Wichita State

Last season, the Shockers finished with a record of 34-21. In the Missouri Valley, the Shockers went 21-6 on their way to winning the title. The team was strong on the road and at home. Away, the Shockers were 15-7; while at home, they were 14-7. The Shockers finished third in the MVC tournament.

The team returns 14 letter winners after losing five. Two of the five lost were position starters, but two will return. The Shockers are also returning two pitchers after losing two.

Last season, Cacy Williams was NFCA All-Midwest Region first team while Brittany Fortner was awarded second team honors. All-MVC first team players were Fortner, Melanie Jaegers and Williams. Williams also won newcomer of the year and player of the year. Paige Luellen was awarded All-MVC second team honors.

The team is 14-9 and is undefeated at home with a 4-0 record. Fortner leads the team in batting average with .414.

Indiana State

Indiana State finished the 2014 season just above .500 with a 27-26 record. The Sycamores struggled in defending their home field with a 6-11 record, but did slightly better away and in neutral fields (9-10, 12-5). ISU finished 5-19 in the MVC, good enough for a 10th place finish. The Sycamores are returning 11 of their letter winners after only losing two. Six of the team’s newcomers are freshmen.

Bradley

The Braves finished last season with a 27-32 record. The team struggled on the road and at home, but did considerably better in neutral fields (6-5, 9-17, 12-10). Bradley finished the season in the MVC with a 15-12 record. Key players are Maria Schroeder, who is leading the team in batting average with .364, and Rachel Huggins, Kelly Kapp and Amanda Barna. The Braves are off to a rough start with a 5-18 record and are 1-3 away. No home games have been played.

Drake

The Bulldogs finished last season with a 19-33 record. They finished with an even 6-6 record at home, while struggling away and in neutral fields with a 8-14 and 5-13 finish. The team finished sixth in the MVC with an 11-14 record. The Bulldogs return 10 letter winners after losing six. Key players are Megan Sowa, Laura Brewer and Rebekah Schmidt. The Bulldogs are 9-10 and Schmidt leads the team with a .417 batting average.

Evansville

The Evansville Purple Aces struggled last season. The team finished the season with a 19-32 record, one of the lowest finishes in the conference. Evansville finished with the worst record in the MVC with a 7-19 record. Evansville will be led by  Susan Norris, Chandra Parr, Danielle Freeman and Abbi False. Freeman leads the team in batting average with .500. Evansville is off to a slow start with a 6-17 record.

Illinois State

The Illinois State Redbirds finished the season last year slightly under .500 with a 25-27 record. However, the team played considerably well in both home and away games. The team will return six starters, but also lost six. Illinois State has 10 MVC titles in the school’s history and nine NCAA tournament appearances. ISU also has six conference tournament titles.

Loyola

The Loyola Ramblers isn’t off to the best of starts. Loyola currently has an 8-12 record and is 2-3 away and 6-9 in neutral fields. Key players for Loyola are Erica, Nagel, Madison Hope, Brooke Wyderski and Hannah Jenkins. Nadal and Hope leads the team with a .333 batting average and Evansville is 8-12 at this point.

Missouri State

The Missouri State Bears finished last season with a 28-27 record. The team struggled at home but performed well in away and neutral fields. MSU finished 10-16 in the MVC. One key returner is Bethany Sullinger.

Northern Iowa

The Panthers finished last season with a 28-20 record. The panthers were 8-4 at home and .500 at away fields. The Panthers finished 14-12 in the MVC. Key returners are Rikki Alcaraz, Alyssa Buchanan and Caitlin Wnek.

Southern Illinois

The Southern Illinois Salukis finished the season last year with a 28-24 record and tied third in the MVC with a 15-11 record. The team is returning 13 letter winners after losing five. Five starters return, as well. The 2015 captains are Kelsey Gonzalez, Kalyn Harker and Meredith Wilson. There are five seniors on the team. SIU has four MVC titles and six NCAA appearances in the school’s history.