Murray State University Athletics
2011 Softball Recap
6/16/2011 4:14:27 PM | Softball
Murray State softball continued to build and grow in its second year this past season, reaching a number of personal accomplishments and setting a number of high program benchmarks in 2011.
MSU finished the year 24-28 with 13-15 conference record as it advanced to the OVC Championships for the second straight season.
The Racers picked up a couple of big wins during the non-conference portion of the schedule, including the first win for the program against a major conference team in a 7-2 win against Big Ten member Iowa in the final game at the DeMarini Invitational in Fullerton, Calif. Tied at 2-2 in the top of the eighth, MSU scored five runs in the final frame, scoring the winning run on a bases-loaded single from Leslie Bridges. Shelby Kosmecki pitched all eight for the Racers in earning her first win of the season.
Another strong win came in the second game of a doubleheader at UAB in Birmingham, Ala. The Blazers, an NCAA Tournament qualifier out of Conference USA, won the opener 4-0. The Racers fought back to open game two, scoring a pair on a two run home run from Lauren Buch for the only runs of the game in the 2-0 win. MSU struggled with control in the circle, walking eight UAB batters, but held the home team to just three hits in the shutout victory.
Chelsey Sullivan etched her name in the MSU record books in the second weekend of competition, tossing the team's first no hitter in school history. She held Belmont to three walks while striking out three in an 8-0 win in five innings.
The Racers got off to a rough start once they reached conference play, dropping their first seven games against UT Martin, Eastern Illinois and SIU Edwardsville. They closed the season in strong fashion, winning seven of their last nine games, including two of three at Jacksonville State, to clinch the sixth and final seed into the 2011 OVC Championships.
Having split with the Gamecocks a day before, they entered the final day of the regular season needing to win while also needing a loss from Tennessee Tech against UT Martin. The MSU bats put the Racers up early, scoring three in the top of the first to jump ahead 3-0. After JSU tied the game with three runs of its own in the second, the teams traded two run innings in each half of the sixth to head to the seventh tied 5-5. With UT Martin having already defeated Tennessee Tech in a 1-0 nail biter, Bridges hit a pinch-hit two run home run, her first of the season, as the Racers went on to win 7-5 and advance to the OVC Championships.
The opening game of the OVC Championships provided a couple of firsts for the Racers. Trailing 2-1 in the top of the sixth, Buch put the Racers ahead for the final time with a two run homer to right field, earning MSU its first win against UT Martin in two seasons and the first win for the program in the OVC Championships. It would go on to lose its next two games, losing 6-1 to eventual champion Jacksonville State before dropping a 3-2 elimination rematch against the Skyhawks.
The Racers were powered this season by two of the best players in the conference as seniors Jenna Bradley and Lauren Buch reached offensive numbers that will be hard to surpass over the coming seasons.
Bradley, the 2011 OVC Player of the Year and a 2011 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division 1 Mideast All-Region First Team selection, ranked as one of the top offensive threats in the country. She led the OVC with 18 home runs and 61 runs, was second in the conference with 56 RBI and a .807 slugging percentage, fourth overall with a .473 on-base percentage and led all players with 121 total bases in 52 games this season.
She was 13th in the country in total home runs and was 10th overall with .35 home runs per game. She scored the fourth most runs per game nationally, crossing the plate 1.17 times per contest. Her 1.08 RBI per game placed her 21st in the NCAA and she placed 16th overall in slugging percentage.
Bradley leaves the Racers as the career program leader with 97 runs scored, 30 home runs, 105 runs batted in and 56 walks in 103 games.
Buch, a 2011 All-OVC First Team selection and 2011 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division 1 Mideast All-Region First Team honoree, finished the season second in the conference with a .408 batting average. She led the conference with 57 runs batted in and a .845 slugging percentage, placed second with a .522 on-base percentage and tied for second with 16 home runs and 14 doubles, scored 50 runs to rank third in the OVC and had 120 total bases this season, second most in the conference.
She ranked 11th nationally in slugging percentage and was 21st overall with 1.1 runs batted in. Her .31 home runs per game placed 22nd in the NCAA, her .96 runs scored ranked 33rd and she was 52nd best in the country in batting average. She is the Murray State leader with a .335 career batting average and also leads the Racers with 21 total doubles in 100 games played.
Shelby Kosmecki asserted herself as the leader of the MSU pitching staff as the season progressed, ending the year with a team-best 11-7 record and 102 strikeouts in 25 starts and 133.2 innings pitched.
Murray State set new team bests as a team across the board on offense, bettering its production from 2010 in 10 different statistical categories. The Racers hit for an average of .278 this past season, scoring 302 runs off of 371 hits, tallied 64 doubles and 59 home runs, drove in 276 runs, hit for a slugging percentage of .468 while reaching base at a .383 clip, and scored on 11 sacrifice flies.
The Racers return 12 players next season after graduating five in the program's first senior class. They are expected to be joined by nine newcomers in time for practice next fall.
