Murray State University Athletics
Saturday, February 20
Bowling Green, Ky.
9:30 a.m.
Murray State
vs
Missouri State
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
Photo by: Patti Twaddle
Softball Heads To WKU For Four Games
2/19/2016 11:15:00 AM | Softball
Date: Feb. 20-21
Tournament: 2016 Holiday Inn Hilltopper Classic
Site (Venue): Bowling Green, Ky. (WKU Softball Complex)
Audio: Mixlr.com/msuracers (PxP: Parker Griffith)
TV/Web Stream: None
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
Twitter In Game: @RacersSoftball
MSU Record (Streak): 2-2 (W2)
MOST Record (Streak): 3-2 (W1)
APSU Record (Streak): 1-1 (L1)
WKU Record (Streak): 3-1 (W2)
MSU vs. The Field: 14-11
All-Time Series vs. MOST (Streak): First Meeting (---)
All-Time Series vs. APSU (Streak): MSU leads 13-4 (W10)
All-Time Series vs. WKU (Streak): WKU leads 7-1 (L6)
MSU Next Games: Feb. 27-28 at Northwestern State
MSU Next Home: Mar. 16 vs. Evansville
This Week
The Racers will stay within the Commonwealth and travel to Bowling Green for Western Kentucky's 2016 Holiday Inn Hilltopper Classic. While on "The Hill," the Racers will take on Missouri State twice, the host Lady Toppers and Austin Peay in a non-conference affair.
Previously On Racer Softball
The Racers opened the 2016 season with a 2-2 record at Kennesaw State's Kickoff Classic, beating ETSU, falling to Kennesaw and splitting with Loyola Chicago. The Racers struggled offensively on Friday, scoring just one run over both games. However on Sunday, MSU flipped the script and allowed just one run over two games, while scoring 13. Jocelynn Rodgers was 6-for-10 on the weekend with a home run, while Jessica Twaddle followed at .462 with two doubles and four stolen bases. After a rough outing on Friday, Mason Robinson bounced back Sunday with two wins, allowing just one run over 11.1 innings of work. She finished the weekend with 10 strikeouts, including seven against KSU.
Against The Field
Friday will be the 18th meeting between Austin Peay and Murray State, but the first-ever non-conference or neutral site meeting. The Racers have won 10 straight games against the Lady Govs, having not lost to them since 2012. Sunday will be the ninth meeting all-time between MSU and WKU and the fifth in Bowling Green. MSU will enter the contest looking to snap a six-game losing streak against the Lady Toppers. The Racers have only beaten Western Kentucky once in the eight-game series, a lone 7-0 victory in Murray in 2011.
Scouting Missouri State
Missouri State went 3-2 at the UT Arlington Invitational on opening weekend, notching a pair of wins over Northern Colorado and a single-game win over Texas Southern, but losing to Detroit and the host Mavericks. Mary Stephens hit .400 on the weekend to lead the Bears, scoring four runs on six hits with two home runs, four RBIs and three walks.
Pitching wise, despite losing two games, the bears posted a staff ERA of just 1.60 with Kaitlin Beason leading the way at 1.26. Beason was 1-1 on the weekend, allowing three earned runs on 10 hits with six strikeouts and two walks. Offensively, Beason helped her own cause by hitting .308 at the plate with three doubles and four RBIs. Erin Stuemph was 2-0 in Arlington for Missouri State, striking out 11 and walking seven over 13.0 innings to finish the weekend with a 2.15 ERA.
Scouting Austin Peay
The Lady Govs lost two games to the weather on opening weekend at Gardner-Webb and ended the weekend with a split against the host Runnin' Bulldogs. Austin Peay won the first game 15-12, but fell in the back end of the doubleheader, 9-2. In the opener Kacy Acree made her collegiate debut a memorable one by going 3-for-5 with a double, a home run and a five RBIs. Rikki Arkansas led the way for the Lady Govs in the doubleheader, hitting .571 with two runs and two RBIs. Allie Blackwood got the win for APSU in the circle, allowing three runs on 10 hits with three strikeouts and two walks over 3.1 innings.
Scouting Western Kentucky
The Lady Toppers had a solid opening weekend at Auburn's Plainsmen Invitational, winning three of four games. Western Kentucky posted wins over Appalachian State, Butler, Furman, but fell to fourth-ranked Auburn in its lone loss. Hannah Parker led WKU on the weekend with a .500 average to go along with three runs, four RBIs and two walks, while Jordan Mauch followed at .364 with a run, two doubles, a RBI and a walk.
