Joplin, MO – The No. 7-ranked Missouri Southern State University (MSSU) softball team clinched the 2026 MIAA Tournament Championship on Saturday afternoon, defeating No. 6 seed Rogers State 4-1 at Trusler Stadium in Emporia, Kansas. This victory marks the program's sixth MIAA Tournament title and its first since 2001.
Missouri Southern, the top seed in the tournament, secured the win with a pivotal three-run seventh inning. Emily Perry hit a crucial three-run homer to left center field, breaking a 1-1 tie and providing the decisive offense. The Lions' pitching staff allowed only one hit and recorded 11 strikeouts throughout the matchup.
The championship game remained scoreless through the first three innings. Missouri Southern broke the deadlock in the fourth inning when Carsen Tinkler doubled to left field. Micah Snider, pinch-running for Tinkler, later scored on a sacrifice fly by Gianna Saggese, giving the Lions a 1-0 lead.
Rogers State responded in the sixth inning. Raelle Gorman reached base on a fielding error and subsequently scored on a hit-by-pitch, leveraging a pair of wild pitches to even the score at 1-1 after six innings.
In the top of the seventh, Missouri Southern recaptured control. Katie Gray initiated the rally with a double, followed by an intentional walk to Carsen Tinkler. This setup brought Emily Perry to the plate, whose three-run home run to left center secured the 4-1 lead and ultimately the championship. Perry finished the game with a home run, three RBI, and a stolen base. Carsen Tinkler also contributed by scoring a run, registering a hit, and securing a stolen base.
Kiki Pickens was named the Most Outstanding Player for the 2026 MIAA Championship Tournament for her performance, which included pitching 6 1/3 innings in the final. Pickens allowed only one hit and one earned run, striking out 10 batters and issuing just one walk. Her strong showing maintained control with 75 strikes out of 115 pitches. Pickens' 172 strikeouts this season set a new career-best, surpassing her 2025 total of 164, and moved her to second all-time in MSSU single-season history, overtaking Britany Hargis' 167 strikeouts in 2001. She also advanced to second all-time in MSSU program history with 446 career strikeouts, moving ahead of Holly Trantham's 438 strikeouts from 1994-1997. Emily Davis contributed by pitching the final 2/3 inning, adding one strikeout and securing the win, bringing her season record to 19-4.
In addition to Pickens, Gianna Saggese, Carsen Tinkler, Taylor Nuckolls, and Maddie Rolfs were named to the 2026 MIAA All-Tournament Team.
The 2026 season marks a significant achievement for the Missouri Southern softball program, as it captured both the MIAA Regular-Season and Tournament titles in the same season for the first time since 2001. The team's 48 wins in 2026 rank third all-time in program history, behind 50 wins in 1992 and 52 wins in 2001.
Looking ahead, the Lions will host the 8-seeded Augustana University Vikings at 3 P.M. on May 14. This double-elimination first-round game of the Central 1 Regional will be held in Joplin. The winner of this game will advance to face the winner of the Southern Arkansas versus St. Cloud State matchup. Tickets for all Joplin Regional games are priced at $5 and are available only at the gate, which opens two hours prior to the listed game time.
