Second Week of League Play
Two teams remain undefeated in league play after this past weekend’s series. UNI is 6-0 with two series sweeps over UIC and Murray State. Indiana State is also 6-0 with wins over UIC and Drake.
     
Among the National Leaders
Grace French from Bradley is tied for first in the nation for doubles with 14 on the season. She is ranked eleventh nationally for doubles per game with .45. Murray State’s Jenna Veber is also tied for first in the nation for hit batters. Megan Brenton from Evansville is ranked 18th in the nation for earned run average with 1.19.
 
RPI Update
The NCAA RPI report from Monday has three MVC teams ranked in the Top 100 and seven teams in the Top 150. Belmont and Southern Illinois lead the conference, both ranking right next to each other as the Bruins come in at 62nd and the Salukis rank 63rd. Missouri State (82), Murray State (126), UNI (127), Illinois State (133), Indiana State (136) also rank the Top 150.  The MVC is ranked 15th nationally as a conference. 
 
Upcoming MVC Schedule
This week all twelve MVC teams with continue their league play.
      Murray State at Drake
      Missouri State at Valparaiso
      Indiana State at Southern Illinois
      Belmont at Evansville
      UIC at Illinois State
      Bradley at UNI
 
The league has an overall record of 156-184 with a .459 winning percentage.
 
Belmont
Belmont softball went 2-2 on the week in conference play. The Bruins took the series in the rubber match against Southern Illinois with a walk off homerun from Emily Cockrill. In four games the Bruins produced 5 home runs and 29 hits. Pitcher Maya Johnson added 19 strikeouts to bring her season total to 130. Belmont will face Western Kentucky in a midweek matchup and will head to Evansville for the weekend. 
 
Bradley
The Braves dropped the weekend series against Murray State 0-3. Addie Welsh hit a solo home run in the first and second game of the series, getting her season total to three. Bailey Sample also delivered a pinch hit home run for the Braves. Camryn Schaller continued to increase her strikeout mark on the season, now up to 55 in 42 innings pitched. Bradley heads to UNI to continue conference play this weekend. 
 
Drake
The Drake Bulldogs were swept by Indiana State in their home-opening series over the weekend. The Bulldogs put up more of a challenge when they hosted the Sycamores but could not get over the hump and into the MVC win column. Individually, Emma Dighton smashed her team-best fourth home run in the series finale. Drake will travel to Omaha for a mid-week matchup at Creighton before returning to Des Moines to host Murray State next weekend.
 
Evansville
Over the last seven games, the starting pitching for the Purple Aces has been outstanding.  As a whole, the starters have tossed a total of 26 innings while allowing just seven earned runs over that time.  That translates to a 1.88 ERA.  No starting pitcher over that span has allowed more than three earned runs to score. 
 
Illinois State
Illinois State has improved to 14-15 overall and 4-1 in MVC play after a series sweep of Valparaiso and a non-conference win in the Redbirds’ home opener against DePaul. Over the Redbirds’ four games this week, the offense scored 47 runs on 44 hits. Illinois State put up a big inning against Valparaiso in the series finale, scoring 13 runs with two outs in the top of the second and every player in the lineup scored at least one run during the inning with four players scoring twice. The Redbirds have won their last 9 of 10 games and will enter a home series on a five-game win streak. Illinois State is set to host the UIC Flames on Mar. 31-Apr. 2 at Marian Kneer Stadium for the Redbirds first home series of the 2023 season. Illinois State’s home opener against non-conference opponent DePaul was the earliest home debut for the Redbirds since the 2015 season and the second earliest in the last decade (2012-2023 – 2020 did not have a home season). 
 
Indiana State 
The Sycamores went 6-1 last week, splitting a doubleheader against Purdue and clinching a pair of MVC sweeps to begin 6-0 in league play. ISU’s 6-0 start in conference action is the program’s best MVC start in its history. Indiana State swept a three-game series against UIC with three run-rule wins while also going on the road and sweeping Drake.
 
Missouri State
Missouri State softball is currently riding a seven-game win streak following a weekend sweep of Evansville that included two walk-off victories. MSU capped its first home stand of the 2023 season with a 7-0 record as the Bears prepare to hit the road once again to take on Valparaiso this weekend. The Bears jumped up to No. 87 in the RPI, as they rank 60^th in overall strength of schedule and 30^th in non-conference strength of schedule this season. 
 
Murray State
Murray State softball earn their first Missouri Valley Conference series win with sweep over Bradley. The Racers went 4-0 for the week with a win over Belmont in midweek. Saxon Radcliffe hits it off the wall to send Jadyn Thompson home, putting the Racers up 3-2 in the ninth inning over Belmont, Wednesday. Murray State softball takes first game in serires against Bradley. After a tied game at threes up to the sixth innging, Lindsey Carrol hit an RBI single to score Lily Fischer and put the Racers ahead. Ailey Schyck bunted an RBI on the next at bat to score Bailey Broemmer and give the Racers a run lead.Taylor Jackson hit two RBIs double in the top of the second inning to score runs by Ailey Schyck and Lindsey Carroll. Jenna Veber led the Racers' defense to keep the two-run lead through the seventh inning. Hannah James posted nine strikeouts to limit the Braves to only three hits to earn a shutout win and led the Racers to their first Missouri Valley Conference sweep win, Sunday. The Racers scored three runs as Erin Lackey and Taylor each scored an RBI. 
 
