ST. LOUIS – Missouri State softball had five players named to various Missouri Valley Conference all-conference teams, with Steffany Dickerson collecting MVC Pitcher of the Year honors, the league announced Wednesday.
MSU’s fifth-year seniors Dickerson (P), Daphne Plummer (SS) and Madison Hunsaker (UT/P) all earned first-team all-conference nods, while Olivia Krehbiel (3B) was named to the All-MVC second team. Catcher Alex Boze was named to the MVC All-Defensive Team.
Dickerson becomes just the second Bear in program history, and the first since Nora Cagwin in 1999, to earn MVC Pitcher of the Year. Dickerson led the MVC with a 0.87 earned run average against Valley foes. She also topped the league in opposing batting average (.194), strikeouts looking (33), wins (13), saves (2), earned runs allowed (14) and runs allowed (18).
In conference play, Dickerson went 13-3, while tossing 10 complete games, five shutouts and striking out 105 batters in 113.0 innings pitched. She was also impactful at the plate, owning a .310 batting average in conference play. She scored eight runs and launched three homers, while racking up 13 RBI.
Plummer earns her first nod to the All-MVC first team, after previously being named to the second team in 2018 and 2021. Plummer was MSU’s second-leading hitter in conference play with a .352 average, while leading the team with 31 hits, 16 runs and 20 stolen bases. Plummer’s 20 stolen bases in 21 attempts topped the Valley, while she ranked sixth in the conference in hits.
As a fifth-year senior, Plummer has eclipsed 50 hits for the third time in her career and ranks second in program history with 236 career hits. She leads the Bears this season with a .361 average, 53 hits, 30 runs scored and 28 total stolen bases.
Hunsaker paced the Bears offensively in conference games with a .360 batting average and eight doubles. The fifth-year senior makes her first career appearance on the all-conference first team after earning second-team honors last season. In the Valley, Hunsaker ranked fourth in doubles, ninth in batting average and 10th in hits (27).
Earning her spot on the team in the utility/pitcher position, Hunsaker also owned a 4-2 record in the circle in conference play with a 2.53 ERA. Her ERA ranked fourth in the Valley, while her .238 opposing batting average was good for sixth.
Krehbiel, who was named to the All-MVC first team last season, picks up a second-team nod in 2022. She hit her stride in conference play, leading the Bears in runs (22), home runs (7), RBI (19), slugging percentage (.785) and OPS (1.261) against Valley foes. Her .323 batting average in conference play was good for third on the team. She ranks inside the top five in the league in slugging percentage, OPS, doubles, home runs and walks.
Boze collects the first conference honor of her career after being named to the MVC All-Defensive Team. In Valley play, Boze owned a .994 fielding percentage, as she committed just one error in 162 total chances from behind the plate. The senior has been a staple in the Bears lineup, playing behind the plate in every game in which she appeared. Overall this season, Boze is also the second-leading hitter for the Bears with a .343 batting average and leads MSU with 11 home runs.
Missouri State will be back in action this week as it plays host to the MVC Softball Championship. The Bears own the No. 2 seed in the tournament and their first game will be on Friday, May 13 with first pitch set for 1:30 p.m. in the semifinal matchup.
