The Northwest Missouri State University softball team will start its 2019 season this Saturday-Sunday with a four-game series in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Saturday, 12 p.m. – Northwest v. Midwestern State
Saturday, 2 p.m. – Northwest v. Arkansas-Monticello
Sunday, 12 p.m. – Northwest v. Arkansas Tech
Sunday, 2 p.m. – Northwest v. Ouachita Baptist

The Bearcats will start another season under head coach Ryan Anderson, who is entering his 13th year as head coach for the Bearcats. Anderson has amassed 307 wins at Northwest – most in program history. Anderson led Northwest to a 27-19 overall mark in 2018, including a 16-10 record in MIAA play.

The Bearcats will feature key returnees in senior Kiana Baderdeen, senior Jaedra Moses, junior Karli Allen, junior Erin Keeney and junior Kaitlyn Weis.

Baderdeen batted .333, posted nine multi-hit games, notched 45 hits, five doubles, two home runs and 12 RBI.

Moses was named MIAA Honorable Mention, batted .325 with 55 hits, 32 runs and 10 RBI. She also led the squad with six stolen bases.

Allen earned second-team all-MIAA honors while seeing action in 45 games last season. She batted .322 with 39 hits, seven doubles, three home runs and 16 RBI. She did not commit an error in 98 fielding chances.

Keeney belted 14 home runs in 2018. She hit .362 with 50 hits and scored 24 runs. She tallied five doubles and notched a .703 slugging percentage.

Weis led the Bearcats in batting average (.385), runs (41), home runs (15), RBI (49), slugging percentage (.743) and on-base percentage (.450).
 
Also returning for the Bearcats is junior pitcher Rachel Smith. Smith was named all-MIAA second team, led the team in ERA (2.53), complete games (11), innings pitched (121.2) and strikeouts (108). Smith is tied for the team lead in victories (11) and shutouts (3).