Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Southern Illinois
Players Mentioned
Racers Welcome Regional Rival SIU Wednesday
3/6/2018 2:01:00 PM | Baseball
GAME 13
Murray State (7-5) vs. Southern Illinois (3-8)
March 7, 2018
First Pitch: 3 p.m.
Stadium: Reagan Field
Dimensions: 330 (LF) | 400 (CF) | 330 (RF)
Series History: SIU leads the all-time series 46-22
Last Meeting: MSU 13, SIU 10 – March 22, 2017
Watch Live: OVC Digital Network
Live Stats
Twitter In-Game: @RacersBaseball
First Pitch
The Racers begin their home-and-home season series with the Salukis Wednesday at 3 p.m., at Reagan Field. MSU is 4-1 at Reagan Field on the young season and is averaging nearly 11 runs per game at home. MSU came back from nine runs down in the sixth inning last season to defeat the Salukis at home, 13-12.
Inside The Matchup
MSU has won three in a row in the series and 5-of-6 overall, 2017 also marked the second time in the last three seasons (2015) that the Racers have swept the season series. MSU is 14-18 all-time at home against the Salukis and have won five consecutive at Reagan Field dating back to 2013.
Free Bases
The Racers rank fourth in the country and first in the OVC in walks this season with 83. In the four-game series against Fort Wayne, MSU drew 36 free passes, including 16 in its game two victory against the Mastodons.
Non-Conference Home Matchups
Wednesday will be the first of nine non-conference "midweek" matchups at home in 2018. The Racers will also welcome Kentucky State (March 14), Brescia (March 19), Western Kentucky (April 3), Evansville (April 4), Harris-Stowe (April 8), Austin Peay (April 11), Memphis (April 24) and Alabama A&M (May 1).
Scouting Southern Illinois
Connor Kopach is once again having a solid season for Southern Illinois as he leads the Salukis with a .417 batting average in 2018. Kopach is one of four Salukis that has started in all 11 games this season. The other three, Logan Blackfan, Alex Lyon and Nikola Vasic are all hitting .333 or better on the year.
Blackfan leads SIU with 12 RBIs and four home runs this season while Lyon's seven extra-base hits leads the Salukis. Kopach has a team-best 13 runs scored and is the only player that has a triple so far this year. As a team, SIU is hitting .290 overall and is averaging 5.7 runs scored per game.
The SIU pitching staff is led by Brad Harrison who is 2-0 on the year with a 1.93 ERA in 14 innings of work. Michael Baird leads the team in ninning pitched with 18, as well as strikeouts with 17. Jamison Steege has the other win on the mound for the Salukis. SIU has a team ERA of 5.08 through 11 games and a .257 opponent batting average. The Salukis also play Tuesday night at Southeast Missouri.
Probable Pitching Matchup
Luke Brown (LHP) (0-1, 10.12 ERA) vs. Dylan Givens (RHP)
