Murray State University Athletics
Racers Headed to OVC Championship as No. 5 Seed
5/13/2010 2:00:00 AM | Softball
The Murray State softball team earned the right to play in the 2010 Ohio Valley Conference Championship, May 13-15, after winning two of three games last weekend over Eastern Illinois. The Racers (22-27, 11-11 OVC) claimed the No. 5 seed and will face No. 4 Eastern Illinois, Thursday, May 13 at 1:30 p.m. at Bettye Giles Field in Martin, Tenn. The winner will face UT Martin at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, with the loser playing at 11 a.m., Friday, May 14. The tournament is a double elimination format and will conclude Saturday, May 15.
Scouting the Panthers
MSU will not have a hard time scouting the competition for the first round of the tournament, as the team just finished a three-game series against EIU last weekend. The Racers went 2-1 in the series, and it will be just the second OVC team that MSU will face four times this season, with one being a non-conference game.
The Panthers finished the regular season 22-25 overall and 12-10 in league play. Denee Menzione is the only member of the EIU roster that is hitting over .300 this season. Menizone has a .333 average, with 39 hits (seven home runs) and 17 RBIs on the year. Kiley Holtz is next on the list with a .289 average, with 37 hits and a team-best 33 RBIs.
Amber May is the key pitcher for the Panthers, with a 15-14 overall record. She has a 2.39 ERA and has appeared in 25 games, thrown 22 complete games, including five shout outs, and has struck out 149 batters.
Against Eastern Illinois
The Racers had a strong outing against the Panthers, with four players hitting .375 or better. Freshman Kaitlyn England led the team with a .400 batting average, while sophomore Megan Glosser, junior Taylor Wilson and freshman Megan Belio all hit .375. Glosser tallied a team-best four runs, while England had a team-high four hits. Junior Jenna Bradley also came up big for MSU, hitting her first career grand slam and tallying a team-best five RBIs.
Sophomore Chelsey Sullivan earned the two wins in the circle and recorded a 0.64 ERA in 11 innings pitched.
Megan Nelson, Kiley Holtz and Denee Menzione were the top producers for EIU. Nelson hit .400, with Holtz adding a .375 mark and Menzione hitting .333. The trio were three of only five batters to record a hit against the Racer pitching staff.
Amber May went 1-1 in the circle for the Panthers, throwing two complete games. She had 12 hits against her, including five extra-base hits in 14 innings of work.
All-OVC Selections
The Racers had three players earn All-OVC recognition in their first season of competition. Freshman Ellyn Troup was named to the 12-member All-OVC Second Team and the All-Newcomer Team as an infielder. Junior Jenna Bradley joined Troup on both the all-second and all-newcomer teams as an outfielder. The final member of the MSU squad to earn league honors was sophomore Megan Glosser, as a utility player on the All-Newcomer Team.
Making the Most of the First Season
The Racers didn't waste any time making a name for themselves in their inaugural season. MSU is one of a few teams around the NCAA that have advanced to their respective conference tournaments (when not all the teams advance) in their first season of competition. Boise State earned the last seed in the Western Athletic Conference tournament at season ago and Brigham Young won the Mountain West title to advance to the NCAA Regional in 2001.
Sullivan Stepping Up
Sophomore Chelsey Sullivan has stepped up her performance in the last two weeks of the regular season. She has earned three-straight victories and threw her second complete game against the Panthers this past weekend. Sullivan allowed just six hits, no extra-base hits, in 11 innings of work against EIU and struck out six batters. She held the Panthers to a .162 batting average and earned a 0.64 ERA.
Grand Finale
Junior Jenna Bradley made the most of an opportunity to play in front of her friends and family in the last regular season game. The Trilla, Ill., native had a large fan base on hand to witness her first career grand slam to give the Racers an extra cushion in the 7-1 victory over EIU (May 9). It was also a team-best 12th home run of the year for Bradley, who finished the regular season second on the OVC lists for home runs (one behind Megan Williams from UT Martin).
Kaitlyn in the Klutch
Freshman Kaitlyn England missed the three-game series at Eastern Kentucky due to illness, but came back into the line-up and made an immediate impact against the Panthers. The Springfield, Ill., native accounted for both game-winning hits. She hit a game winning double that scored three runs in the 6-3 victory, with the game tied at three. She then hit a sacrifice fly that scored the second run of the 7-1 victory.
Putting Racer Name in NCAA Stats
In games through May 2, 2010, MSU was ranked No. 23 in the NCAA for stolen bases per game at 1.89. Sophomore Megan Glosser was ranked No. 28 individually in the same column, with 0.59 stolen bases per game. MSU also had five other players ranked in the top-100 in the NCAA statistics. Junior Jenna Bradley is ranked in four categories. She is No. 59 in RBIs per game (0.93), No. 90 for total home runs (11), No. 65 in walks per game (0.61) and No. 100 in home runs per game (0.24). Pitchers Shelby Kosmecki and Kristen Broadway are both in saves, with Kosmecki at No. 27 (3) and Broadway 77th (2). Freshmen Megan Belio is ranked No. 84 in triples (3) and Ellyn Troup is No. 76 in hit by pitches per game (0.2).
