ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Griffon Softball (9-1) is back in action this week, staying in the Show Me State to partake in the Branson D-II Battle on Thursday and Friday.
MoWest plays Southern Nazarene on Thursday at 2 p.m. and Missouri-St. Louis at 4 p.m., followed by Friday games against Quincy at 11:30 a.m. and Southwest Baptist at 1:30 p.m. The games will be played at the Branson Rec Plex Softball Fields.
Last Time Out
Griffon Softball capped the George and Ola McCorkle Challenge in San Angelo, Texas on Sunday with a doubleheader sweep of Central Region opponent Ouachita Baptist, taking game one 5–4 before securing a 3–2 win at Mayer Softball Field.
Game 1: MoWest 5 Ouachita Baptist 4 (9 innings)
The Griffons completed a late comeback to earn a 5–4 victory on Saturday, pulling ahead with the go-ahead run in the bottom of the ninth.
MWSU struck first in the opening inning when
Kalee Higdon came home on a wild pitch to give the Griffons an early 1–0 edge. Ouachita Baptist answered in the third on an unearned run, then took a 4–1 lead in the fifth with a pair of scores.
The Griffons began to chip away in the sixth.
Amiya Hernandez launched a solo home run to left field, followed by an RBI single from
Sydney Young that trimmed the deficit to 4–3. MWSU evened the score in the seventh as
Sienna Reed crossed the plate on a wild pitch.
The decisive run came in the ninth inning when
Rachel Cain doubled to left center, driving in
Brooklynn Clark to put the Griffons in front, 5–4.
In the circle,
Ashlyn Finarty struck out six over four innings of work.
Harley Pruetting earned the win in relief, tossing five shutout innings while allowing just one hit and striking out eight to secure the victory.
Game 2: MoWest 3 Ouachita Baptist 2
In game two of the doubleheader, the Griffons held on for a 3–2 victory behind early offense and strong pitching.
MWSU jumped out to a 3–0 lead in the first inning as
Ayva McComas doubled to right-center to bring home two runs, followed by an RBI single from Finarty. The Tigers answered with an unearned run in the fourth and a solo home run in the sixth to trim the margin, but the Griffons' pitching staff limited further damage.
Aubrey Dare picked up the win after tossing five innings with six strikeouts, while
Torie Sandoval locked down the final two frames to earn the save, striking out three and securing the 3–2 win in game two of the doubleheader.
Season Outlook
Griffon Softball was picked to finish 7
th out of 13 teams in the MIAA this season, per the preseason coaches' poll. MoWest received 84 points in the voting, sitting behind Washburn in 6
th place and ahead of 8
th place Emporia State.
The Griffons, under second year head coach
Nicole Thompson, are coming off of a 32-21 mark in 2025, including a 12-12 record in MIAA play. MoWest, who's won 30 games or more in each of the last four seasons, qualified for the MIAA softball tournament last season, falling to Pittsburg State 10-7 in the quarterfinal round.
MoWest brings back a strong core of talent this season with 11 returners total, including four of the top five hitters and two starting pitchers from last season. The Griffons bring back five players who started 46 games or more in 2025, and eight players who started 16 games or more.
The Griffons also added 11 players – seven transfers and four freshmen. Three of the new players are pitchers, while eight position players were added as well. Of the seven transfers, four of them come from the NCAA Division I level.
Schedule Breakdown
The Griffs will play their final non-conference tournament of the season, the Midwest College Classic, Feb. 27–March 1 in Kansas City, featuring games against Central Region foes Winona State, Minnesota State-Moorhead, Bemidji State, Concordia-St. Paul, Minnesota State and GLVC member Quincy.
MoWest's home opener is set for Saturday, March 7 with a doubleheader against Augustana. The Griffons stay home the following weekend to host Fort Hays State on Saturday, March 14 for its MIAA opener.
The first MIAA doubleheaders on the road are set for March 20–21 at Northeastern State and at No. 12 Rogers State respectively. The Griffs will also travel to see No. 7 Central Oklahoma on April 4 and then come home to see No. 17 Missouri Southern on April 10.
The regular season concludes May 1 with a road doubleheader at Northwest Missouri State. The 2026 MIAA Softball Tournament is scheduled for May 6-10 at Trusler Sports Complex in Emporia, Kansas.
Fight On 50
The 2025-26 season marks the 50
th season of Griffon Softball and of women's athletics at Missouri Western State University. Softball has been a key part of that history as one of the four original women's programs that started in 1975-76.
Since that time, Griffon Softball has won 1303 games with 14 national tournament bids (11 NCAA + 3 NAIA), one national title (1982) and four MIAA championships (two tournament, two regular season).
