MIAA's best?: MSSU makes case as best pitching staff, Blackney believes so
Missouri Southern State University is the only team in the MIAA conference with multiple pitchers featuring an earned run average below 2.00. In fact, the Lions have two of the three pitchers in the conference with an ERA below that mark.
Freshman sensation Emily Davis is second in the league with an ERA of 1.77.
Junior Kiki Pickens has recorded a 1.83 ERA thus far.
The next closest pitcher to them is Pittsburg State University's Emma Crabb at 2.13.
Speaking of PSU (45-6, 17-5 MIAA) that's where MSSU (43-7, 18-4) will wrap up its regular season Saturday as it travels to Pittsburg for a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. If the Lions win at least one of the two games, they will seal the regular season conference title.
MSSU's pitchers will lead the No. 11 team into battle, and the No. 4 Gorillas will be waiting.
Trio of arms
Southern could be the MIAA's best at the end of the regular season on Saturday, and it's all in their control. Now, the pitching staff is vying for that same type of recognition. Pickens was pitcher of the year in the conference last year. Could she do it again? What about Davis as the freshman of the year? Add Kadence Janney and the Lions have a trio of arms that have led them to one of the best regular seasons they've ever had.
"We have the best staff in the conference. I fully, truly believe that. They work hard. Coach Lexi (Kinnaird) is the best pitching coach in our conference, and we're blessed with the best pitchers. And good pitching wins softball games, so that's where we're at right now," MSSU head coach Hallie Blackney said.
MSSU's current win total of 43 ranks as third-most in a regular season behind 2001's 48 and 1995's 44. Two wins Saturday would move the 2026 regular season into second all-time and one win would tie it for second.
Why can Blackney say so confidently that her staff is the best in this strong Division II conference that features six teams in the top 10 of the Central Region and five in the top 8? The MIAA also has three teams ranked in the top 25 of the nation.
"Because they compliment each other so well. We have the offspeeds, we have up, we have down. We have competitors in the circle. If one is off that day, the other is going to step up and have their back," Blackney said. "They want to be great. It's that ‘it' factor I feel like all three of them have."
The pitchers agree that the mix of their styles and being able to step in for one another is a key part of their success.
"We have a big trust within each other. If it's not your day, someone's going to come get your back," Janney said.
"I ball (pitch) down so it's nice to have them two. They're all up. Just changing speeds," Pickens said.
Janney isn't below 2.00 on her ERA but her 3.10 mark is good for 14th in the league. So, Blackney's staff has the second, third and 14th-best ERAs. Well, she wants to give credit to her pitching coach.
"Lex has the ability to communicate with all types of people. She's a very level-headed individual," Blackney said. "She knows about the fundamentals of pitching, but she understands the mentality that goes into being a great pitcher."
Blackney noted that one key part of Kinnaird's coaching style is that the relationship with the pitching staff is "cohesive" and Kinnaird doesn't treat it like she's the "dictator" over the pitchers.
Kinnaird says the reason she's able to have that cohesiveness and relate to all of her pitchers is because of the freedom Blackney has given her with the pitching staff.
‘Complete rein'
"Since I got here, she's given me complete rein, which I appreciate. Because she trusts me to do it, that allows me to not think about it. I just get to coach, call pitches and not worry about someone over my shoulder," Kinnaird said. "Being able to run it how I want has allowed me to build relationships with them."
Using one another in the middle of games is part of what makes this staff so hard to hit. Pickens uses her drop ball a lot to try to get batters to chase the ball in the dirt. That is evident by her 18 wild pitches this season, which is most in the conference.
They can live with those because of how frequently she's getting batters to chase pitches out of the zone anyway. Pickens ranks third with 147 strikeouts but has thrown far fewer innings (126 1/3) than Harley Culie (169 1/3) of Rogers State University, who has 185 strikeouts.
"I would say it comes down to their work ethic and ability to pitch off each other," Kinnaird said. "If a team is able to adjust to one of them, we know we can go back to the other."
Pickens' teammate, Davis, also has more strikeouts with 149. Her inning total is up to 138 1/3 innings so far.
This trio also has to face multiple difficult offenses that can score a lot of runs and hit the ball well. They talked about how they're able to go in confidently no matter who they're facing. For example, the Gorillas that they're about to face on Saturday lead the MIAA with 442 runs scored and 560 hits. The NCAAs last update shows them ranked third in Division II in hits and second in runs two weeks ago.
They are "just not thinking about it too much and knowing that you're better and using your best stuff," Davis said.
"We got the bats to back it up. Other people have good hitting teams, but so do we," Janney added.
And Pickens says, "As long as we do our job, we know our hitters got us."
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