Two-Out Rally
In the final three weeks of the season MSU has been doing a good job of rallying with two outs. The games against the Redhawks saw the Racers record a total of 24 runs. The first 20 of those runs were scored with two outs on the scoreboard, and the next two came with one out. MSU continued to produce with the extra pressure through the next week, as it scored 27-of-39 runs with two outs on the scoreboard. This included three of the four against SIU Edwardsville, 12-of-16 against Mid Continent and 12-of-19 against the Colonels. The Racers added six of their 14 runs against EIU with two outs for a total of 53-of-77 (68.9%) runs in the final three weeks of the season coming with two outs on the scoreboard.
Shutting Out Opponents
Freshman Shelby Kosmecki earned two-straight shutouts for the Racers. The Somerset, Ky., native shut down Mid Continent (8-0) and then kept Eastern Kentucky from getting a run in her next appearance. The shut outs were the first two recorded by an MSU pitcher.
Producing At The Plate
The third game in the series with EKU was a productive one for the Racers at the plate. As a team MSU recorded 12 hits and had a team record 14 runs cross the plate. The previous high for runs in a game was 12 against Tennessee Tech (April 2). The Racers also set a record for the most runs scored in a single inning, with eight in the fifth. Six runs was the previous best in an inning, set twice earlier this season.
Home Run Derby
The third game in the series with Southeast Missouri State turned into a home run derby for the Racers, with all nine of their runs coming because of one of four home runs hit during the game. Junior Stephanie Mattocks started MSU off by hitting her first career grand slam in the bottom of the first. Junior Jenna Bradley followed with a solo home run in the second, junior Lauren Buch then hit a two-run shot in the third and freshman Kaitlyn England finished the day off with a two-run homer in the fourth.
First Series Sweep
The Racers earned their first series sweep, with their 6-2 and 6-1 wins over Bethel, April 8 at Racer Field. The double header victory also marked the second time that MSU has swept a double header.
Putting Two Games Together
The Racers earned their first sweep of a double header, April 2, against Tennessee Tech. MSU earned a 12-6 decision in the first game of the day before coming from behind in the top of the seventh to earn a 6-1 win in the night cap.
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
From March 17 to March 27 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 those nine games that total jumped 14, to 20. Freshman Ellyn Troup and juniors Jenna Bradley and Taylor Wilson led the production with three each. Troup and Bradley both had 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 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.
Scouting the Panthers
MSU will not have a hard time scouting the competition for the first round of the tournament, as the team just finished a three-game series against EIU last weekend. The Racers went 2-1 in the series, and it will be just the second OVC team that MSU will face four times this season, with one being a non-conference game.
The Panthers finished the regular season 22-25 overall and 12-10 in league play. Denee Menzione is the only member of the EIU roster that is hitting over .300 this season. Menizone has a .333 average, with 39 hits (seven home runs) and 17 RBIs on the year. Kiley Holtz is next on the list with a .289 average, with 37 hits and a team-best 33 RBIs.
Amber May is the key pitcher for the Panthers, with a 15-14 overall record. She has a 2.39 ERA and has appeared in 25 games, thrown 22 complete games, including five shout outs, and has struck out 149 batters.
Against Eastern Illinois
The Racers had a strong outing against the Panthers, with four players hitting .375 or better. Freshman Kaitlyn England led the team with a .400 batting average, while sophomore Megan Glosser, junior Taylor Wilson and freshman Megan Belio all hit .375. Glosser tallied a team-best four runs, while England had a team-high four hits. Junior Jenna Bradley also came up big for MSU, hitting her first career grand slam and tallying a team-best five RBIs.
Sophomore Chelsey Sullivan earned the two wins in the circle and recorded a 0.64 ERA in 11 innings pitched.
Megan Nelson, Kiley Holtz and Denee Menzione were the top producers for EIU. Nelson hit .400, with Holtz adding a .375 mark and Menzione hitting .333. The trio were three of only five batters to record a hit against the Racer pitching staff.
Amber May went 1-1 in the circle for the Panthers, throwing two complete games. She had 12 hits against her, including five extra-base hits in 14 innings of work.
All-OVC Selections
The Racers had three players earn All-OVC recognition in their first season of competition. Freshman Ellyn Troup was named to the 12-member All-OVC Second Team and the All-Newcomer Team as an infielder. Junior Jenna Bradley joined Troup on both the all-second and all-newcomer teams as an outfielder. The final member of the MSU squad to earn league honors was sophomore Megan Glosser, as a utility player on the All-Newcomer Team.
