Softball Opens Amundson Era at Mississippi State

Friday, February 15

Starkville, Miss.

12 p.m.

Murray State

Western Kentucky

Photo by: Murray State News

2/13/2013 7:00:00 PM | Softball

Game Notes | Live Audio | Live Video | Live Stats | Tournament Website

The Murray State softball team will turn a page Friday when it kicks off its 2013 campaign under first-year head coach Kara Amundson at Mississippi State's Bulldog Battle. The Racers will look to improve over last season's 34-21 record and third place finish in both the regular season and OVC tournament.

Helping lead Murray State in its quest will be the 2012 OVC Freshman of the Year, outfielder Casey Castile. Castile hit .337 with 12 home runs and 46 RBIs last season en route to first-team All-OVC and second-team Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Region honor. This fall, Castile picked up where she left off, hitting .348 with nine RBIs and a team-high four home runs.

Also returning this year for MSU is senior pitcher Shelby Kosmecki and freshman outfielder Mo Ramsey. Kosmecki earned All-OVC second team honor last season, while Ramsey was named to the All-OVC Newcomer Team. Ramsey scored 39 runs off of 34 hits with 18 RBIs and 16 stolen bases in 2012, while Kosmecki went 14-11 with team bests of 131 strikeouts and a 2.25 ERA.

The Racers first stop on the road to its first OVC title is the Bulldog Battle in Starkville, Miss. While in Starkville, MSU will take on regional rivals Western Kentucky and Lipscomb, as well as Northwestern State and the host Bulldogs.

Murray State has played just two of the four teams in this year's field, never having faced Northwestern State or Mississippi State. The Racers are 1-3 all-time against Western Kentucky and 0-2 versus Lipscomb.

Western Kentucky is the only team, outside of OVC opponents, that the Racers have played in each year of the programs existence, including this season. The two teams actually met this fall in Bowling Green, with WKU coming out an 8-3 winner.

This season will mark the first time since 2010 that Murray State and Lipscomb have squared-off. The Bisons won both of the two previous meetings by sweeping a pair of games in Nashville.

As for Northwestern State, this will not only be MSU's first game with the Lady Demons, it will also be its first against an opponent from the Southland Conference. Now in their fourth year of existence, the Racers have played opponents from just 15 of the 31 Division I conferences. However, this season they will move that number to 17 with games scheduled against Southland and Atlantic 10 opponents.

Mississippi State will be the first of three SEC teams that the Racers will face this season, with games scheduled at Arkansas and Tennessee. Murray State is 1-3 all-time against the SEC with its lone win coming against the Bulldogs' arch-rival, Ole Miss.

Fans will be able to follow along with the action this weekend with live stats available, courtesy of HailState.com. Live audio for the Racers' game against Mississippi State will also be available courtesy of HailStateTV. Fans must register for an account with the website, but there is no charge for the audio. Video for the game will also be available at a cost of $12.95.