The Missouri Southern softball team captured the 2026 MIAA Tournament Championship on Saturday afternoon in Emporia, Kansas, defeating No. 6 seed Rogers State 4-1 at Trusler Stadium. This victory marks the program's sixth MIAA Tournament title and its first since 2001. The No. 7-ranked Lions, now with a 48-7 season record, last competed in the MIAA Tournament Championship Final in 2023.
The decisive play occurred in the seventh inning with a three-run home run from Emily Perry. After Katie Gray doubled and Carsen Tinkler was intentionally walked, Perry’s hit to left center provided the decisive offense to secure the win. Earlier in the game, Missouri Southern had taken a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning when Micah Snider, pinch-running for Tinkler, scored on a sacrifice fly by Gianna Saggese. Rogers State tied the game 1-1 in the sixth inning when Raelle Gorman scored following a fielding error and a pair of wild pitches, setting the stage for Southern's late-game rally.
Kiki Pickens was named the Most Outstanding Player for the 2026 MIAA Championship Tournament. Her performance included pitching 6 1/3 innings, allowing only one hit and one earned run while striking out 10 batters and issuing just one walk. Pickens delivered 75 strikes out of 115 pitches. Her 172 strikeouts this season surpass her 2025 total of 164 and place her second all-time in MSSU single-season history, ahead of Britany Hargis’s 167 in 2001. Pickens also moves to second all-time in MSSU program history with 446 career strikeouts, surpassing Holly Trantham’s 438 from 1994-97. Gianna Saggese, Carsen Tinkler, Taylor Nuckolls, and Maddie Rolfs were named to the 2026 MIAA All-Tournament Team. Emily Perry contributed three RBI and a stolen base in the championship game, while Carsen Tinkler had a hit, a run scored, and a stolen base. Emily Davis pitched the final 2/3 inning, adding one strikeout and securing the win, bringing her season record to 19-4.
The 2026 season saw Missouri Southern capture both the MIAA Regular-Season and Tournament titles for the first time since 2001. The Lions' 48 wins this season rank third all-time in program history, trailing only 50 wins in 1992 and 52 in 2001.
Looking ahead, the Lions will host the Central 1 Regional in Joplin. They are scheduled to face the 8-seeded Augustana University Vikings at 3 P.M. on May 14 in the first round of the double-elimination tournament. Tickets for all Joplin Regional games are $5 and are available only at the gate, which opens two hours prior to the listed game time. The winner of this matchup will advance to play the winner of the Southern Arkansas versus St. Cloud State game.