UNI
UNI continued their perfect start to conference play with a sweep over the UIC Flames the past weekend. The Panthers had another strong offensive weekend, outscoring the Flames 24-2 with their second grand slam of the season. UNI's pitching staff also had a big weekend in the Windy City, lowering the team ERA and raising their strikeout-to-walk ratio with a weekend ERA of 0.47 and a strike-to-walk ratio of 4.00. After the past weekend, Heyer and Packard are now nationally ranked in the Top 100 in strikeouts and strikeouts per game and the team ERA is at 2.41. 
 
Southern Illinois 
The Southern Illinois Salukis dropped its first MVC series of the year to Belmont over the weekend. After winning game one on Saturday, the Bruins were able to score late in each of the last two meetings to edge out the Salukis. Despite the losses, SIU holds the most wins in the Valley at 23-5 as the Salukis prepare for a midweek matchup with Southeast Missouri before hosting Indiana State for a weekend series at Charlotte West Stadium.
 
UIC
Many members of the UIC softball team showed so offensive stride amidst seven games. Redshirt senior Maica Ingles led the offensive from lead-off, with eight hits and a .421 batting average. Senior Carlee Jo Clark and Sophomore Hailey Cowing each had home runs against #24 Northwestern. Senior Jordyn Cebedo secured two hits in their series against UNI. The Flames will take on Notre Dame Wednesday and will return to MVC play over the weekend on the road, taking on Illinois State.
 
Valparaiso 
Kim Rodas extended her on-base streak to six consecutive games, all of which have come in MVC play, as she went 2-for-5 with four walks in the three-game set against Illinois State. Rodas drew three walks in the second game of the series against the Redbirds, tied for a Valpo single-game high this year and tied for third-most in a single game in program history. Rodas is slashing .556/.733/.667 through the first two Valley series after entering MVC play slashing .234/.280/.298 on the year.
This week's Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week is Dayna. Kennedy of Illinois State, the Pitcher of the Week is Samantha Heyer of Northern Iowa, and The Newcomer of the Week Hannah Meeks of Illinois State. 
 
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Dayna Kennedy, Sr., C, Decatur, Ill., Illinois State
Senior Dayna Kennedy had a hot weekend at the plate for Illinois State as she helped lead the Redbirds to a three-game series sweep with a .700 (7-for-10) batting average across three starts while driving in seven runs. She posted three consecutive multi-hit contests in the weekend series at Valparaiso. In the first game of the weekend, Kennedy was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and 3 runs scored which was a career high for the senior. The following game was Kennedy’s best of the weekend as she was 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. Kennedy accounted for 5 of the Redbirds 8 runs in the second game of the series (3 RBI + 2 runs scored). In the series finale against the Beacons, Kennedy was a huge part of the big, 13-run second inning for Illinois State. She started a chain of seven consecutive singles in her first at-bat and then blasted a three-run home run in her second at-bat of the inning and the game. It was her third multi-hit contest of the weekend as she was 2-for-3 with a home run, 4 RBI and 2 runs scored. Kennedy started all three games behind the dish as the Redbirds’ primary catcher and collected 13 putouts with a perfect fielding percentage while catching three different pitchers. Overall, she slashed .700/1.500/.727 in the series sweep of the Beacons with two home runs, two doubles, a walk, 7 runs scored, and 
Other Notable Performances: Alexis Pupillo (UNI), Kristen Green (BEL), Maica Ingles (UIC), Taylor Jackson (MUR), Rylie Hamilton (SIU), Annie Tokarek (INS), McKenzie Vaughan (MSU), Hannah Hood (UE)

MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PITCHER OF THE WEEK: 
Samantha Heyer, R-Jr., P, Charles City, Iowa, UNI 
Heyer is becoming quite the ace for the Panthers with a win and a save against UIC over the past week. In two appearances for UNI, Heyer pitched a complete game and picked up the save for the Panthers in their final game against the Flames. During her complete game, Heyer allowed only one hit with no earned runs and in the final inning was able to strike out the side to end the game. Heyer also struck out the side in her save appearance on Sunday afternoon putting her at 11th nationally for saves with three on the season. In eight innings of work, Heyer allowed no earned runs with three hits and two walks. She threw 15 strikeouts, putting her season SO number to 127 for 16th in the country among D1 pitchers. 
 

Other Notable Performances: Hannah Meeks (ILS), Hannah James (MUR), Lexi Benko (INS), Gracie Johnston (MSU), Sydney Weatherford (UE)

MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE NECOMER OF THE WEEK:
Hannah Meeks, Fr., P, Naperville, Ill., Illinois State
Freshman pitcher Hannah Meeks got the start in the circle in the series finale against Valparaiso and tossed her second one-hitter of the season and her young career. Meeks picked up her sixth win in the circle to lead all Redbird pitchers in W-L with a 6-2 overall record. In the finale against the Beacons, Meeks faced one above the minimum in her five-inning, complete game shutout while only allowing one hit and striking out two. She allowed the lone hit for the Beacons in the top of the second, but then proceeded to retire the next 12 batters in a row to earn the victory in the circle. She did not allow a single walk or hit-by-pitch and Valpo had one baserunner the entire game (from the hit in the second inning). This is Meeks’ second one-hit bid this season as the freshman achieved this feat earlier against Jacksonville State (2/25/23) in her second career start. She holds a 1-0 record with a 0.00 ERA in Valley play so far.
Other Notable Performances: Alexis Pupillo (UNI), Bailey Broemmer (MUR), Jackie Lis (SIU)
 
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