Murray State
Austin Peay
Racers Open OVC Play with Battle of the Border
3/8/2019 12:01:00 PM | Baseball
Austin Peay at Murray State
GAMES 12-14
March 10-11
First Pitch: Sunday: 12 p.m. (DH), Monday: TBA.
Series History:Â Murray State leads 109-99-1
Last Meeting:Â APSU 14, MSU 11 - April 11, 2018
Stadium: Johnny Reagan Field
Dimensions:Â 330 (LF), 400 (CF), 330 (RF)
Live Audio
Live Stats:Â Game 1Â |Â Game 2Â |Â Game 3
In-Game Twitter:Â @RacersBaseball
First Pitch
The Racers open up OVC play this weekend with a three-game series against Austin Peay in the Heritage Bank Battle of the Border. The Racers are coming off a 1-2 weekend against Illinois State while the Governors defeated Lipscomb, Tuesday.
Inside the Series
The Racers and and Governors have met 209 times on the diamond with Murray State holding a slight 109-99-1 advantage. At home, the Racers have fared even better, going 57-37 since the series started in 1948.
Battle of the Border
This weekend's series is part of the Heritage Bank Battle of the Border, an annual series between Murray State and Austin Peay that involve all sports. Currently, the Racers lead the 2018-19 battle, 24-9. The first team to 34 points will clinch the trophy.
Anderson Plays Hero
Brock Anderson propelled the Racers to a 5-4 victory over Illinois State with a two-run walk-off double. It was the first walk-off for the Racers since Ramsey Scott had walk offs in two straight games against SIU Edwardsville on March 9th and 10th, 2018.
Triple Play
In the eighth inning against Miami (OH) in the final game of the series, the Racers pulled off one of the rarest plays in baseball, the triple play. A grounder right down the third-base line allowed MSU to go around the horn to get out of the jam. It was the third triple play in Racer history, previously done on March 8, 2006 at Ole Miss and March 16, 2016 vs. Kentucky State.
Running Wild
Under a new coaching staff, the Racers have been showing their speed on the basepaths as they have stolen 21 bases. They are currently second in the OVC behind EKU, who has 37.
New Faces
In addition to a new coaching staff, the Racers will add 13 new players to the 2019 team.
Fresh Lineup
There will be significant changes to the Racer lineup as they will have to replace seven starters. Senior shortstop Jaron Robinson and junior outfielder/first baseman Ryan Perkins are the only returning starters.
Familiar Rotation
Unlike the lineup, the Racers will return a majority of their pitching staff, including their top nine pitchers in innings pitched in 2018, led by junior Trevor McMurray
Tournament Trip
MSU is looking to make their third straight trip to the OVC Tournament this season. The Racers went 1-2 down at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Ala., defeating Eastern Illinois in the first round.'
Scouting Austin Peay
The Governors are coming off a 12-11 win over Lipscomb, Tuesday where they came back from seven runs down in the last three innings
Austin Peay has one of the most impressive wins by any team in the country as they defeated #1 Vanderbilt in Nashville on February 27. It was the first time an OVC team had taken down the top-ranked team in the country since JSU beat Georgia in 2009.
Austin Peay was picked to finish fourth in the OVC preseason poll. Jacques Pucheu was also named OVC preseason Pitcher of the Year and Parker Phillips was named preseason All-OVC.
Pucheu and Phillips have both lived up to the preseason hype as Pucheu is coming off seven scoreless innings against Indiana State while Phillips leads the OVC with four home runs.
Probable Starters
Jacques Pucheu (LHP) (0-1, 1.59 ERA) vs. Trevor McMurray (RHP) (0-1, 7.88 ERA)
Josh Rye (LHP) (1-1, 6.23Â ERA) vs. Shane Burns (0-1, 5.40 ERA)
Brandon Vial (RHP) (0-1, 3.72Â ERA) vs. TBA
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