Making the Most of the First Season
The Racers didn't waste any time making a name for themselves in their inaugural season. MSU is one of a few teams around the NCAA that have advanced to their respective conference tournaments (when not all the teams advance) in their first season of competition. Boise State earned the last seed in the Western Athletic Conference tournament at season ago and Brigham Young won the Mountain West title to advance to the NCAA Regional in 2001.
Sullivan Stepping Up
Sophomore Chelsey Sullivan has stepped up her performance in the last two weeks of the regular season. She has earned three-straight victories and threw her second complete game against the Panthers this past weekend. Sullivan allowed just six hits, no extra-base hits, in 11 innings of work against EIU and struck out six batters. She held the Panthers to a .162 batting average and earned a 0.64 ERA.
Grand Finale
Junior Jenna Bradley made the most of an opportunity to play in front of her friends and family in the last regular season game. The Trilla, Ill., native had a large fan base on hand to witness her first career grand slam to give the Racers an extra cushion in the 7-1 victory over EIU (May 9). It was also a team-best 12th home run of the year for Bradley, who finished the regular season second on the OVC lists for home runs (one behind Megan Williams from UT Martin).
Kaitlyn in the Klutch
Freshman Kaitlyn England missed the three-game series at Eastern Kentucky due to illness, but came back into the line-up and made an immediate impact against the Panthers. The Springfield, Ill., native accounted for both game-winning hits. She hit a game winning double that scored three runs in the 6-3 victory, with the game tied at three. She then hit a sacrifice fly that scored the second run of the 7-1 victory.
Putting Racer Name in NCAA Stats
In games through May 2, 2010, MSU was ranked No. 23 in the NCAA for stolen bases per game at 1.89. Sophomore Megan Glosser was ranked No. 28 individually in the same column, with 0.59 stolen bases per game. MSU also had five other players ranked in the top-100 in the NCAA statistics. Junior Jenna Bradley is ranked in four categories. She is No. 59 in RBIs per game (0.93), No. 90 for total home runs (11), No. 65 in walks per game (0.61) and No. 100 in home runs per game (0.24). Pitchers Shelby Kosmecki and Kristen Broadway are both in saves, with Kosmecki at No. 27 (3) and Broadway 77th (2). Freshmen Megan Belio is ranked No. 84 in triples (3) and Ellyn Troup is No. 76 in hit by pitches per game (0.2).
Two-Out Rally
In the final three weeks of the season MSU has been doing a good job of rallying with two outs. The games against the Redhawks saw the Racers record a total of 24 runs. The first 20 of those runs were scored with two outs on the scoreboard, and the next two came with one out. MSU continued to produce with the extra pressure through the next week, as it scored 27-of-39 runs with two outs on the scoreboard. This included three of the four against SIU Edwardsville, 12-of-16 against Mid Continent and 12-of-19 against the Colonels. The Racers added six of their 14 runs against EIU with two outs for a total of 53-of-77 (68.9%) runs in the final three weeks of the season coming with two outs on the scoreboard.
Shutting Out Opponents
Freshman Shelby Kosmecki earned two-straight shutouts for the Racers. The Somerset, Ky., native shut down Mid Continent (8-0) and then kept Eastern Kentucky from getting a run in her next appearance. The shut outs were the first two recorded by an MSU pitcher.
Producing At The Plate
The third game in the series with EKU was a productive one for the Racers at the plate. As a team MSU recorded 12 hits and had a team record 14 runs cross the plate. The previous high for runs in a game was 12 against Tennessee Tech (April 2). The Racers also set a record for the most runs scored in a single inning, with eight in the fifth. Six runs was the previous best in an inning, set twice earlier this season.
Home Run Derby
The third game in the series with Southeast Missouri State turned into a home run derby for the Racers, with all nine of their runs coming because of one of four home runs hit during the game. Junior Stephanie Mattocks started MSU off by hitting her first career grand slam in the bottom of the first. Junior Jenna Bradley followed with a solo home run in the second, junior Lauren Buch then hit a two-run shot in the third and freshman Kaitlyn England finished the day off with a two-run homer in the fourth.
First Series Sweep
The Racers earned their first series sweep, with their 6-2 and 6-1 wins over Bethel, April 8 at Racer Field. The double header victory also marked the second time that MSU has swept a double header.
Putting Two Games Together
The Racers earned their first sweep of a double header, April 2, against Tennessee Tech. MSU earned a 12-6 decision in the first game of the day before coming from behind in the top of the seventh to earn a 6-1 win in the night cap.
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
From March 17 to March 27 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 those nine games that total jumped 14, to 20. Freshman Ellyn Troup and juniors Jenna Bradley and Taylor Wilson led the production with three each. Troup and Bradley both had 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 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.
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