Murray State University Athletics
Friday, February 12
Kennesaw, Ga.
9 a.m.
Murray State
vs
Loyola Chicago
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
Photo by: Patti Twaddle
Softball Opens 2016 at Kennesaw State
2/9/2016 1:53:00 PM | Softball
Date: Feb. 12-13
Tournament: Kennesaw State Kickoff Classic
Site (Venue): Kennesaw, Ga. (Bailey Park)
Audio: Mixlr.com/msuracers (PxP: Parker Griffith)
TV/Web Stream: None
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
Twitter In Game: @RacersSoftball
MSU Record (Streak): 0-0 (---)
MSU vs. The Field: 1-0
All-Time Series vs. LUC (Streak): MSU leads 1-0 (W1)
All-Time Series vs. KSU (Streak): First Meeting (---)
All-Time Series vs. NCCU (Streak): First Meeting (---)
All-Time Series vs. ETSU (Streak): First Meeting (---)
MSU Next Games: Feb. 20-21 at 2016 Holiday Inn Hilltopper Classic (Bowling Green, Ky.)
MSU Next Home: Mar. 16 vs. Evansville
This Week
The Racers will open the 2016 season at Kennesaw State's Kickoff Classic in Kennesaw, Ga. While in the Peach State, MSU will take on Loyola Chicago, the host Owls, North Carolina Central and East Tennessee State.
2015 Recap
The 2015 Racer campaign was one for the record books, as program records were set for overall and OVC wins at 38 and 20, respectively. Highlights of the season include a seven-game win streak, a win over Big Ten program Illinois and a record third-place finish in the OVC regular season.
In the OVC tournament, the Racers won the first two games, before eventually finishing third. Following the season, sophomore Jessica Twaddle was named as just the second OVC Player of the Year honor in program history, after leading the OVC with a .426 average. Maggie Glass joined Twaddle on the All-OVC first team, while CheyAnne Gaskey, Mo Ramsey and Alexa Becker were named to the second team.
Becker and Twaddle also earned NFCA All-Region honors and were also named as Academic All-Americans by CoSIDA. In addition, 15 players were named to the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll, 11 were NFCA All-America Scholar Athletes and three earned the prestigious OVC Medal of Honor.
Against The Field
The Racers have met just one of its four opponents previous to this weekend, the Ramblers of Loyola Chicago. In the only other meeting between the two teams, the Racers met the Ramblers as part of Memphis' Blues City Classic in Southaven, Mississippi in 2014. Murray State homered twice in the game with a solo shot and grand slam from Alexa Becker en route to a 6-1 victory.
Scouting Loyola Chicago
Loyola was just 15-35 last season and 5-21 in the Missouri Valley Conference, where they finished in ninth place. However, the future looks bright for the Ramblers as they lost just three starters from last season's team and return their leading hitter, sophomore Brooke Wyderski who hit .302. Wyderski also led the team in home runs last season with 12 and RBIs with 37. Loyola also returns both pitchers from last season, Madison Hope and Ashley Rogers, who combined for a 4.70 ERA and a .299 opponent's average.
Scouting Kennesaw State
The Owls won 32 games last season under first-year head coach Tory Acheson and will return seven starters from that team. Among the returners will be Kennesaw's second best hitter from last season junior Taylor Denton, who batted .364 and scored a team-high 56 runs. Also returning for the Owls this season is their go-to power hitter from last season, senior Megan Veringa, who hit .347 with 10 doubles, a triple and nine home runs to go along with team-highs of 46 RBIs and 21 walks. Despite the loss of their ace from last season, Kennesaw does return three pitchers this year, including senior Morgan Sikes who led the staff in ERA at 3.15 in 30 appearances.
Scouting North Carolina Central
Head coach Theresa Stephens got the Eagles going in the right direction last season, as they reeled off 18 wins in her fourth season in Durham, matching the total number of wins in her first three seasons combined. Helping lead the surge this season for NCCU will be All-MEAC preseason selections senior catcher Casey Hargett and junior utility player Dominique Wilson. Hargett led her team last season with a .361 average, just four errors behind the plate and no passed balls. For Wilson, she hit .331 while driving in 25 runs and blasting a team-high eight home runs, in addition to swiping four bases. In the circle, the Eagles will turn back to senior London Booker, as well as Wilson. Booker was 10-15 last season with a 5.42 ERA, while Wilson was 7-12 with a 3.95 ERA. Wilson also led the team in opponent's average at .299 and strikeouts at 108.
Scouting East Tennessee State
The Buccaneers went 15-33 last season, but will return 18 of 24 players from last season. Jennine Duncan returns for her senior year after leading ETSU a year ago with a .330 average and 15 stolen bases. Sophomore Kelsey Smith also returns for 2015 after turning in team-highs of 12 home runs and 41 runs. Junior Taylor Carter will look to move into the role of ace in the circle this season, after going 6-9 last season with a 4.85 ERA and 48 strikeouts.
