Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Southern Illinois
Racers Travel to SIU for Matchup with Salukis
4/30/2019 9:42:00 AM | Baseball
Murray State at Southern Illinois
GAME 41
May 1
First Pitch: Wednesday: 6 p.m.
Series History: SIU leads 48-20
Last Meeting: SIU 11, MSU 9 - April 18, 2018
Stadium: Itchy Jones Stadium (Capacity: 2,000)
Dimensions: 330 (LF), 390 (CF), 330 (RF)
In-Game Twitter: @RacersBaseball
First Pitch
The Racers are coming off their first sweep of the season as they took all three games from Eastern Kentucky over the weekend. Southern Illinois is currently on a 10-game losing streak after getting swept by Indiana State this past weekend.
Inside the Series
The Racers and Salukis have met 68 times before on the diamond with SIU holding a 48-20 series lead, but the Racers have won five of the last eight matchups. In Carbondale, Southern Illinois holds a 27-7 advantage.
Comeback Kids
After coming back from 7-1 deficits twice over the weekend against Eastern Kentucky, the Racers now have 11 comeback victories. Of those 11, eight have come when down in the seventh inning or later.
Robinson Nearing 200
Senior Jaron Robinson is nearing 200 in two categories. As of April 30, he has played in 195 games as a Racer and has tallied 188 hits. Once he gets to 200 games played, he will become just the ninth player in program history to reach that plateau.
Johnny Reagan Day
Saturday will be Johnny Reagan Day as the baseball program will honor the late former head coach with his number forever gracing the left field wall. The team will also be referred to as the Thoroughbreds, the nickname they were known as during Reagan's tenure.
McMurray Goes the Distance
Trevor McMurray pitched his best game as a Racer against Tennessee Tech. The junior threw a complete game, matching a career high with seven strikeouts. It was the first complete game for MSU since Brad Boegel against Eastern Illinois.
Schad's Strong Series
Redshirt-freshman Wes Schad had himself a weekend against Tennessee Tech, hitting three home runs including the go-ahead two-run shot in game three. Schad became the first Racer to hit three home runs in a series since Davis Sims hit four and Brandon Gutzler hit three against Morehead State in 2017.
Running Wild
Under a new coaching staff, the Racers have been showing their speed on the basepaths as they have stolen 76 bases. They are currently second in the OVC behind EKU, who has 89. The Racers also have the third-best stolen base success rate at 80%.
Two Straight for Ivey
Joe Ivey got the start on the mound for the Racers against Middle Tennessee. He also started MSU's last game six days ago at Austin Peay, meaning he will become the first Racer pitcher to start back-to-back games since John Lollar made two straight starts against Tennessee Tech and Arkansas State in 2016.
Duke Delivers
Not once but twice did Tyler Duke send the Racers home winners over the weekend against JSU. He began the series with a two-out bases-loaded walk-off single to win 8-7 before ending the weekend with a walk-off triple to win 9-8. Sean Darmafall also scored the winning run in both games.
Anderson Stays Hot
Brock Anderson extended his hitting streak to 10 games against Missouri. He was the first player for the Racers this season to reach a double-digit hitting streak and has since been joined by Tyler Duke, Ryan Perkins, and Jordan Cozart.
No Runs for You
Against Austin Peay, the Racers allowed just five runs in the three-game series. It was the lowest amount of runs the Racers have allowed in a three-game OVC series since allowing five runs against UT Martin in 1996.
Battle of the Border
With two wins against Austin Peay, the Racers jumped out to a 28-11 lead in the Heritage Bank Battle of the Border. Murray State has since clinched the title for the third straight year after winning the OVC women's golf championship.
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.
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 Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois was picked fifth in the Missouri Valley preseason poll, but are currently sitting at the bottom of the standings with a 1-11 record.
SIU ranks second in the nation in stolen bases per game (2.77). The Salukis rank sixth in the nation in total stolen bases (108).
SIU is in the midst of a 10-game losing streak, the longest skid for the program since starting the 2004 season 0-12. Nine of the 10 games have been to opponents in the top-75 nationally in RPI. Six of the 10 are against top-35 RPI teams.
SIU is 12-7 at home but have lost five of its last six home games.Ten of the final 13 regular season games for SIU are at home.
Probable Starters
Justin Thomas (RHP) (3-0, 5.72 ERA) vs. TBA
