Missouri State won the 2011 State Farm MVC Championship and will advance to the NCAA Softball Tournament.  The Missouri State beat Drake in an intense game that ended with the Bears on top, 7-4.  Tournament MVP, Natalie Rose, pitched her fourth complete game in three days. 

All-Tournament Team
Jackie Roth, Catcher, Bradley
Jamie Hull, First Baseman, Wichita State
Hannah Borschel, Left Fielder, Northern Iowa
Christa Ruf, Center Fielder, Creighton
Kara Nelson, Second Baseman, Illinois State
Nichelle Harrison, Right Fielder, Illinois State
Mallory Duran, Left Fielder, Southern Illinois
Natalee Weissinger, Third Baseman, Southern Illinois
Sam West, Left Fielder, Drake
Brynne Dordel, Pitcher, Drake
Jordan Gronewold, Third Baseman, Drake
Heather Duckworth, Third Baseman, Missouri State
Tyler Porter, Center Fielder, Missouri State
Ashley Knehans, First Baseman, Missouri State
MVP – Natalie Rose, Pitcher, Missouri State

Day One Recap
The first day of the 2011 State Farm MVC Softball Championship has been completed.  So far three teams have been sent home, with a fourth one hanging in the balance.  Game four of the day had to be suspended due to a severe thunderstorm that moved into the area.   

In front of the home crowd, Missouri State won both of their games today beating Bradley (3-0) in the morning, followed by Northern Iowa (2-0) later that evening.  In the second game of the day, Creighton beat Wichita State to advance and play the No. 3 seed, Southern Illinois.  The final game of the evening had to be suspended because of heavy rain and lightening.

Game 4, Creighton versus Southern Illinois, will resume tomorrow (Friday, May 13) at 10:00am, followed by the semi-final games at 12:00pm and 2:30pm.

Day Two Recap

After a torrential downpour last night, Game 4 between Creighton and Southern Illinois resumed this morning.  Southern Illinois made quick work of the rest of the game and finished it off, beating Creighton 4-0.

No. 5 Missouri State upset the No. 1 Illinois State in the first semifinal game of the day.  All-Conference first-team member Natalie Rose had another outstanding outing in which she led the Bears to a 4-2 victory.  On the day, she struck out nine batters and only walked one.  The Bears will now try to win the Championship in front of a home crowd.

The final semifinal game got off to a rough start for Pitcher of the Year, Jenna DeLong.  After one inning, Brynne Dordel came in to relieve DeLong.  Once in the circle, Dordel took control of the game only giving up two hits, earning her 12th win of the season.

Missouri State and Drake will face off in the Championship game which starts at 12:07pm.  Fans can watch the game on the Fox Sports Network.  The winner will automatically advance to the NCAA Tournament.

Missouri State to Host MVC Championship

Missouri State University will serve as host for the 2011 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Softball Championship for the first time since 1994 and for the fourth time in school history, from May 12-14. The 2011 event will be played at Killian Softball Stadium in Springfield, Mo.

The Killian Sports Complex renovation was completed in 2009, fulfilling the dream of the Missouri State softball team to have a new state-of-the-art facility.  The new lighted facility seats 1,200 spectators and features surface improvements, a new scoreboard and press box. 

New/Old Format

In 2011, the State Farm MVC Softball Championship will return to the the double-bye, single-elimination format that was played during the 2008 and 2009 Championships.  This year goes away from the three games that were added to last year's bracket, allowing teams losing games five, six and eight the opportunity to play their way into the winner-take-all championship game in the modified double-elimination set-up.

Tune In

Fans can follow the State Farm MVC Softball Championship on MVC Live, the conference's video streaming program. MVC Live is a partnership between the Missouri Valley Conference and WebStream Productions - the creators of the highly-acclaimed Horizon League Network. Live game action from a television-like production including multiple cameras, graphics and professional announcers will be available the banner below for all games leading into the televised final.