Racers Set for Coach B Classic

Dates: Mar. 1-2
Site (Venue): Chattanooga, Tennessee (Frost Stadium)
TV/Web Stream: N/A
Live Stats: https://bit.ly/2GpPQX1
MSU Record (Streak): 4-9 (Lost 3)
Racers All-Time vs. The Field: 6-12 (3-6 vs. Southern Illinois, 3-3 vs. St. Louis, 0-3 vs. Kentucky)
Southern Illinois Record (Streak): 10-3 (Won 1)
St. Louis Record (Streak): 2-7 (Won 1)
#17 Kentucky Record (Streak): 9-7 (Lost 1)
MSU Next Games: Mar. 6 vs. Southern Illinois
MSU Next Home: Mar. 8-10 vs. Racer Classic

The Racers journey to Chattanooga, Tennessee to play four games as part of the Coach B Classic, hosted by Southern Illinois University. The tournament, which was originally slated for Carbondale, Illinois, was shifted to Frost Stadium in Chattanooga to avoid the inclement weather expected to roll through the area this weekend. In addition to a matchup against the Salukis of Southern Illinois, Murray State will play a pair of games against St. Louis before closing the tournament against #17 Kentucky. The tournament will be the fourth straight road trip for the Racers, who will make their home debut at the Racer Classic next weekend, following a Wednesday rematch against Southern Illinois in Carbondale.

Last Time Out:
The Racers are coming off an abbreviated three game weekend that was shortened due to weather conditions in Raleigh, North Carolina. Going 0-3 at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Crabtree Invitational hosted by NC State, the Racers suffered a pair of defeats to the host Wolfpack in addition to dropping the opening game against UMBC. The Racers saw exceptional performances from Brenna Finck, who batted .556 (5-9) while scoring a pair of runs and stealing two bases for the Racers, while Madison Culver added another home run to her tally in the 9-1 loss to NC State on Sunday.

Entering The Weekend:
The Racers march into the weekend batting .271 with four home runs and 57 runs scored in 2019. Additionally, their 1.23 stolen bases per game ranks in the top third of Division I programs across the country. Highlighting the offense is Brenna Finck, who is hitting an impressive .421, while going 5-for-5 on stolen base attempts and scoring a team-high eleven runs in 2019. Generating the power for the Racers, Madison Culver is slugging .590 with three home runs, driving in a team-high 12 RBIs through the start of the new campaign.

Shutting down the opposition at the plate, freshman Hannah James continues to put up quality numbers on the stat sheet as she carries a 2.35 ERA to accompany 30 strikeouts through her 44.2 innings pitched in 2019.

Scouting Southern Illinois:
After dropping their first two games of 2019, the Salukis enter the weekend as winners of 10 of their last 11. A member of the Missouri Valley Conference, Southern Illinois and Murray State have squared off nine times in their history. The Salukis hold the all-time series, winning six of the prior encounters. The two sides met three times just last season with the Racers going 1-2 against this weekend's tournament hosts in 2018. Southern Illinois is coming off a four-game weekend that featured a pair of wins over Ohio University and a split with Creighton. While the Salukis averaged a modest 1.75 runs through their last four, it was good enough to add three more marks to their win total.

Ashley Wood enters the Coach B Classic with a .371 average and five extra base hits on the year. Paired with Jenny Jansen and Katelyn Massa who are hitting .350 and .333 respectively, while combining for 20 RBIs, the trio leads a Saluki offense that comes in batting .272 with six home runs in 2019.

In the circle for Southern Illinois, Brianna Jones has looked superb in her eleven appearances on the year, carrying a 7-1 record with a 1.03 ERA and 45 strikeouts over 47.2 innings of action.

Scouting St. Louis:
After losing six straight to open the season, the Billikens are coming off a split with UT Martin, and enter as winners of two of their last three. Competing in the Atlantic 10 Conference, the Racers have seen St. Louis six times throughout their history, with the all-time series tied at three games apiece. The two teams collided twice last season, with the Billikens coming out on top in both occasions.

The Billikens are batting just .200 while averaging 2.11 runs per game through nine contests in 2019, but Kat Lane has been a bright spot for them offensively. Working on a .313 average and a team-high four runs scored, she has caused problems for opposing pitchers in the early stages of a new season.

In the circle, St. Louis has utilized four pitchers, with Kallen Loveless (2-1, 3.23 ERA, 21.2 IP) seeing the majority of the workload. She is responsible for both Billiken wins in 2019.

Scouting Kentucky:
The Wildcats roll into the Coach B Classic coming off a five-game weekend at the 2019 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Palm Springs, California. While in Palm Springs, Kentucky went 3-2 with wins over North Carolina, Bethune-Cookman, and Cal. Their losses came against Washington and UCLA, two sides that currently rank in the top-5 in the nation. Competing in the SEC, the Wildcats will clash with the Racers for their fourth all-time meeting this weekend, with Kentucky coming out victorious in each of the prior matchups. The last meeting between the two schools was in 2016, a 6-1 game on the road in Lexington. With a grueling non-conference schedule that has already seen seven ranked opponents, Kentucky enters the weekend looking to make final adjustments before beginning SEC play next Friday.

Leading the charge at the plate is Abbey Cheek, whose .395 average and three home runs fuel a potent Wildcat offense that is hitting .296 with 19 home runs on the year. Ranking in the top 25 nationwide in slugging percentage entering the weekend, the Wildcats have plenty of pop in their lineup, having put on several spectacular offensive displays in 2019.

Pitching for the Wildcats, Grace Baalman has tossed a team-high 40.2 innings. Through her nine appearances on the season, she carries a 3.27 ERA with 31 strikeouts, while walking 15 opposing batters.

Weather Forecast:
Chattanooga is expecting clouds to roll through the area on Friday and Saturday and, while they might not see much of the sun, they should stay dry. Friday is a high of 58, dropping to the high 40s in the overnight hours, while Saturday should reach the mid-60s with low temperatures in the upper 40s. It looks to be a tremendous weekend for softball.

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Players Mentioned

Madison Culver

Brenna Finck

Hannah James

Murray State University Athletics