Home, OVC Openers On Deck For Racers

Dates: March 17 & March 19-20
Sites (Venues): Murray, Ky. & Cape Girardeau, Mo. (Racer Field & Southeast Softball Complex)
Audio: Mixlr.com (SEMO Series)
TV/Web Stream: OVCDigitalNetwork.com (Evansville DH)
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
MSU Record (Streak): 8-10 (W1)
UE Record (Streak): 10-8 (L4)
SEMO Record (Streak): 6-9 (W2)
All-Time Series vs. UE (Streak): MSU leads 8-6 (W6)
All-Time Series vs. SEMO (Streak): MSU leads 12-5 (W3)
MSU Next Game: Mar. 23 at #15 Kentucky
MSU Next Home: Apr. 2-3 vs. Eastern Ill.

This Week
On Thursday, Murray State will take to Racer Field for the first time in 2016 with a doubleheader against Evansville, beginning at 4 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, the Racers will make the short trip to Cape Girardeau to begin OVC play at Southeast Missouri. Games will begin at 1 p.m. each day, with a doubleheader scheduled for Saturday.

Previously On Racer Softball
The Racers went 2-2 while in the Sunshine State, splitting games with Ball State and Jacksonville. Murray State beat Ball State Friday and Jacksonville Sunday, but fell to both teams in a doubleheader Saturday. The Racers allowed just one run in each of their wins, including an eight run, five-inning win over Ball State. In the losses, it was an eight-run sixth inning that led to MSU's undoing against BSU and pair of unearned runs that doomed the Racers in the loss to Jacksonville.

Sophomore Cayla Levins led Murray State on the weekend with a .417 average, while also driving in three runs. Junior Jessica Twaddle also had a solid weekend with a .357 average, three runs, four RBIs, a walk and two stolen bases. Junior Mason Robinson and sophomore Haven Campbell each posted a 2.62 ERA, with Robinson going 1-1 with seven strikeouts and Campbell going 1-0 with six-strikeouts.

All-Time vs. Evansville
At 14 all-time meetings, Evansville is currently Murray State's most common non-conference opponent. The Racers currently lead the all-time series, 8-6, having won each of the last six meetings. In Murray, the Racers lead the series, 3-1, with the loss coming in the first-ever meeting between the two teams in 2010.

Scouting Evansville
Evansville is currently 10-8 on the season, coming off a 0-3 performance at the Indiana Classic. While in Bloomington, the Purple Aces dropped two games to Indiana and one to Ohio. Michal Luckett and Chandra Parr offensively currently lead UE at .390 and .340, respectively.

Luckett has a team-high 12 runs and 23 hits, while Parr leads in walks and RBIs at six and 12. Amanda Blankenship has started 16 of 18 games for the Purple Aces in the circle and is 2-5 with a 5.40 ERA and an opponents' average of .282. Morgan Florey follows Blankenship's 17 appearances with 14 and is 5-0 on the year with a 1.72 ERA and a team-high 72 strikeouts.

As a team, Evansville is hitting .247 with a .329 on-base percentage and a .375 slugging percentage. In the circle, the current UE staff ERA is 4.44 with an opponent's average of .270

All-Time vs. SEMO
Murray State currently leads the all-time series with Southeast Missouri at 12-5, having won six of the last seven and 10 of the last 12. After taking two of three from SEMO in the last series in Cape Girardeau in 2014, the two teams are now tied at three games apiece when playing at the Southeast Softball Complex.

Scouting SEMO
Southeast Missouri is currently 6-9 on the season, after sweeping Jackson State Tuesday, 10-1 and 9-8.

The Redhawks are currently batting .262 as a team, while opponents are hitting .320 against them. At .333, Claire Wernig and Haylee Crack lead way offensively for Southeast Missouri. Krack is currently leading the team with 11 RBIs, while Wernig leads in runs scored at 13.

As a pitching staff, SEMO currently sports a 5.46 ERA with a 1.3:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Madeline Krumrey leads the Redhawk staff through 15 games with a 3-1 record, a 3.80 ERA, 31 strikeouts and an opponent's average of .291.

Weather Forecast
Weather for Thursday's home opener, should be nice with highs of in the mid-60's in the afternoon, dipping into the 50's and 40's as night falls. Over the weekend in Cape Girardeau, temperatures will be in the low to mid-50's, but will be sunny with little chance of precipitation.

Opening Day Jitters
Murray State is just 2-4 all-time in OVC openers, but is 2-2 when played on the road. The last time MSU began OVC play with SEMO in 2013, the Redhawks got the better of the Racers, 9-3.

Sit Down
Despite earning a no-decision in Saturday's game with Ball State, sophomore Haven Campbell still set a new career-high in strikeouts by fanning six batters.

Showing Out At Home
In front of a hometown crowd in Jacksonville, junior Cayla Levins made a big impact in MSU's win over JU Sunday. She tied her career-high for hits in a game with two, but set a net personal best in RBIs by driving in three runs. She also tallied at least one hit in all four games on the weekend and ended with a team-high .417 average.

Protect The Plate
In Sunday's 9-1 win over Jacksonville, the game could have very easily gone in a different direction had it not been for the Racer defense. In the both the second and fifth innings the Dolphins loaded the bases with no out and in both innings the Racers held JU to no runs, throwing out four runners at home in the process.

Free For All
Currently, Wednesday's games against Evansville and the weekend's games at SEMO are scheduled to be broadcast on OVCDigitalNetwork.com. As always, all games broadcast on the OVCDN are free of charge.

In The Mix
Select Murray State softball away games, including the SEMO series 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
The Racers will hit the road for Spring Break 2016, as they travel through the great Commonwealth. On Wednesday, Murray State will play a single-game at 15th-ranked Kentucky, followed by OVC doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday at Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State, respectively.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Haven Campbell

Cayla Levins

Mason Robinson

Jessica Twaddle

Murray State University Athletics