Preview: Racers Journey to Raleigh

Dates: Feb. 22-25
Site (Venue): Raleigh, North Carolina (Dail Softball Stadium)
TV/Web Stream: Game 1 against NC State: https://es.pn/2EmsfV6 / Game 2 against NC State: https://es.pn/2XicC8n
Live Stats: https://bit.ly/2IvefML (For all games)
MUR Record (Streak): 4-6 (Won 2)
Racers All-Time vs. The Field: 0-2 (0-2 vs. Georgia Southern)
Georgia Southern (Streak): 9-4 (Won 1)
NC State Record (Streak): 3-6 (Lost 5)
UMBC Record (Streak): 0-1 (Lost 1)
MSU Next Games: Mar. 1-3 (Coach B Classic) Carbondale, Illinois
MSU Next Home: Mar. 8-10 vs. Racer Classic

Murray State softball will make the trek to Raleigh, North Carolina as part of the Fairfield Inn & Suites Crabtree Invitational on Friday. During their four-game stint in Raleigh, they are set to take on Georgia Southern, UMBC, and the host Wolfpack of NC State.

Recapping Last Weekend:
The Racers are coming off a fantastic weekend of softball in Madeira Beach, Florida as winners of four of their last five. The five games included wins against Butler, Delaware, South Dakota, and Ball State with the lone defeat coming in walk-off fashion to George Mason. After opening weekend saw the Racers come up short in hard-fought defeats, they piled up the wins with outstanding overall performances in week two of competition. Over the weekend, the Racers hit .367, highlighted by Brenna Finck who turned in a .556 average (10-18) while scoring a team-high six runs. The Racers also saw great production from Madison Culver, who hit .375 and belted two home runs, including a grand slam, for a team-high nine RBIs while slugging an impressive .813. With excellent displays at the plate, the Racers produced an average of 7.4 runs per game over their last five. Contributing to the runs, the Racers proved to be crafty on the base paths as they swiped eight bags on nine attempts over the weekend.

Pitching performances were another bright spot for MSU as they turned in a team ERA of 3.21 in Madeira Beach. Named Co-OVC Pitcher of the Week, Hannah James continued her string of phenomenal outings going 3-0 with a 1.33 ERA and 20 strikeouts over 21.1 innings, including a 10 strikeout performance in the weekend finale against Ball State.

The Racers also got great innings from Amber Van Duyse, who posted a 1.68 ERA with four strikeouts in her 8.1 innings in Madeira Beach.

Scouting Georgia Southern (9-4):
The Eagles of Georgia Southern roll into Raleigh as winners of five of their last six after hosting the Eagle Invitational in Statesboro, Georgia. This weekend will mark the third meeting between the Racers and Eagles with the most recent matchup just last season – a 5-4 contest that saw Georgia Southern come out on top at Eagle Field in Statesboro. Georgia Southern holds the all-time series, winning both of the prior encounters. A member of the Sun Belt Conference, the Eagles have crushed the ball, smashing 16 home runs in 2019. Led by Shelby Wilson (.455, 15 RBIs, 3 HR) and Logan Harrell (.323, 10 RBIs, 4 HR) the Eagles have been a tough out to begin the season. In the circle, Rylee Waldrep (3.36 ERA, 20 SO, 33.1 IP) and Ashleigh Morton (3.40 ERA, 12 SO, 22.2 IP) have seen the majority of the workload thus far.

Scouting NC State (3-6):
In the first-ever meeting with NC State, the Racers will face the tournament hosts twice this weekend in Raleigh, NC. After beginning the season 3-2 and defeating then #7 Arizona, the Wolfpack enter the weekend as losers of five straight games after the ACC/Big Ten Challenge featured a pair of defeats to both Nebraska and Wisconsin. Averaging just 1.5 runs through their last four, the struggles at the plate continue as they enter the weekend batting just .188 as a team. Leading the offense is Brigette Nordberg, who has posted a .308 average with three home runs on the year. From a pitching perspective, the innings have been split almost equally between Devin Wallace and Sydney Nester. Wallace carries a 2.89 ERA with 25 strikeouts over 26.2 innings of work while holding hitters to a .183 average through her seven appearances in 2019. Nester comes in with a 3.11 ERA and 23 strikeouts through 27 innings on the year.

Scouting University of Maryland- Baltimore County (0-1):
The Racers will also clash with the Retrievers of UMBC for the first time this weekend. The Retrievers, who compete as a member of the America East Conference, enter the weekend having played just one game - a 6-3 loss to Delaware. In their only contest of 2019, Anna Lonchar went 2-3 with a double and an RBI, while Sierra Pierce went 3-4 with two RBIs of her own. In the circle for the Retrievers, Courtney Coppermith tossed 4.2 innings without surrendering an earned run while striking out 10 Delaware batters.

Weather Forecast:
Rain is expected most of the weekend in Raleigh, with chances of precipitation hovering between 80-90% throughout Friday and Saturday. The rain will be accompanied by winds around 10 mph to the east and temperatures in the upper 40s/low 50s. Sunday looks to be quite a bit warmer with a high of 73, but still carries a 50% chance of rain with 15 mph winds throughout the daytime hours. Monday looks to be the best day of the bunch – a mostly sunny 60 degrees. While changes to the weekend schedule are a good possibility, updates will be posted at goracers.com in addition to @RacersSoftball on Twitter and "Murray State Softball" on Facebook.

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Players Mentioned

Madison Culver

Brenna Finck

Hannah James

Amber Van Duyse

Murray State University Athletics