DES MOINES, Iowa – Illinois State received a first-round by in the 2025 Missouri Valley Conference Softball Championship by finishing fourth in the regular season standings and had to wait to find out who its opponent would be in the quarterfinals on Thursday. By virtue of their win over UIC, the No. 5 seeded Missouri State Bears (20-32, 16-11 MVC) will take on the No. 4 seeded Redbirds (23-29, 16-11 MVC) on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. at Ron Buel Field.
Live stats for the game will be available via StatBroadcast and links can be found on the softball schedule page on GoRedbirds.com. The game will also be streamed will live on ESPN+.
THE SERIES
Illinois State leads the all-time series between the two programs, 72-49. The Redbirds took two out of three games from the Bears at home at Marian Kneer Stadium earlier this season. ISU picked up a win in the first game of the series, before the two teams split a doubleheader to complete the series.
SCOUTING THE BEARS
• Missouri State entered the MVC Tournament as the No. 5 seed after posting a 16-11 league record in 2025. Missouri State battled back to earn a 7-3 win over 12th-seeded UIC in the opening round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Wednesday.
• A group of MoState freshman shined in the game as Riley Baber, Aubrey Johansen, Lauren Rowland and Halle Studer went a combined 6-for-11 (.545) at the plate and drove in six of the Bears' seven runs on the afternoon. Studer led the way with three RBI, while Baber was one of two Missouri State sluggers with three hits on the day, joining senior Kenzie Derryberry.
• McKenzie Vaughan (11-8) earned the victory in the circle after coming on in relief in the top of the fourth inning. She hurled 4.0 scoreless innings, including retiring the first eight batters she saw, while allowing just two hits to hold the Flames at bay while the Bears found their rhythm on offense.
• The Bears had three student-athletes recognized as All-MVC performers, including Vaughan (First Team), Alexis Perales (Second Team) and Emily Gerardy (All-Defensive Team).
REDBIRD NEWS & NOTES
• Illinois State heads into the MVC Championship as the No. 4 seed, after finishing the conference slate at 16-11. That mark tied with Missouri State, however ISU earned the No. 4 seed by virtue of its series win during the regular season.
• Four Redbird student-athletes were selected to All-MVC teams for their performances in conference play during the 2025 season. Senior first baseman Abby Knight and senior second baseman Delainey Bryant were both selected to the All-MVC First Team, while junior pitcher Hannah Meshnick was tabbed as an All-MVC Second Team selection. Sophomore outfielder Julia Larson rounded out the Redbird honorees and earned a spot on the MVC All-Defensive Team.
• The Redbirds earned the No. 4 seed in the tournament, thanks to a thrilling 8-5 win in 11 innings over Murray State in the regular-season finale. With the game tied at 5-5 headed to the 11th inning, the Redbirds scored three runs to defeat the Racers and earn a series victory heading into the MVC Championship. Knight drove in three runs for the Redbirds in the win, including the would-be game winner in the top of the 11th inning. Meshnick went the distance in the circle, picking up the complete-game win to pick up her 12th win of the season.
For updates on Illinois State Softball, follow the Redbirds on Twitter (@RedbirdsSB), Instagram (@redbirdsoftball), and Facebook (Illinois State Redbird Softball).
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
