Racers Travel to Carbondale for Single Game with SIU

Dates: April 2, 4:00 p.m.
Site (Venue): Carbondale, Illinois (Charlotte West Stadium)
Live Video: None
Live Audio: https://bit.ly/2WztR3S
Live Stats: https://bit.ly/2GpPQX1
MSU Record (Streak): 15-17, 5-1 OVC (W3)
Racers All-Time vs. SIU: 4-6
SIU Record (Streak): 18-9, 5-3 MVC (W5)
MSU Next Games: April 6 vs. Tennessee Tech
MSU Next Home: Same

Last Time Out:
The Racers competed in four Ohio Valley Conference contests on the weekend with doubleheaders against Tennessee State and Belmont. After a split with the Tigers on Friday, the Racers concluded their homestand with a doubleheader sweep of Belmont to go 3-1 on the weekend.

The Racers hit .286 while averaging three runs per contest over their last four, hitting a pair of home runs while reaching base at a .345 clip. Fueling the three Racer victories were the extraordinary performances in the circle, in which the Racers carried just a 0.48 ERA through their four OVC contests on the week. Posting a 5.0 K/BB ratio, the Racers held opposing hitters to a feeble .149 average through the pair of doubleheaders in their last outings.

Individually, the Racers were guided by Lillie Goetz and Sierra Gilmore at the plate, as they turned in averages of .462 and .300 respectively over the last four. Goetz highlighted her productive week with a performance against Tennessee State where she tied a Murray State single-game record with three doubles on the game. Sierra Gilmore supplied the power in the Racer lineup over those four contests, belting two round-trippers in pivotal moments for Murray State. Her first, a two-run shot to left field in game two against Tennessee State, gave the Racers much-needed insurance runs in the fifth inning of the 7-1 victory. Her second home run of the week would come via a solo blast in the 1-0 win over Belmont, providing the lone Racer score of the ballgame.

In the circle, Hannah James highlighted her trio of fantastic appearances with a seven-inning perfect game in the 1-0 win over Belmont, before entering the game in part two of the doubleheader to earn her second save of the season. Striking out 16 and walking just one through her last three appearances, James held hitters to just a .096 in her last 16 innings.

Taylor Makowsky also shined in the circle for the Racers this past week, earning a pair of wins and allowing just one earned run through her 13 innings of action. She struck out eight in a complete game effort against Tennessee State in her first win of the week, before tossing six shutout innings in the game two win against Belmont. She fanned 14 batters while holding opponents to a .204 average through her last two appearances.

Entering Tuesday:
Murray State enters Tuesday's contest with a team batting average of .273, with 18 home runs on the year. Additionally, the Racers are averaging 4.41 runs per contest, while stealing 32 bases on 38 attempts in 2019.

In the circle, the Racers carry a 3.78 ERA while posting 2.0 K/BB ratio that ranks in the top third of NCAA Division I programs across the country.

Lillie Goetz leads the Racers with a .352 average entering the game against SIU, while driving in a team-high 27 runs and reaching base at a .464 clip. The Racers have also seen quality production from Brenna Finck, who bats .340 with nine stolen bases and a team-high 22 runs scored from the top spot in the Racer order. Madison Culver enters as Murray State's home run leader with five on the year.

In the circle, the Racers have been anchored by the duo of Hannah James and Taylor Makowsky. James, who carries a 2.66 ERA with 83 strikeouts through 105.1 innings, leads the Racers with eight wins in 2019. Makowsky, who has earned wins in back-to-back appearances, enters Tuesday's meeting with SIU with a 1.52 ERA and a 4-1 record, with 31 strikeouts through 32.1 innings of work on the season.

Scouting Southern Illinois:
The Salukis, who compete as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, enter Tuesday's contest on a five-game win streak, with two of those wins coming by nine or more runs. SIU has been a tough out in 2019, as their .303 team batting average ranks in the top 50 in the country while their 6.04 runs per game ranks 30^th in the nation. Another big factor in their 18 wins on the season has been playing mistake-free defense, as their .976 fld% is also 10^th among NCAA Division I programs. Additionally, the Salukis have consistently displayed their power at the dish, as they have homered 25 times in 27 games on the year. In the circle, SIU carries a 2.87 ERA while opposing hitters are managing a .238 average against Saluki arms thus far.

Individually, SIU is powered by Jenny Jansen (.400, 19 RBI, 20 R) and Ashley Wood (.363, 31 RBI, 6 HR) who have turned in impressive numbers at the dish in 2019.

In the circle, the Racers could expect to see Brianna Jones, who carries a 2.01 ERA with a 13-6 record on the season. She is holding hitters to a .206 average with 85 strikeouts through 101 innings in on the year.

All-Time Series:
Murray State and Southern Illinois have clashed ten times in their history, with the Salukis entering Tuesday's contest as winners of six of those prior meetings. The most recent meeting came just over a month ago at the Coach B Classic in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where the Racers prevailed in a 5-3 game in day one of the weekend's tournament action.

Weather Forecast:
The weather forecast for the first pitch in Carbondale is calling for a mostly sunny 60 degrees. Winds at 12 mph to the south/southwest are expected to accompany the sunshine in the late afternoon/early evening hours for Tuesday's game.

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Players Mentioned

Madison Culver

Brenna Finck

Sierra Gilmore

Lillie Goetz

Hannah James

Taylor Makowsky

Murray State University Athletics