Bentonville, Ark. - The Missouri Southern Softball team is set to travel back to Arkansas to compete in the Alvy Early Memorial Classic on February 9-10. Games previously scheduled for Sunday, February 11, have been canceled due to expected weather conditions and will be played on Friday.

February 9

Game One:
Teams: Missouri Southern vs #9 Texas at Tyler
First Pitch: 11:00 AM
Location: Bentonville, Ark.
Site: Memorial Field 2

Game Two:
Teams: Missouri Southern vs Truman State
First Pitch: 1:30 PM
Location: Bentonville, Ark.
Site: Memorial Field 2

Game Three:
Teams: Missouri Southern vs Missouri S&T
First Pitch: 5:30 PM
Location: Bentonville, Ark.
Site: Memorial Field 2

February 10

Game One:
Teams: Missouri Southern vs Illinois Springfield
First Pitch: 11:00 AM
Location: Bentonville, Ark.
Site: Memorial Field 2

Game Two:
Teams: Missouri Southern vs Southwest Baptist
First Pitch: 1:30 PM
Location: Bentonville, Ark.
Site: Memorial Field 2

Media Coverage
Live Video/Stats - Live Video and Stats will not be available for the Alvy Early Memorial Classic
Lions on Facebook:  facebook.com/mososoftball
Lions on Twitter: @mssusoftball; @mososports
Lions on Instagram: @moso_softball

Scouting the Lions
The Missouri Southern softball program is off to a perfect start with a 5-0 record from last weekend at the Ronnie Hawkins/Mike McGhee Memorial Tournament. The Lions run-ruled Southwestern Oklahoma State, 9-1 (6 inn.), Arkansas Monticello (9-0 (6 inn.), and Ouachita Baptist, 13-0 (5 inn.) and defeated Henderson State twice on their home field with 12-7 and 6-5 (9 inn.) victories. Last season the Lions went 41-15, 21-5 MIAA and had nine named All-MIAA. This season the Lions returned eight position players and three pitchers from last season. In total the Lions have three seniors, nine juniors, five sophomores and four freshmen on the roster this season. 

Taylor Nuckolls leads the Lions in batting average with a .471. Nuckolls is also the Lions hit leader with eight hits, two of which were triples and one double. On the mound, Kiki Pickens has thrown the most innings with 11.2 and has a 3.60 ERA. Pickens also leads the Lions in strikeouts with 17. Natalie Bates and Avery Tallman have the Lions best pitcher record, going 2-0 each over the weekend.

Scouting the Patriots
The University of Texas at Tyler Patriots were ranked number eight in Division II after a fantastic 2023 season, going 62-6 and advancing all the way to the semifinals of the world series. This season the Patriots are off to a 4-1 start after competing in the 2024 DII First Pitch Invitational, losing their first game of the season to MSU Denver, 2-0, and then winning four straight against #17 Wingate, 6-2, Colorado Mesa, 10-2 (6 inn.), Washburn, 1-0 and Regis, 6-3.

Cassidi Mullen leads the Patriots in batting average with a .571. The Patriots have a three-way tie for hit leader with seven hits. On the mound, Genesis Armendariz has thrown the most innings with 20.0 and has a 0.35 ERA. Armendariz also leads the Patriots in strikeouts with 15. Crimson Bryant has the Patriots best pitcher record, going 2-0 over the weekend.

Scouting the Bulldogs
The Alvy Early Memorial Classic will be the season opening tournament for the Bulldogs. Ron Ferrill begins his second season in the dugout for the Truman State Bulldogs as the team finished 17-37 overall and 7-17 in conference play last year. Those totals were up nine wins from the 2022 season overall and four more wins in the GLVC. It was the most overall victories prior to the 2019 season.

Breianna Klein and Cameryn Patterson provide the veteran leadership for a squad that will have several new faces this year. Klein was a dual-threat last year with a .324 batting average with three home runs and 21 runs batted in while also pitching over 138 innings with 81 strikeouts and a 5.06 earned run average.

Patterson started 50 games last year and batted .292 and had the team lead in doubles with 11 with 26 runs batted in.

Scouting the Miners
The Missouri S&T Miners had a 20-28 ending to their 2023 season where they missed a postseason. This year, the Miners are off to a 2-2 start after competing in the Hawkins-McGhee Memorial Tournament, losing to Henderson State, 2-1 (8 inn.), and Arkansas-Monticello, 9-1, but defeating Ouachita Baptist, 7-5, and Southwestern Oklahoma State, 9-8.

Ty Neal leads the Miners in batting average with a .556. Neal also leads the Miners for hit leader with five hits. On the mound, Bryn Wooldridge has thrown the most innings with 14.0 and has a 6.00 ERA. Wooldridge also leads the Miners in strikeouts with 16, and has the best pitcher record going 2-0 this season.

Scouting the Prairie Stars
The Alvy Early Memorial Classic will be the season opening tournament for the Prairie Stars. UIS went 34-24 and 14-10 in GLVC play while also claiming nine All-GLVC awards last spring. They picked up regular season wins over successful GLVC teams including McKendree, Lewis, and UMSL, and ranked as high as No. 4 in the Midwest Region. The Prairie stars advanced to the Midwest Regional, falling 3-0 to the Lewis Flyers in their first matchup of the double elimination tournament. The Prairie Stars went on to take down GMAC Champion Hillsdale before meeting Lewis again and falling out of the tournament after a 6-5 loss.

Head Coach Shannon Guthrie enters her tenth year at the helm of the program in 2024. Guthrie has led the team to more than 30 wins in each of the last two seasons. Nine Prairie Stars earned All-GLVC honors in 2023 and the Prairie Stars ranked No. 7 in NCAA DII stolen bases. The UIS softball team was picked to finish sixth in the GLVC Preseason Coaches' Poll.

Scouting the Bearcats
The Alvy Early Memorial Classic will be the season opening tournament for the Bearcats. The Southwestern Baptist Bearcats had a 11-39 finish to their 2023 season where they fell short of a postseason berth. The Bearcats return many pieces to their 2024 squad. Last season's leading batting average and hitterwas from returner Margo Frossard, who averaged a .318 and had 48 hits in 48 games played in 2023 for the Bearcats. The Bearcast also return pitcher Paige Leithead, who pitched in 24 games and started 11 during last season. Leithead posted a 5.16 ERA and had 27 strikeouts in the 68.0 innings pitched.