Murray State University Athletics
Racer Hit the Road Again For Two OVC Series
3/29/2010 9:00:00 PM | Softball
The Murray State softball team will be on the road again this week for five Ohio Valley Conference games. The Racers will start the week in Martin, Tenn., Tuesday, March 30 for a double header against league-leading UT Martin starting at 4 p.m. MSU then travels to Cookeville, Tenn., to play a Friday-Saturday series against Tennessee Tech, April 2-3. There is a double header scheduled to start at 1 p.m., Friday, April 2 and a single game at 1 p.m. the following day.
Scouting the Skyhawks
After earning the leagues automatic bid to the NCAA tournament in 2009, by winning the conference tournament, UT Martin has picked up right where it left off last season. The Skyhawks are 24-4 overall and a perfect 5-0 in league action after sweeping Austin Peay at home last weekend. UTM has won 14 of its last 15 games and currently has a three-game winning streak. The Skyhawks have started the season in league play 5-0, but have yet to play an OVC game away from Bettye Giles Field.
For their efforts UTM has earned votes in two of the three top-25 polls. The Skyhawks received votes in the USA Today/NFCA Top-25 and ESPN/USA Softball Top-25 polls in the latest release (March 22).
UTM is a strong overall team, with a team batting average of .318 and an ERA of 2.16. Seven of the 14 members of the team that have seen action this season have a batting average over .300 and no pitchers had an ERA over 3.25.
Megan Williams and Jenny Bain are two of the top producers at the plate for the Skyhawks. Williams has a batting average of .386 after recording 34 hits, 23 RBIs. She has a team-leading 14 extra-base hits, including seven home runs. Bain is hitting .385, with a team-best 37 hits and 24 RBIs. She has also tallied 14 extra-base hits, with six being home runs.
The top two pitchers for UTM are Paij Lintz and Kate Vanderham. Lintz has a 2.07 ERA and a 10-1 record, with eight complete games and two shut outs to her credit. She has struck out 67 batters and garnered only 19 walks, with her opponents having a .220 batting average. Vanderham has the best ERA on the team, at 1.63, and an 8-1 record, with three shut outs. Her opponents have a .206 batting average, with 49 having struck out and only 15 walking.
Scouting the Golden Eagles
TTU is currently 12-18 overall and 2-3 in the OVC standings after dropping three games to Eastern Illinois over the weekend. The Golden Eagles will have one chance to improve their record before the Racers head to town, as they host Jacksonville State for a double header, Tuesday at Tech Softball Field.
As a team TTU is hitting .242 on the season, with five of the 19 players who have had an appearance at the plate having batting averages over .300. Lacie Coquerille has the best batting average on the team at .311. Callie Schmidt and Melody Christian are the team hit and RBI producers for the Golden Eagles. Schmidt has a .308 batting averaging off 28 hits and a team-best 21 RBIs. Christian is the top hitter, with 29 and a .302 batting average.
TTU is strong in the circle, with a team ERA of 3.32. Maddie Schmissrauter and Holly Thomas see most of the time pitching for TTU. Schmissrauter has a team-leading ERA of 1.95 and a 5-4 record. She has thrown five complete games, with two of those being shut outs and recorded 65 strike outs and 35 walks. Thomas has 3.05 ERA and a 7-9 record, with six complete games and two shut outs. She has a team-best 79 strike outs, but has also walked a team-high 57 batters.
Hitting Streaks
As a team MSU has gotten its bats going in the last few weeks. All but three of the 14 Racers who have gone to the plate have recorded at least 10 hits on the season. Freshman Kaitlyn England currently has a team-best five-game hitting streak going, while freshman Ellyn Troup has had the longest for MSU, at seven. Troup currently has a two-game streak going, while junior Jenna Bradley had gotten at least one hit in the last three games.
First Conference Series
The Racers went 1-1 in their first OVC series at Tennessee State. MSU earned an 8-1 victory in the opening game of the day before falling 7-5 in game two. The third game is the series was then rained out.
First Grand Slam
After garnering her first career home runs against SIU Edwardsville (March 17), junior Taylor Wilson became the first Racer to record a grand slam. Wilson hit a shot over the left field fence at Louisiana-Monroe in the top of the second inning, March 23.
Home Run Weeks
In the last two weeks the Racers more than doubled their home run performance on the season. In the first 13 games of the season MSU tallied six home runs, but in the last nine games that total has jumped 14 to 20. Freshman Ellyn Troup and juniors Jenna Bradley and Taylor Wilson lead the production with three each. Troup and Bradley both have a game-winning home run in their totals, while Wilson recorded the team's first grand slam against Louisiana-Monroe (March 23). Freshman Kaitlyn England has added two, while rookies Madi Ratliff and Stephanie Edwards and junior Lauren Buch each recorded one.
Picking Up First Win
The Racers earned their first collegiate victory, March 3, 2010 against Evansville (6-2) in the second game of a double-header at Racer Field. MSU followed with its second win over Eastern Kentucky, March 7, 2010 at the Lady Bison Classic hosted by Lipscomb in Nashville, Tenn.
Gaining Early Recognition
The Racers have earned respect in the Ohio Valley Conference even before they have played their first official game. MSU was picked to finished eighth, out of 10 teams in the 2010 OVC Preseason poll, as voted on by the league's head coaches.
Building A Foundation
The Murray State softball team is playing its inaugural softball season in 2010 and is looking to build a foundation for the future. Head Coach Jay Pyron has assembled a versatile team that will be characterized by their strong work ethic. Every player and staff member is excited to get onto the field and show what it means to be part of the Racer softball program.
“We have a lot of versatility,” said Pyron. “We have players that not only can play any position on the field defensively, but also have a rare combination of speed and power.”