Fall Report
Murray State went 7-1 in its non-traditional fall season this year with its only loss coming in the form of an 11-10 heartbreaker to Dyersburg State. As a team, the Racers hit .368, while the pitching staff posted a 1.93 team ERA and limited opponents to a .142 average. Junior Jessica Twaddle picked up where she left off last season to lead MSU with a .636 average, while freshman Madison Culver followed behind at .600. Sophomore Haven Campbell went 3-0 in the short season, while junior Mason Robinson was 2-0, as both finished with an ERA of 0.00. Robinson's performance is even more impressive when you factor in that she allowed just one hit in 45 batters faced with 16 strikeouts.
Weather Forecast
Weather in Kennesaw for the weekend will be cool to cold and a chance to be very wet on Friday. On Friday, the high will be in the low 50's while the low will be in the high 20s with a 60 percent chance of precipitation. The wind will also be strong on Friday, coming out of the south at 8 mph with gusts at up to 14 mph. On Saturday, the high will be just 40°F, while the low will drop to 20°F. While any chance of precipitation for day of the tournament is minimal, the wind will be ramped up at 13 mph out of the northwest, with gusts of up to 17 mph.
Out Of The Gates
Murray State is 3-3 all-time in season openers, having won three out of its last four. The Racers are 0-1 in season openers in true away games and 3-2 in neutral site games.
Many Happy Returns
MSU lost just seven players from last year's team and will return seven of 10 starters. Among those returning are 2015 OVC Player of the Year Jessica twaddle and first-team All-OVC selection, Maggie Glass.
Just Peachy
For the second consecutive season, the Racers will kick-off their regular season in the state of Georgia. Last year, MSU opened the season in Athens at UGA, where they went 3-2.
Â
If At First...
This will be the second attempt for the Racers to play a tournament at Kennesaw State, as they were slated to do so in 2014, but Winter Storm Pax forced the cancellation of the event. MSU instead went to Montgomery, Alabama for ASU's Hornet Invitational, where they went 3-0.
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.
Up Next
Next weekend, the Racers will remain in the Commonwealth and travel to Bowling Green for Western Kentucky's 2016 Holiday In Hilltopper Classic. While in BG, the MSU will take on the host Hilltoppers, play two games against Missouri State and clash with Austin Peay in a non-conference affair.
Â
Tournament: Kennesaw State Kickoff Classic
Site (Venue): Kennesaw, Ga. (Bailey Park)
Audio: Mixlr.com/msuracers (PxP: Parker Griffith)
TV/Web Stream: None
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
Twitter In Game: @RacersSoftball
MSU Record (Streak): 0-0 (---)
MSU vs. The Field: 1-0
All-Time Series vs. LUC (Streak): MSU leads 1-0 (W1)
All-Time Series vs. KSU (Streak): First Meeting (---)
All-Time Series vs. NCCU (Streak): First Meeting (---)
All-Time Series vs. ETSU (Streak): First Meeting (---)
MSU Next Games: Feb. 20-21 at 2016 Holiday Inn Hilltopper Classic (Bowling Green, Ky.)
MSU Next Home: Mar. 16 vs. Evansville
This Week
The Racers will open the 2016 season at Kennesaw State's Kickoff Classic in Kennesaw, Ga. While in the Peach State, MSU will take on Loyola Chicago, the host Owls, North Carolina Central and East Tennessee State.
2015 Recap
The 2015 Racer campaign was one for the record books, as program records were set for overall and OVC wins at 38 and 20, respectively. Highlights of the season include a seven-game win streak, a win over Big Ten program Illinois and a record third-place finish in the OVC regular season.
In the OVC tournament, the Racers won the first two games, before eventually finishing third. Following the season, sophomore Jessica Twaddle was named as just the second OVC Player of the Year honor in program history, after leading the OVC with a .426 average. Maggie Glass joined Twaddle on the All-OVC first team, while CheyAnne Gaskey, Mo Ramsey and Alexa Becker were named to the second team.
Becker and Twaddle also earned NFCA All-Region honors and were also named as Academic All-Americans by CoSIDA. In addition, 15 players were named to the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll, 11 were NFCA All-America Scholar Athletes and three earned the prestigious OVC Medal of Honor.
Against The Field
The Racers have met just one of its four opponents previous to this weekend, the Ramblers of Loyola Chicago. In the only other meeting between the two teams, the Racers met the Ramblers as part of Memphis' Blues City Classic in Southaven, Mississippi in 2014. Murray State homered twice in the game with a solo shot and grand slam from Alexa Becker en route to a 6-1 victory.
