Murray State University Athletics
Breds Ready For OVC Tournament
5/25/2010 8:52:00 PM | Baseball
GAMES 53-56
OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
May 26-29, 2010 • Jackson, Tenn.
First Pitch
Wednesday: 7 p.m.; TBA
Series History: MUR leads 52-51
Last Meeting: MUR 18, EKU 5 (2010)
Stadium: Pringles Park (Capacity: 6,000)
Dimensions: 310 (LF), 395 (CF), 320 (RF)
Live Stats: www.goracers.com
MURRAY STATE THOROUGHBREDS
Overall Record: 25-26-1
Conference Record: 12-8-1
Last 5/Last 10: 0-4-1/4-5-1
Streak: Lost 4
Website: www.GoRacers.com
Head Coach: Rob McDonald
Career Record: 158-218-2 (7th year)
Record at MSU: 158-218-2 (7th year)
EASTERN KENTUCKY COLONELS
Overall Record: 27-25
Conference Record: 9-12
Last 5/Last 10: 3-2/5-5
Streak: Win 3
Website: www.ekusports.com
Head Coach: Jason Stein
Career Record: 54-50 (2nd year)
Record at EKU: 54-50 (2nd year)
FIRST PITCH
The Murray State baseball opens the 2010 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament against Eastern Kentucky Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Pringles Park. The Breds return to the diamond at either 11 a.m. or 3 p.m. on Thursday against a team to be determined.
INSIDE THE SERIES
The Breds and Colonels played a three-game series at Reagan Field on May 8-9 with MSU coming away with the three-game sweep. The Breds won the doubleheader by scores of 8-1 and 9-6, before erupting for a 18-5 victory in the series finale.
Probable Pitching Matchups
WEDNESDAY, MAY 26
Pitcher W-L ERA K/BB
Chris Craycraft (R) 6-4 5.25 64/34
Anthony Bazzani (R) 4-3 5.71 31/26
Tournament Headquarters Set
Murray State has established the Doubletree Jackson as its headquarters for the OVC Tournament. The hotel is located at 1770 Highway 45 Bypass.
Tournament Moves to Pringles Park
For the first time in the history of the OVC Tournament, Pringles Park will serve as the host site. The previous nine tournaments were held at Brooks Stadium in Paducah.
Return to 2003
Murray State is looking to win its first Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship since winning the title in 2003. The Breds emerged from the losers bracket to advance to the championship game against Eastern Kentucky. MSU forced the if necessary game with an 11-5 victory, and then scored 19 runs on 26 hits to claim the championship, 19-4.
Breds in OVC Tournament
Murray State enters the tournament with an overall record of 21-31 in tournament games dating back to the 1980 season. Prior to 1980, the year-end tournament was a playoff series between divisional winners. The Breds went 15-9 in those games from 1963-1979.
Opening Game
In Murray State's previous 18 trips to the OVC Tournament, the Breds are just 6-12 in their first game of the tournament.
Breds-Colonels Opening Round
Wednesday will mark the seventh time the Breds and Colonels will meet in their first game of the OVC Tournament. Murray State is just 1-5 in opening-round games with the Colonels, with the only victory coming in 1985.
Breds-Colonels No Tourney Strangers
Murray State and Eastern Kentucky have met 19 times prior in the OVC Tournament. The Colonels hold a 14-5 advantage in those contests. Two of the Breds victories came in 2003 when MSU swept two games on Championship Saturday to capture the championship.
Academic All-America Second Team
Wes Cunningham received another honor Tuesday as he was selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Second Team, as voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). He becomes the second baseball player to be honored, joining 1983 third-team selection Carrell Boyd.
Dick Howser Semifinalist
Wes Cunningham was named as one of 24 semifinalists for the Dick Howser Trophy, honoring the top player in college baseball.
Cunningham Eyes OVC Records
Entering the OVC Tournament, Wes Cunningham has his eyes set on a pair of OVC single-season records. Cunningham needs 8 RBIs and 14 total bases to set the records held by Neil Sellers (EKU, 2003) and Nate Manning (Peay,1986), respectively.
Cunningham Sets Hits Record
Wes Cunningham established another career record at Murray State with his two-run homer in the series opener against Tennessee Tech. The hit was the 229th of his career, passing Tyler Pittman for the all-time record.
Propst Climbs into Top 10
Senior Bryan Propst continues his strong season as he moved into a tie for eigth place with 13 home runs, and into sixth place with 118 total bases. He is also just two RBIs shy of cracking the top 10.
Moore Reaches Freshman Top 5
Freshman Colton Moore is having one of the best freshman campaigns. He enters the tournament with 39 RBIs, ranking fifth on the all-time list for freshman. Lee Hutson (1981) holds the record wth 49, followed by Ronnie Scheer (46, 1980), Clay Boone (43, 1981) and Rod Pryer (42, 1972).
Hill Homers in Return
After going exactly three weeks without an at-bat, Daniel Hill pinch hit in the ninth inning against Kentucky and hit a 3-2 pitch over the fence in straight-away center field. It was the first time he has seen live pitching since going 3-for-5 against Ole Miss on April 27.
Breds Score 400 Runs
Murray State has scored 409 runs this season, marking just the third time in school history the Breds have scored over 400 runs. The team needs seven runs to pass the record of 416 set just last season.
Team Sets RBI Record
For the second-straight season, Murray State has set a new RBI record. The Breds have driven in 371 runs this season, after setting the record of 367 last year. It also marks just the seventh time the Breds have driven in over 300 runs, and the third time in the Rob McDonald era.
Hits Record Awaits
Murray State enters the OVC Tournament needing 17 hits to set a new single-season mark at MSU. The current mark of 388 was set just last season.
Scouting Eastern Kentucky
The Colonels finished the regular season with an overall record of 27-25 and a 9-12 mark in OVC action.
The Colonels completed their OVC schedule two weekends ago and had to wait to see their fate for the upcoming tournament. EKU enters the postseason as the No. 6 seed in the six-team field.
EKU is making its first appearance in the tournament since 2007.
The Colonels have not won the OVC Tournament sice 1989. EKU won five titles in six years from 1984-89.
EKU is hitting .305 as a team with six players in their everyday lineup hitting over. 300.
Jayson Langfels leads the way with a .373 average, while Anthony Ottrando has a team-best 17 home runs and 67 RBIs.
EKU will send freshman right hander Anthony Bazzan to the mound against Murray State.
