the season. After dropping their last five games of the 2009 season, the Bears went winless in three contests at the Stetson Lead-Off Classic (Feb. 13-14), followed by four straight setbacks at the North Texas Sleep Inn Classic (Feb. 19-20) to surpass the previous school-record dry spell of 10 games, which occurred during the 1989 season. MSU finally stopped its 12-game slide with a 7-3 win over SEMO to open play at the Missouri Breast Cancer Awareness Tournament on March 6. Following a 4-1 loss to Valparaiso in their first game at the Kansas Invitational, the Bears’ record stood at 2-11, which represented the worst start to a season on record at Missouri State. Despite the tough start, the Bears could take consolation in their second win in as many years against Kansas (March 14) and in the fact that six of their first 12 defeats had been one-run decisions.
represented its highest single-game total in more than three years. After dropping four straight contests to Rutgers (March 18) and Southern Illinois (March 19), MSU got a 1-0 shutout from Lauren Supak to squeak past Wichita State (March 24), then posted another big offensive weekend vs. Evansville in their first Valley road trip of the season, March 26-27. Led by junior Christa Gammon’s career effort, the Bears battered UE pitching, hitting .362 for the weekend to claim the first of three straight conference series victories by taking two of the three games.
History in the Making
Missouri State came up just short in its second contest of the year against a ranked opponent, falling by a 3-2 score to 15th-ranked Oklahoma State on March 30 in Stillwater. Coupled with a rejuvenated offensive attack, the close call with one of the nation’s elite teams propelled the Bears to a historic road sweep over three-time defending conference champion Creighton (April 2-3). MSU beat three-time Valley Pitcher of the Year Tara Oltman, 4-1, in game one, then scratched out a late run to rally past the Jays for a 3-2 win in the second tilt of the series. The Bears finished off their first-ever three-game sweep of CU with a convincing 5-1 decision.
Tough Sledding
Riding high after the promising road trip to Omaha, the Bears returned to Killian Stadium for a six-game home stand, beginning with a return match-up against Oklahoma State (April 8). Lauren Supak Bouncing Back The Bears showed signs of coming out of their early- continued a string of strong outings in the circle, season hibernation, turning in their most-productive holding the Cowgirls to just two hits through the two-game stretch ever in a doubleheader sweep of first six innings of a scoreless duel. But OSU’s Megan IUPUI on March 17. Missouri State scored 29 runs and Castle led-off the seventh with what would prove to pounded out six homers, which more than doubled be a game-clinching homer to left for a 1-0 Cowgirl its season total. MSU’s 17 runs scored in game two triumph.
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