The team is focusing on working hard, building team chemistry and doing things the right way to make sure that they are not just successful this year, but for many years to come.
Up Next
After their time on the road the Racers will return home for a five-game home stand that starts when Bethel comes to Racer Field for a double header, Thursday, April 8. MSU then hosts Austin Peay, April 10-11.
Scouting the Skyhawks
After earning the leagues automatic bid to the NCAA tournament in 2009, by winning the conference tournament, UT Martin has picked up right where it left off last season. The Skyhawks are 24-4 overall and a perfect 5-0 in league action after sweeping Austin Peay at home last weekend. UTM has won 14 of its last 15 games and currently has a three-game winning streak. The Skyhawks have started the season in league play 5-0, but have yet to play an OVC game away from Bettye Giles Field.
For their efforts UTM has earned votes in two of the three top-25 polls. The Skyhawks received votes in the USA Today/NFCA Top-25 and ESPN/USA Softball Top-25 polls in the latest release (March 22).
UTM is a strong overall team, with a team batting average of .318 and an ERA of 2.16. Seven of the 14 members of the team that have seen action this season have a batting average over .300 and no pitchers had an ERA over 3.25.
Megan Williams and Jenny Bain are two of the top producers at the plate for the Skyhawks. Williams has a batting average of .386 after recording 34 hits, 23 RBIs. She has a team-leading 14 extra-base hits, including seven home runs. Bain is hitting .385, with a team-best 37 hits and 24 RBIs. She has also tallied 14 extra-base hits, with six being home runs.
The top two pitchers for UTM are Paij Lintz and Kate Vanderham. Lintz has a 2.07 ERA and a 10-1 record, with eight complete games and two shut outs to her credit. She has struck out 67 batters and garnered only 19 walks, with her opponents having a .220 batting average. Vanderham has the best ERA on the team, at 1.63, and an 8-1 record, with three shut outs. Her opponents have a .206 batting average, with 49 having struck out and only 15 walking.
Scouting the Golden Eagles
TTU is currently 12-18 overall and 2-3 in the OVC standings after dropping three games to Eastern Illinois over the weekend. The Golden Eagles will have one chance to improve their record before the Racers head to town, as they host Jacksonville State for a double header, Tuesday at Tech Softball Field.
As a team TTU is hitting .242 on the season, with five of the 19 players who have had an appearance at the plate having batting averages over .300. Lacie Coquerille has the best batting average on the team at .311. Callie Schmidt and Melody Christian are the team hit and RBI producers for the Golden Eagles. Schmidt has a .308 batting averaging off 28 hits and a team-best 21 RBIs. Christian is the top hitter, with 29 and a .302 batting average.
TTU is strong in the circle, with a team ERA of 3.32. Maddie Schmissrauter and Holly Thomas see most of the time pitching for TTU. Schmissrauter has a team-leading ERA of 1.95 and a 5-4 record. She has thrown five complete games, with two of those being shut outs and recorded 65 strike outs and 35 walks. Thomas has 3.05 ERA and a 7-9 record, with six complete games and two shut outs. She has a team-best 79 strike outs, but has also walked a team-high 57 batters.
Hitting Streaks
As a team MSU has gotten its bats going in the last few weeks. All but three of the 14 Racers who have gone to the plate have recorded at least 10 hits on the season. Freshman Kaitlyn England currently has a team-best five-game hitting streak going, while freshman Ellyn Troup has had the longest for MSU, at seven. Troup currently has a two-game streak going, while junior Jenna Bradley had gotten at least one hit in the last three games.
First Conference Series
The Racers went 1-1 in their first OVC series at Tennessee State. MSU earned an 8-1 victory in the opening game of the day before falling 7-5 in game two. The third game is the series was then rained out.
First Grand Slam
After garnering her first career home runs against SIU Edwardsville (March 17), junior Taylor Wilson became the first Racer to record a grand slam. Wilson hit a shot over the left field fence at Louisiana-Monroe in the top of the second inning, March 23.
Home Run Weeks
In the last two weeks the Racers more than doubled their home run performance on the season. In the first 13 games of the season MSU tallied six home runs, but in the last nine games that total has jumped 14 to 20. Freshman Ellyn Troup and juniors Jenna Bradley and Taylor Wilson lead the production with three each. Troup and Bradley both have a game-winning home run in their totals, while Wilson recorded the team's first grand slam against Louisiana-Monroe (March 23). Freshman Kaitlyn England has added two, while rookies Madi Ratliff and Stephanie Edwards and junior Lauren Buch each recorded one.
Picking Up First Win
The Racers earned their first collegiate victory, March 3, 2010 against Evansville (6-2) in the second game of a double-header at Racer Field. MSU followed with its second win over Eastern Kentucky, March 7, 2010 at the Lady Bison Classic hosted by Lipscomb in Nashville, Tenn.
Gaining Early Recognition
The Racers have earned respect in the Ohio Valley Conference even before they have played their first official game. MSU was picked to finished eighth, out of 10 teams in the 2010 OVC Preseason poll, as voted on by the league's head coaches.
Building A Foundation
The Murray State softball team is playing its inaugural softball season in 2010 and is looking to build a foundation for the future. Head Coach Jay Pyron has assembled a versatile team that will be characterized by their strong work ethic. Every player and staff member is excited to get onto the field and show what it means to be part of the Racer softball program.
“We have a lot of versatility,” said Pyron. “We have players that not only can play any position on the field defensively, but also have a rare combination of speed and power.”
The team is focusing on working hard, building team chemistry and doing things the right way to make sure that they are not just successful this year, but for many years to come.
Up Next
After their time on the road the Racers will return home for a five-game home stand that starts when Bethel comes to Racer Field for a double header, Thursday, April 8. MSU then hosts Austin Peay, April 10-11.
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