Lions' offense picked up by Tinkler, rest of supporting cast in 2026

Every team in the MIAA worries about Katie Gray when they see they're facing the green and gold of Missouri Southern State University on the softball field.

That is evident by the 36 walks she's drawn. Add the 11 times she's been hit by a pitch and you have 47 plate appearances in which the bat has been practically taken out of her hands.

Gray has 25 fewer runs batted in this year than last year because of the reduced opportunities. Her batting average is only three points lower than last year's .371 mark she set for a career best. But her slugging percentage is up by nearly 100 points at .827 as well as her on-base percentage of .530.

But, if she's on base more and driving in fewer runs, that just means the Lions need other players in the lineup to pick up those RBI opportunities.

And they have, as the team has posted a successful 45-7 overall record heading into the postseason. The MIAA Tournament begins at 11 a.m. Thursday for the Lions. They will face the winner of No. 8 Washburn University and No. 9 Missouri Western State University.

Carsen Tinkler is one that has picked it up. The senior third baseman has a career-best batting average of .370 at this point in the season and has set other career marks. For starters, she's seen more pitches with a career high 146 at-bats and 16 walks. That batting average ranks third on the team.

"Honestly, I feel like the growth really happened the latter half of last year. She came in really good on outside pitches," MSSU head coach Hallie Blackney said. "No one outworks Carsen Tinkler. She puts the work in every single day. Postseason last year, she started handling (pitches) up and in."

Blackney added that the key was keeping her strengths her strengths and focusing on improving her areas that needed improvement. It paid off.

Tinkler's on-base percentage has grown each season over the four years and went from .346 last year to .431 this year. That has led to a career-most 23 runs in comparison with 20 runs during the 2024 season.

She's also hitting the ball more. The most hits in a season prior to 2026 was 38 in 2024. She's notched 54 hits this year, 42% more than two years ago, and she still has the postseason left to go. Her slugging percentage is almost up 200 points from a year ago at .562. That is thanks in large part to her seven home runs, five more than last year.

Her OBP and slugging percentage rank fifth and fourth on the team, respectively. Her home runs are second behind Gray. Her 33 RBIs are third as well as her 54 hits.

"To be honest, I didn't coach her well, in my opinion, until this year," Blackney said.

The eighth-year head coach at MSSU referenced her background of biomechanics coming into play as she learned more about a couple of her hitters this season.

She called Maddie Rolfs and Tinkler "aerial" athletes. She believes coaching an aerial hitter is where she needed to improve herself. "Grounded" athletes in softball would be hitters who work from the ground up, and that's where Blackney believes she coaches hitters "pretty well."