ST. LOUIS – Missouri State softball’s McKenzie Vaughan (P/UTL), Olivia Krehbiel (3B), and Kelsie Lewis (2B) racked up All-Missouri Valley Conference honors, the league announced this morning.
Vaughan earned first-team All-MVC honors, while Krehbiel was named to the All-MVC second team and Lewis secured a spot on the MVC All-Defensive Team.
A sophomore out of Bella Vista, Ark., Vaughan leads the Bears this season with a .333 batting average and 14 home runs, which set the Missouri State single-season home run record. In conference action, she led the team with an impressive .397 average, .926 slugging percentage, 11 home runs and 27 RBI. Vaughan is already tied for seventh in Bears history with 19 career home runs in just 66 games played. At one point this season, she recorded a hit in 17 consecutive games which tied for the third-longest hitting streak in program history. She also ranks 34th nationally in home runs and 23rd in the nation in slugging percentage.
The power hitter is also one of MSU’s top pitchers, making 29 appearances this season. Vaughan (5-7) owns a 4.04 earned run average and leads the staff in strikeouts with 68 in 85.0 innings of work. She was the only player in The Valley this season to be named both MVC Player and Pitcher of the Week. This marks the first All-MVC selection of Vaughan’s career.
Krehbiel earns the third All-MVC honor of her career after being named to the first team in 2021 and the second team in 2022. Krehbiel is MSU’s second-leading hitter this season average-wise at .312, while she leads the team with 43 hits, 34 RBI, 31 runs, 12 doubles, 25 walks, and three triples. In Valley play, the Lee’s Summit, Mo., native batted .316 with 20 RBI, five home runs, and 24 runs scored.
The senior third baseman ranks second all-time in career home runs at Missouri State with 23, as she sits five away from breaking the record set by Jessie Smith (27 from 2006-09). Earlier this season, she became just the third Bear in program history to hit at least three career grand slams as she logged a career-high six RBI against South Dakota St. She continues to climb her way up the Missouri State record book after already setting career highs in multiple offensive categories this season.
A senior second baseman and defensive specialist, Lewis earns the first All-MVC honor of her career after making the All-Defensive squad. She has flashed the leather all season long, making numerous highlight-reel plays and saving several runs across the season.
Hailing from Plattsburg, Mo., Lewis owns a .953 fielding percentage on the season in 148 total chances. In conference play, her fielding percentage jumps to .962 in 78 chances. A steady force in the Bears lineup, she is the only player to appear in every game this season. She owns 20 hits and has scored 12 runs on the season while laying down five sacrifice bunts.
The Bears head to Carbondale, Ill. for the MVC Softball Championship this week as the No. 2 seed. Missouri State will open the tournament against the winner of No. 10 Bradley/No. 7 Belmont on Thursday, May 11 at 4 p.m. CT. All games for the tournament will stream on ESPN+.