Parker also won two games in the circle for WKU, striking out 18 and walking nine to finish with a 3.50 ERA over 14.0 innings of work. Kathryn Downing was also impressive for WKU, going 1-0 over 7.1 innings while limiting opponents to a paltry .192 average.
Weather Forecast
While it's still February, the weather in Bowling Green this weekend will more closely resemble that of mid-April: warm with a chance of showers. On Saturday, while cloudy, the high will get up to 67° F with little chance of rain during the day. The wind will come out of the SSW and could carry towards right field at 8 mph, with gusts of up to 12 mph. However, the rain will then move in on Saturday night and stretch into Sunday morning. The high will get up to 63° F on Sunday with the wind at 9 mph out of the WNW with gusts up to 12 mph.
A Perfect Weekend
Senior Jocelynn Rodgers and sophomore Maddy Feeney each went a perfect 4-for-4 on opening weekend, tallying a hit in each game on the weekend. For Feeney, it was extra special, as it was her first games as a collegiate starter.
Stop! Thief!
After stealing just eight bases in the first two years of her career, Jessica Twaddle was a perfect 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts last weekend. She stole two bases in each game Sunday, which was a single-game career high.
Turn Two... Or Five
After the opening weekend of play, the Racers lead the nation in double plays, averaging 1.25 per game by turning five over four games. MSU turned three double plays in Sunday's win over ETSU, tying a program single-game record.
Bouncing Back
After posting a 10.50 ERA in the opener against Loyola Chicago, junior Mason Robinson was able to put that performance behind her and be nearly flawless in her next three appearances. Over her final 11.1 innings of the weekend, Robinson allowed just one run for a 0.61 ERA. In Sunday's finale, she combined with senior J.J. Francis for a shutout and ended her weekend with a 3.20 ERA.
In The Mix
Select Murray State softball away games, including all four this weekend, will once again be broadcast this season on the internet via Mixlr. Fans can listen, free of charge, on any computer at mixlr.com/msuracers or by downloading the Mixlr app, available on Apple and Android devices, and searching msuracers. The games will be broadcast by MSU softball media relations contact, Parker Griffith.
Â
Up Next
Murray State will head way south next weekend to the home of the meat pie, Natchitoches (Nack-uh-thish), Louisiana. While in one of the earliest French settlements in the United States, the Racers will take on the Demons of Northwestern State in a three-game series with a doubleheader Saturday and a single-game Sunday.
Â
Tournament: 2016 Holiday Inn Hilltopper Classic
Site (Venue): Bowling Green, Ky. (WKU Softball Complex)
Audio: Mixlr.com/msuracers (PxP: Parker Griffith)
TV/Web Stream: None
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
Twitter In Game: @RacersSoftball
MSU Record (Streak): 2-2 (W2)
MOST Record (Streak): 3-2 (W1)
APSU Record (Streak): 1-1 (L1)
WKU Record (Streak): 3-1 (W2)
MSU vs. The Field: 14-11
All-Time Series vs. MOST (Streak): First Meeting (---)
All-Time Series vs. APSU (Streak): MSU leads 13-4 (W10)
All-Time Series vs. WKU (Streak): WKU leads 7-1 (L6)
MSU Next Games: Feb. 27-28 at Northwestern State
MSU Next Home: Mar. 16 vs. Evansville
This Week
The Racers will stay within the Commonwealth and travel to Bowling Green for Western Kentucky's 2016 Holiday Inn Hilltopper Classic. While on "The Hill," the Racers will take on Missouri State twice, the host Lady Toppers and Austin Peay in a non-conference affair.
Previously On Racer Softball
The Racers opened the 2016 season with a 2-2 record at Kennesaw State's Kickoff Classic, beating ETSU, falling to Kennesaw and splitting with Loyola Chicago. The Racers struggled offensively on Friday, scoring just one run over both games. However on Sunday, MSU flipped the script and allowed just one run over two games, while scoring 13. Jocelynn Rodgers was 6-for-10 on the weekend with a home run, while Jessica Twaddle followed at .462 with two doubles and four stolen bases. After a rough outing on Friday, Mason Robinson bounced back Sunday with two wins, allowing just one run over 11.1 innings of work. She finished the weekend with 10 strikeouts, including seven against KSU.
Against The Field
Friday will be the 18th meeting between Austin Peay and Murray State, but the first-ever non-conference or neutral site meeting. The Racers have won 10 straight games against the Lady Govs, having not lost to them since 2012. Sunday will be the ninth meeting all-time between MSU and WKU and the fifth in Bowling Green. MSU will enter the contest looking to snap a six-game losing streak against the Lady Toppers. The Racers have only beaten Western Kentucky once in the eight-game series, a lone 7-0 victory in Murray in 2011.
