Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Kentucky State
Players Mentioned
Racers Welcome Thorobreds to Reagan Field
3/13/2018 2:06:00 PM | Baseball
GAME 17
Murray State (9-7) vs. Kentucky State (7-9)
March 14, 2018
First Pitch: 3 p.m.
Stadium: Reagan Field
Dimensions: 330 (LF) | 400 (CF) | 330 (RF)
Series History: MSU leads the all-time series 2-0
Last Meeting: MSU 22, KSU 0 – March 2, 2017
Live Stats
Twitter In-Game: @RacersBaseball
First Pitch
The Racers were originally scheduled to play five games this week but their Tuesday contest at top10 ranked Kentucky was cancelled due to snow in Lexington. MSU is coming off taking 2-of-3 from SIU Edwardsville over the weekend to begin OVC play. Both wins came from walk offs by Ramsey Scott.
Inside the Matchup
MSU will still play Kentucky later this season, May 15 at Brooks Stadium in Paducah. It will mark the second time in the past three seasons that UK will make the trip to western Kentucky (2016) to face the Racers. The Racers are 2-0 all-time against KSU, having won in 2016 and 2017 by a combined score of 40-5.
Walk It Off
Ramsey Scott delivered a pair of walk offs in MSU's first two OVC victories of the season against SIU Edwardsville. In game two of the series, Scott hit a two-out, solo home run to right field, his third homer of the year. While in game three, Scott capped a five-run ninth inning by MSU with a single to right center.
Free Bases
The Racers rank second in the country and first in the OVC in walks this season with 109. MSU is averaging nearly seven walks per game on the year.
Leading-Off Right
MSU has hit five home runs this season to lead off innings and are 3-1 in games in which they have a homer to begin an inning.
Series Victory
MSU's conference-opening series victory over SIUE to begin OVC play was its first conference series win of the season after collecting six in 2017. The Racers now have three series victories this season (Western Illinois, Fort Wayne, SIUE).
Scouting Kentucky State
Dom Lawson's .533 batting average in limited action this season leads Kentucky State. Lawson has just 15 at-bats this season. Cameron Starks has a .344 average while Jay Poullard and Russell Sims are hitting .333 and .310, respectively on the year. Jordan Ransom leads the Thorobreds with 14 RBIs and seven extra-base hits this season and is tied with Elijah Collins with a team-best 13 runs scored. Collins leads KSU with eight steals on the year. As a team, KSU is hitting .266 in 2018 and is scoring over 6.5 runs per contest.
Eric Andersen leads the Thorobreds' pitching staff with a 1.93 ERA this season and is 1-0 out of the bullpen. Starter Elijah Haynie leads the team with two wins, 25 innings pitched and 27 strikeouts this season while Ransom, who pulls double-duty both at the plate and on the mound, has all three of KSU's saves so far in 2018. The Thorobreds have a team ERA of 8.24 and are led by Head Coach Rob Henry, who is in his sixth season at KSU.
Probable Pitching Matchup
Luke Brown (LHP) (0-2, 14.54 ERA) vs. TBA
