ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Missouri Western softball (11-6) opens up MIAA play this weekend, first playing at Fort Hays State on Sunday and then at Nebraska-Kearney on Monday.

Sunday's and Monday's doubleheaders will both start at 12 and 2 p.m. The games will be available to stream on the MIAA Network.

Shined in Shawnee
Missouri Western went a perfect 4-0 this past weekend at the Top Gun Midwest College Classic at the Mid-America Sports Complex in Shawnee, Kansas, scoring wins over Minnesota State, Southwest Baptist, Maryville and Rockhurst.

A big key to that success yet again was pitcher Sydney Rader, who was recognized as the Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season.
 
Rader had another dominant weekend with two complete game shutouts. She struck out 16 batters and walked none over 12.0 innings, allowing just three hits. The Griffons' 8-0 victory against Maryville this past Saturday marked Rader's fourth complete shutout of the season.

With a record of 7-3, Rader is tied for second in the MIAA in wins. She also ranks second in the conference in innings pitched (63.2), third in strikeouts (61) and third in ERA (1.43).

At the plate, junior Avya McComas had a massive weekend, combining for three runs scored, four total hits, three home runs and a team-best nine RBIs. McComas homered twice in an 8-7 win over Southwest Baptist, and she had the walkoff RBI in a 1-0 win over Minnesota State last Friday.

Thompson Time
Missouri Western has begun a new chapter in its storied softball history, as head coach Nicole Thompson is in her first season as the seventh head coach in program history.

Hired last June, Thompson came to the Griffons from NCAA Division II Regis University in Colorado, and is fresh off a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Tournament championship and an NCAA South Central Regional appearance in 2024. In her five seasons as head coach at Regis, Thompson compiled a 132-101 overall record, leading the Rangers to 33 wins or more in each of her last three seasons. Her 2024 team swept its way to the RMAC Tournament title as a No. 5 seed and earned the program's first NCAA Tournament berth since 2015. The Rangers also then defeated #1 nationally ranked West Texas A&M in the tournament's opening round. 
 
Prior to Regis, Thompson spent three seasons as head softball coach at NAIA Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky.. Thompson compiled an overall record of 82-70, while her Appalachian Athletic Conference record was a remarkable 50-20. She guided her team to third-place finishes in 2017 and 2018, earning AAC Coach of the Year honors in 2017. 
 
Thompson had a unique start to her coaching career. Originally accepting a position as the Assistant Director for Communications at Union College in February 2016, Thompson served as the Interim Head Coach beginning in September 2016 before being named the full-time head coach.
  
Thompson was a dual-sport athlete in college, competing in both softball and basketball for NAIA Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. As a softball player, she was a three-time All-KCAC First-Team selection at shortstop. Her team won two KCAC regular season championships and one KCAC Tournament title, while also making two NAIA National Tournament appearances (2012, 2013).

Joining Thompson on staff is pitching and catching coach Steffany Dickerson. Before MWSU, Dickerson was a graduate assistant at the University of Kansas and contributed to the Jayhawks' seven Top 25 victories in 2023 and '24.

Steffany was a standout starting pitcher at Missouri State who received numerous accolades, including MVC Pitcher of the Year and MVC All-Tournament MVP. She completed her collegiate career with an impressive ERA of 2.24 and 530 strikeouts.

Guess Who's Back
Missouri Western returns 11 players from a 2024 team that went 31-20 overall and 13-13 in the MIAA. The Griffons return seven of their top eight hitters from a season ago - all seven of whom started 43 games or more in 2024. Shortstop Kalee Higdon returns after garnering second-team all-MIAA honors last year. Outfielder Mackenzie DeVine is now a two-time all-MIAA selection, picking up honorable mention honors last season.

In the circle, the Griffons return three-time all-MIAA senior Sydney Rader, who earned honorable mention all-conference accolades last season. Rader went 15-7 last year, striking out 149 in 161.2 innings. MWSU also brings back starters in Harley Pruetting and Ashlyn Finarty. Finarty was honorable mention all-MIAA in 2024, while Pruetting was an honorable mention all-conference pitcher in 2023.

New Kids on the Block
Missouri Western added 10 new players to its roster in the offseason - five freshmen and six transfers. Joining Coach Thompson from Regis are C/UTL Rachel Barriga, catcher Sydney Young and outfielder Sienna Reed.

Barriga made 42 starts for Regis last year and batted .304. Young made 49 starts as a freshman last season at Regis, batting .275 on the year. Reed started a combined 103 games in two seasons at Regis, where she had a career batting average of .275 and a career slug percentage of .426. Reed was an honorable mention all-RMAC selection at Regis last season as well.

Outfielder Ella Fitzpatrick joins MWSU from Division I Lipscomb University. Fitzpatrick had also played at Iowa Western Community College, helping the Reivers to a NJCAA World Series Appearance in 2024. In that season, Fitzpatrick had a huge impact, batting .345 with a .593 slug. She scored 49 runs on 50 hits, including eight home runs.

A couple more JUCO stars join Missouri Western in 2025. Infielder Lauren Newlin had a terrific year last year at Central Arizona College, batting .343 in 40 games. Another infielder, shortstop Ayva McComas, joins MWSU from Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado, where she was an NJCAA All-American, collecting a combined 53 HRs and 159 RBIs in two seasons.

Two-Sport Stars
The Griffons added some pitching help as well, borrowing All-American thrower Makenzie Garr from MWSU Track and Field. Garr, in her sophomore year, is no stranger to softball. The St. Joseph native was an all-city and all-district pitcher for St. Joseph Central, helping the Indians to a district championship game appearance in 2022. She recorded 185 strikeouts in her senior season alone.

Missouri Western will also have Griffon soccer keeper Morgan Byrd playing infield this spring. Byrd had a terrific softball career at Papillion-La Vista High School in Nebraska, helping the Monarchs to state titles in 2020 and 2023. She earned all-state honors in 2023 as well.

Who We Playing?
Fort Hays State (8-4) comes in a four-game winning streak, while UNK (8-8) will host Central Missouri for a Sunday doubleheader before seeing MWSU.

Hays won four games in a row to end their stay at the Washburn Invitational on Feb. 24-25, but the Tigers have not played since. Hays will host UCM on Saturday, March 8 to get their weekend and conference slate started.

UNK's schedule has been a bit all over the place to open the year, as they played in the Ulili Softball Invitational in Honolulu, Hawaii in early February and scored wins there over Hillsdale, Lewis and Chaminade.

The Lopers' most recent victory was a 3-1 decision against Truman State on Mar. 1 at the Branson Showtime Classic.

What's Next?
Missouri Western will at long last have its home opener against Upper Iowa on Wednesday, March 12. Those games will be at 2 and 4 p.m. That will be the start of a six-game home stand for the Griffons.

Nicole Thompson, Ayva McComas interview