Scouting Loyola Chicago
Loyola was just 15-35 last season and 5-21 in the Missouri Valley Conference, where they finished in ninth place. However, the future looks bright for the Ramblers as they lost just three starters from last season's team and return their leading hitter, sophomore Brooke Wyderski who hit .302. Wyderski also led the team in home runs last season with 12 and RBIs with 37. Loyola also returns both pitchers from last season, Madison Hope and Ashley Rogers, who combined for a 4.70 ERA and a .299 opponent's average.
Scouting Kennesaw State
The Owls won 32 games last season under first-year head coach Tory Acheson and will return seven starters from that team. Among the returners will be Kennesaw's second best hitter from last season junior Taylor Denton, who batted .364 and scored a team-high 56 runs. Also returning for the Owls this season is their go-to power hitter from last season, senior Megan Veringa, who hit .347 with 10 doubles, a triple and nine home runs to go along with team-highs of 46 RBIs and 21 walks. Despite the loss of their ace from last season, Kennesaw does return three pitchers this year, including senior Morgan Sikes who led the staff in ERA at 3.15 in 30 appearances.
Scouting North Carolina Central
Head coach Theresa Stephens got the Eagles going in the right direction last season, as they reeled off 18 wins in her fourth season in Durham, matching the total number of wins in her first three seasons combined. Helping lead the surge this season for NCCU will be All-MEAC preseason selections senior catcher Casey Hargett and junior utility player Dominique Wilson. Hargett led her team last season with a .361 average, just four errors behind the plate and no passed balls. For Wilson, she hit .331 while driving in 25 runs and blasting a team-high eight home runs, in addition to swiping four bases. In the circle, the Eagles will turn back to senior London Booker, as well as Wilson. Booker was 10-15 last season with a 5.42 ERA, while Wilson was 7-12 with a 3.95 ERA. Wilson also led the team in opponent's average at .299 and strikeouts at 108.
Scouting East Tennessee State
The Buccaneers went 15-33 last season, but will return 18 of 24 players from last season. Jennine Duncan returns for her senior year after leading ETSU a year ago with a .330 average and 15 stolen bases. Sophomore Kelsey Smith also returns for 2015 after turning in team-highs of 12 home runs and 41 runs. Junior Taylor Carter will look to move into the role of ace in the circle this season, after going 6-9 last season with a 4.85 ERA and 48 strikeouts.
Fall Report
Murray State went 7-1 in its non-traditional fall season this year with its only loss coming in the form of an 11-10 heartbreaker to Dyersburg State. As a team, the Racers hit .368, while the pitching staff posted a 1.93 team ERA and limited opponents to a .142 average. Junior Jessica Twaddle picked up where she left off last season to lead MSU with a .636 average, while freshman Madison Culver followed behind at .600. Sophomore Haven Campbell went 3-0 in the short season, while junior Mason Robinson was 2-0, as both finished with an ERA of 0.00. Robinson's performance is even more impressive when you factor in that she allowed just one hit in 45 batters faced with 16 strikeouts.
Weather Forecast
Weather in Kennesaw for the weekend will be cool to cold and a chance to be very wet on Friday. On Friday, the high will be in the low 50's while the low will be in the high 20s with a 60 percent chance of precipitation. The wind will also be strong on Friday, coming out of the south at 8 mph with gusts at up to 14 mph. On Saturday, the high will be just 40°F, while the low will drop to 20°F. While any chance of precipitation for day of the tournament is minimal, the wind will be ramped up at 13 mph out of the northwest, with gusts of up to 17 mph.
Out Of The Gates
Murray State is 3-3 all-time in season openers, having won three out of its last four. The Racers are 0-1 in season openers in true away games and 3-2 in neutral site games.
Many Happy Returns
MSU lost just seven players from last year's team and will return seven of 10 starters. Among those returning are 2015 OVC Player of the Year Jessica twaddle and first-team All-OVC selection, Maggie Glass.
Just Peachy
For the second consecutive season, the Racers will kick-off their regular season in the state of Georgia. Last year, MSU opened the season in Athens at UGA, where they went 3-2.
Â
If At First...
This will be the second attempt for the Racers to play a tournament at Kennesaw State, as they were slated to do so in 2014, but Winter Storm Pax forced the cancellation of the event. MSU instead went to Montgomery, Alabama for ASU's Hornet Invitational, where they went 3-0.
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.
Up Next
Next weekend, the Racers will remain in the Commonwealth and travel to Bowling Green for Western Kentucky's 2016 Holiday In Hilltopper Classic. While in BG, the MSU will take on the host Hilltoppers, play two games against Missouri State and clash with Austin Peay in a non-conference affair.
Â
Indiana State VS Murray State | MVC Baseball Tournament | Game Highlights
Friday, May 22
Evansville VS Murray State | Women's Basketball Game Highlights
Saturday, February 28
Head Coach Rechelle Turner | Racer Basketball | 2/26/26 Post Game Press Conference
Friday, February 27
Thomas & Pena | Racer Basketball | 2/26/26 Post Game Press Conference
Friday, February 27
