Preview: Racers Head to Madeira Beach

Dates & Time: Feb. 15-17
Site (Venue): Madeira Beach, Florida
TV/Web Stream: N/A
Live Stats: https://ballstatesports.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary (Game Against Ball State)
MUR Record (Streak): 0-5 (Lost 5)
Racers All-Time vs. The Field: 3-2 (2-0 vs. Butler, 1-2 vs. Ball State)
Butler Record (Streak): 2-3 (Lost 2)
Delaware Record (Streak): 2-1 (Won 1)
George Mason Record (Streak): 0-3 (Lost 3)
South Dakota (Streak): 4-1 (Won 4)
Ball State (Streak): 3-2 (Won 1)
MSU Next Games: Feb. 22-24 at NC State Fairfield Inn & Suites Crabtree Invitational (Raleigh, NC)
MSU Next Home: Mar. 8-10 vs. Racer Classic

The Racers will travel to Madeira Beach, Florida for their second weekend of tournament action in 2019. While there, they are set to take on five different opponents in just under 48 hours with the first pitch coming at 3:30 p.m. Friday against Butler. The Racers are 3-2 all-time against this weekend's opponents and look to build on the foundation that has been established through the first five games of the 2019 campaign.

Recapping Last Weekend
While the Racers returned home with an 0-5 record through the first weekend of competition, there were several highlights to pull from the first games of a young season. In a weekend that featured wild finishes that included a 2-1 loss to Troy, and an extra innings defeat to Maryland. Additionally, spectators were treated to a hitting display with #9 Alabama that saw both teams post double digits in the run column. It is safe to say that Racer faithful have plenty to look forward to as the year marches ahead. Hannah James turned in spectacular pitching performances that included going the distance without a single earned run in the loss to Troy, and a six-inning shift with just one earned run in the extra innings defeat to Maryland on Sunday. She carries a 2.68 ERA and a 2.66 K/BB ratio heading into this weekend in Madeira Beach.
At the plate, the Racers got great production from Logan Braundmeier who turned in a .357 average (5-14) with a triple, while scoring a team-high four runs on the weekend.

Scouting Butler:
Friday will mark the third meeting between Murray State and Butler with MSU holding the all-time series 2-0. Their last meeting was a 9-4 Racer win back in 2016. Butler, who competes as a member of the Big East Conference, comes into the weekend holding a 2-3 record with wins coming from IUPUI and Evansville on opening weekend. Additionally, the Bulldogs were dealt losses from Western Illinois, Loyola, and Detroit Mercy as a part of their opening weekend at the 2019 Total Control Sports Invitational in Rosemont, Illinois. Butler is led offensively by Jenna Foreman who hit .500 (10-20) through their first five, in addition to Kaitlin Doud who posted a .333 average and a team-high six RBIs. The Bulldogs used four pitchers on opening weekend of play with Alyssa Graves (1-0, 2.33 ERA, 12.0 IP) and Karli Ricketts (0-2, 4.06 ERA, 10.1 IP) seeing the majority of the workload thus far.

Scouting Delaware:
Friday evening will see the first-ever meeting between Murray State and Delaware. The Blue Hens enter the tournament with a 2-1 record after splitting a double header to Norfolk State and defeating the University of Maryland-Baltimore County in their opening weekend of play. A member of the Colonial Athletic Association, they are led by Sarah Bessel who had a productive opening weekend batting .500 (3-6) and stealing a base through their first three competitions. Additionally, the Blue Hens used three pitchers on the weekend with Sarah Piening (1-0, 2.25 ERA, 9.1 IP) covering the bulk of the innings heading into Madeira Beach.

Scouting George Mason:
In another meeting that will occur for the first time this weekend, the Racers are set to take on George Mason to open up day two in Madeira Beach on Saturday. The Patriots compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference and enter the weekend at 0-3 after losses to Ohio State, Ole Miss, and Central Florida at the Friends of Jacklyn Tournament in Orlando, Florida. The Patriots are not only looking for their first win, but are also searching for their first run of 2019 after being shut out in all three defeats on opening weekend. Jess Cubiera, who comes in batting .429 (3-7) with a pair of doubles, proved to be the lone bright spot through their first three. Further, her two doubles were the only extra-base hits for George Mason as they head to Madeira Beach. The pitching duties were handled almost equally between the trio of Bekah Ansbro, (0-1, 5.60 ERA, 5.0 IP) Marina Vitalich (0-1, 8.65 ERA, 5.2 IP) and Haellie Gordon (0-1, 9.88 ERA, 5.2 IP).

Scouting South Dakota:
In the second game of day two, the Racers will face another new opponent in South Dakota. The Coyotes are a member of the Summit League and come into Madeira Beach as winners of four straight with a red hot 4-1 record after a productive weekend at the CSU tournament in Charleston, SC. Averaging 11.75 runs in their four wins, they have had plenty of offensive firepower. Leading the charge for the Coyotes are Jamie Holscher (.600, 5 RBIs, 2 2Bs) and Dustie Durham who hit .500 with a double, two triples, a home run, and a team-high nine RBIs on the weekend. Durham also took care of business from a pitching perspective as she hurled two complete games on her way to a 3-1 record and a 1.98 ERA through 17.2 innings of work. Sarah Lisko (0-0, 2.62 ERA, 10.2 IP) also saw significant innings for the Coyotes.

Scouting Ball State:
Ball State and Murray State will meet for the fourth time in the final day of the tournament this Sunday. Ball State holds the all-time series 2-1 with the last meeting coming on March 12, 2016 - a game that saw Ball State come out victorious 9-5. A member of the Mid-American Conference, the Cardinals enter the weekend at 3-2. Coming off five games at the FGCU Kickoff Classic in Fort Myers, Florida, the weekend featured a win against LIU Brooklyn in addition to a split with both Penn State and Florida Gulf Coast. While they are averaging just three runs per game, those runs were good enough for three wins thanks to great pitching performances. Three different players homered on the weekend, but the Cardinals hit just .129 as a team. Their dynamite pitching efforts were fueled by Sarah Venker (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 8.1 IP) and Darcie Huber (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 8.0 IP).

Weather Forecast:
It looks to be a gorgeous weekend in Madeira Beach, Florida. Friday is a high of 73 and partly cloudy with low 60s expected in the overnight hours. Saturday is a cloudy morning that will break into a sunny afternoon. With winds of 10 mph to the south, players and fans can expect a high of 76 with a low in the mid-60s. Finally, Sunday is sunny and 75 with winds to the south at about 10-12 mph. All in all, it looks to be a beautiful weekend for softball.

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Players Mentioned

Logan Braundmeier

Hannah James

Murray State University Athletics