ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Missouri Western softball (20-15, 7-7 MIAA) is on the road to resume conference play – first at Missouri Southern on Monday at 1 and 3 p.m. and then at No. 23 Pittsburg State on Tuesday at 1 and 3 p.m.

The games were originally set to be played this past Friday and Saturday, but inclement weather caused both doubleheaders to be moved back by a couple of days.

Last Time Out
Missouri Western split a non-conference doubleheader with Drury this past Wednesday, winning the first game 6-3 and dropping the second 5-4. It was the first non-conference doubleheader the Griffons had played all season.

GAME 1: Missouri Western 6 Drury 3
Drury got off to a 3-0 start by the top of the fourth, but Missouri Western answered with two runs in the bottom of the fourth, thanks to a two-run RBI single by Taylor Jones.

The Griffons then took the lead with two runs in the fifth and added an insurance run in the sixth. Ayva McComas had a two-run RBI single in the fifth to put Missouri Western in front.

McComas, Sydney Young and Myah Dwyer each had three hits. Jones had two hits and drove in three runs.

Meanwhile, Sydney Rader (15-5) tossed a gem in the circle, striking out a career-best 13 batters in a complete game, walking just two and allowing just one earned run.

GAME 2: Drury 5 Missouri Western 4
Missouri Western got off to a great start with two runs in the first, thanks to an RBI triple by Mackenzie DeVine and an RBI double by Ayva McComas.

Western then went up 4-1 in the fourth, scoring a pair of runs on wild pitches. McComas and pinch runner Morgan Byrd scored those runs.

The Griffons were held off the board the rest of the way, and Drury went in front with two runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh.

The Panthers scored their runs in the sixth off of a passed ball and a wild pitch. Both of Drury's runs in the seventh inning were unearned, due to a pair of fielding errors in that frame.

Missouri Western got the tying run to second in the bottom half, but a strikeout and a groundout ended the game.

McComas went 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Ashlyn Finarty (3-5), who relieved Harley Pruetting in the seventh, was charged with the loss. She allowed one hit and had one wild pitch, facing six batters in all.

Thompson Time
Missouri Western softball has begun a new chapter in its storied history, as head coach Nicole Thompson is currently 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. 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.

Rader's Last Hurrah
In her last go-around at Missouri Western, the fifth-year senior has been downright dominant in the circle. Rader currently ranks No. 1 in the MIAA in wins (15), complete games (18), complete game shutouts (6), innings pitched (129.1), ERA (1.46) and strikeouts (126).
 
Her six shutouts are third most among all pitchers in NCAA Division II, her 15 complete games are fifth most in the nation, the 129.1 innings are tied for ninth and her 15 wins are tied for sixth most in the country.
 
Rader has also scattered her name across the Missouri Western career record books. As of April 6, 2025, Rader ranks in the top five in program history in each of the following:

• 2.13 ERA (2nd)
• 61 Ws (3^rd)
• 116 appearances (4th)
• 94 games started (5th)
• 602 IP (4th)
• 570 K (2nd)
• 2565 batters faced (5th)
• .231 career opponent batting average (4th)
• 61 complete games (5th)
• 20 shutouts (tied with Janie Smith for 2nd)

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.

Lions and Gorillas, Oh My
Missouri Western faces two teams that sit in the top three in the MIAA standings, with Missouri Southern (27-11, 7-3 MIAA) up first.

The Lions are far and away the MIAA leaders in stolen bases this season with 113 – the third most of any team in NCAA Division II.

The Lions also feature the best team ERA in the MIAA at 1.96. Southern's pitchers, who have struck out a combined 209 hitters so far this season (2^nd MIAA), are led by former Griffon pitcher and former MWSU pitching coach Lexi Kinnaird, who was hired by MSSU as their pitching coach this past summer.

MSSU is holding opponents to a batting average of .212 – the lowest in the MIAA. Kiki Pickens (13-4) has been Southern's best in the circle by far with a 1.68 ERA. She has struck out 120 and has only walked 24, holding opponents to a measly .148 batting average.

Offensively, Bailey Dillon is Southern's best threat, ranking fourth in the MIAA with a batting average of .427. Meanwhile, MSSU's Katie Gray leads the league with 12 home runs and 52 RBIs.

MWSU and MSSU have split each of their last eight meetings since the start of the 2021 season.

Pitt State (27-9, 8-2 MIAA), winners of six straight, are a legitimate threat to win the MIAA as well. Up to No. 23 in the latest poll, Pitt State leads the league in batting average (.363), runs (256), hits (362), RBI (233), slug percentage (.539) and on-base percentage (.432).

Heather Arnett is their best bat with an MIAA-leading .527 batting average.

In the circle, Pitt State leads the league in strikeouts (237) and ranks second in opponent batting average (.214).

Since 2012, Missouri Western is 18-9 against PSU, but the Gorillas have swept the Griffons in the regular season each of the last two years.