JOPLIN, Mo– MSSU heads into the final week of the regular season with a 19-3 MIAA record. They’re currently tied with 5th ranked Central Oklahoma for first in the standings.

The Lions will travel to face Newman for a double-header on Friday, but on Saturday, Southern will face Central Oklahoma on the road in a highly anticipated double-header.

This game is “highly anticipated” because it could be the deciding factor on who could possibly be the MIAA regular season champions.

Missouri Southern will have the opportunity to accomplish something they haven’t done since 2001 by winning the MIAA softball regular season title.

The Program won both the MIAA regular season and tournament championship in that 2001 season.

So, the Lions obviously are looking to make more history this weekend.

Kara Amos said, “The ultimate goal is to win the MIAA, to win the national championship but you know for us for our specific team it’s to win each day. It’s to win each pitch, so you know, today we’re focusing on winning our practice and tomorrow the same thing and, we want to win against Newman and we know that we can and when UCO comes around, when the MIAA championship comes around, we know that we can do it”.

Ashlynn Williams said, “I feel like it’s a really big opportunity. But, I feel like Kara said it great, right now we are focused on Newman because that’s who we play first and once UCO comes around, it’s just whoever shows up and whoever wins every single pitch, I feel like that’s gonna be the winner”.

Head Coach Hallie Blackney said, “I think they understand that we play for people for something bigger than ourselves, those who came before us, Pat Lipira, all of our alums. We’re trying to put Missouri Southern back on the map. And I think Kara and Ash said it best that we’re most focused on today, our defensive practice right now, but as far as we’re concerned, the only games we have this season are on Friday at Newman”.