Scouting Missouri State
Missouri State went 3-2 at the UT Arlington Invitational on opening weekend, notching a pair of wins over Northern Colorado and a single-game win over Texas Southern, but losing to Detroit and the host Mavericks. Mary Stephens hit .400 on the weekend to lead the Bears, scoring four runs on six hits with two home runs, four RBIs and three walks.
Pitching wise, despite losing two games, the bears posted a staff ERA of just 1.60 with Kaitlin Beason leading the way at 1.26. Beason was 1-1 on the weekend, allowing three earned runs on 10 hits with six strikeouts and two walks. Offensively, Beason helped her own cause by hitting .308 at the plate with three doubles and four RBIs. Erin Stuemph was 2-0 in Arlington for Missouri State, striking out 11 and walking seven over 13.0 innings to finish the weekend with a 2.15 ERA.
Scouting Austin Peay
The Lady Govs lost two games to the weather on opening weekend at Gardner-Webb and ended the weekend with a split against the host Runnin' Bulldogs. Austin Peay won the first game 15-12, but fell in the back end of the doubleheader, 9-2. In the opener Kacy Acree made her collegiate debut a memorable one by going 3-for-5 with a double, a home run and a five RBIs. Rikki Arkansas led the way for the Lady Govs in the doubleheader, hitting .571 with two runs and two RBIs. Allie Blackwood got the win for APSU in the circle, allowing three runs on 10 hits with three strikeouts and two walks over 3.1 innings.
Scouting Western Kentucky
The Lady Toppers had a solid opening weekend at Auburn's Plainsmen Invitational, winning three of four games. Western Kentucky posted wins over Appalachian State, Butler, Furman, but fell to fourth-ranked Auburn in its lone loss. Hannah Parker led WKU on the weekend with a .500 average to go along with three runs, four RBIs and two walks, while Jordan Mauch followed at .364 with a run, two doubles, a RBI and a walk.
Parker also won two games in the circle for WKU, striking out 18 and walking nine to finish with a 3.50 ERA over 14.0 innings of work. Kathryn Downing was also impressive for WKU, going 1-0 over 7.1 innings while limiting opponents to a paltry .192 average.
Weather Forecast
While it's still February, the weather in Bowling Green this weekend will more closely resemble that of mid-April: warm with a chance of showers. On Saturday, while cloudy, the high will get up to 67° F with little chance of rain during the day. The wind will come out of the SSW and could carry towards right field at 8 mph, with gusts of up to 12 mph. However, the rain will then move in on Saturday night and stretch into Sunday morning. The high will get up to 63° F on Sunday with the wind at 9 mph out of the WNW with gusts up to 12 mph.
A Perfect Weekend
Senior Jocelynn Rodgers and sophomore Maddy Feeney each went a perfect 4-for-4 on opening weekend, tallying a hit in each game on the weekend. For Feeney, it was extra special, as it was her first games as a collegiate starter.
Stop! Thief!
After stealing just eight bases in the first two years of her career, Jessica Twaddle was a perfect 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts last weekend. She stole two bases in each game Sunday, which was a single-game career high.
Turn Two... Or Five
After the opening weekend of play, the Racers lead the nation in double plays, averaging 1.25 per game by turning five over four games. MSU turned three double plays in Sunday's win over ETSU, tying a program single-game record.
Bouncing Back
After posting a 10.50 ERA in the opener against Loyola Chicago, junior Mason Robinson was able to put that performance behind her and be nearly flawless in her next three appearances. Over her final 11.1 innings of the weekend, Robinson allowed just one run for a 0.61 ERA. In Sunday's finale, she combined with senior J.J. Francis for a shutout and ended her weekend with a 3.20 ERA.
In The Mix
Select Murray State softball away games, including all four this weekend, will once again be broadcast this season on the internet via Mixlr. Fans can listen, free of charge, on any computer at mixlr.com/msuracers or by downloading the Mixlr app, available on Apple and Android devices, and searching msuracers. The games will be broadcast by MSU softball media relations contact, Parker Griffith.
Â
Up Next
Murray State will head way south next weekend to the home of the meat pie, Natchitoches (Nack-uh-thish), Louisiana. While in one of the earliest French settlements in the United States, the Racers will take on the Demons of Northwestern State in a three-game series with a doubleheader Saturday and a single-game Sunday.
Â
Conlee Crossno Bye Week Press Conference
Tuesday, September 23
Jody Wright Bye Week Press Conference
Tuesday, September 23
09-22-25 Coach Ryan Miller Press Conference
Monday, September 22
09-22-25 Mason Miller & Fred King Press Conference
Monday, September 22
