Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
UT Martin
Players Mentioned
Racers Close Regular Season at UT Martin
5/16/2018 1:58:00 PM | Baseball
GAMES 52-54
Murray State (24-27, 11-16 OVC) at UT Martin (11-38, 7-20 OVC)
May 17-19, 2018
First Pitch: Thursday: 6 p.m., Friday: 6 p.m., Saturday: 3 p.m.
Stadium: Skyhawk Park
Dimensions: 330 (LF) | 385 (CF) | 330 (RF)
Series History: MSU leads the all-time series 70-34
Last Meeting: MSU 8, UTM 5 – May 20, 2017
Live Stats: Game one | Game two | Game three
Twitter In-Game: @RacersBaseball
First Pitch
MSU closes out the 2018 regular season with a three-game OVC trip to UT Martin. The Racers have already clinched a spot in the OVC Tournament "play-in" game Tuesday against either Belmont or Eastern Illinois. Due to tiebreakers, one win against the Skyhawks would secure the No. 7 seed for the Racers.
Inside the Series
The Racers are 29-17 all-time in games played in Martin. MSU is 5-5 under coach Moulder against the Skyhawks and has won the last two in the series. UTM won 2-of-3 the last time the two met at Skyhawk Park back in 2016, that series was the OVC opener. The Racers took 2-of-3 last season at Reagan Field. Martin has played just 14 games at home this season.
Closing Strong
With a series victory against UT Martin, the Racers would close out the regular season winning their last four OVC series. MSU has won three consecutive series against Belmont, Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State.
Back-to-Back Tourney Trips
Behind the strength of their recent 6-3 conference stretch over the last few weeks, the Racers have clinched a spot in the OVC Tournament next week for the second consecutive year. MSU is locked into the No. 7 and No. 8 seeded "play-in" game and will face either Belmont or Eastern Illinois Tuesday at 6 p.m., at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Ala.
What a Sweep Would Mean
If MSU can earn its second conference sweep of the season (Eastern Illinois) it would clinch a .500 regular season finish for the first time since 2009 when the Racers went 32-19-1 during the regular season. In 2010, the Racers finished 28-28-1 but were 25-26-1 during the regular season before going 3-1 at the OVC Tournament.
Scouting UT Martin
Jordan Stoner is by far the leader for UT Martin in most offensive categories as he enters the weekend hitting .379 with 75 hits, 43 runs scored, 15 doubles and four triples. He is one of two Skyhawks hitting above .300 and to have started in all 49 games. Ethan Whitley leads UTM with nine home runs and 31 RBIs. Collin Edwards and Stoner lead the team with 11 stolen bases each. As a team, the Skyhawks are hitting .258 while averaging just over five runs scored per game.
David Hussey has a team-best 5.06 ERA this season in a team-high 21 appearances, all out of the bullpen. Winston Cannon leads the Skyhawks with 65.2 innings pitched and 59 strikeouts while Dom Bazzani has a team-best three wins in 2018. Peyton Cain has two of the three UTM saves on the year. As a team, the Skyhawks have an 8.59 ERA and are allowing an opponent batting average of .322.
Probable Pitching Matchups
Game one: Trevor McMurray (RHP) (4-2, 5.68 ERA) vs. Austen Bullington (RHP) (1-3, 8.50 ERA)
Game two: TBA vs. Winston Cannon (RHP) (1-7, 8.09 ERA)
Game three: TBA vs. Sam Folks (LHP) (2-6, 8.63 ERA)
