Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Morehead State
Racers Hit the Road for Three-Game Set With Morehead State
5/2/2019 2:48:00 PM | Baseball
Murray State at Morehead State
GAMES 42-44
May 3-5
First Pitch: Friday: 4 p.m., Saturday: 1 p.m., Sunday: 12 p.m.
Series History: Murray State leads 66-52-1
Last Meeting: MUR 14, MOR 10 - May 13, 2018
Stadium: Allen Field (Capacity: 1,000)
Dimensions: 330 (LF), 415 (CF), 300 (RF)
Live Video: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Live Stats:Â Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
In-Game Twitter: @RacersBaseball
First Pitch
The Racers fell to Southern Illinois, Wednesday evening but are coming off their first OVC sweep of the season against EKU. Morehead State defeated Marshall, Wednesday after dropping two of three to Jacksonville State over the weekend.
Inside the Series
The Racers and Eagles have met 119 times on the diamond before with Murray State holding a 66-52-1 series lead. The Racers took two of three from Morehead State a season ago. In Morehead, the Racers hold a 33-29 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 May 2, he has played in 196 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
Friday, April 12, was Johnny Reagan Day as the baseball program honored the late former head coach with his number forever gracing the left field wall. The team also was referred to as the Thoroughbreds in game two, the nickname they were known as during Reagan's tenure, and also all wore #36.
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.Â
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 79.1%.
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 Morehead State
Morehead State was selected as the 2019 OVC Preseason favorites after winning the OVC Tournament a season ago. They are currently in fifth place at 12-9 but have the best overall record in the OVC at 29-17.
Trevor Snyder, Reid Leonard, Connor Pauly, and Cory Conway were all selected to the All-OVC Preseason team. Pauly and Leonard have ertainly lived up to the honor as they are each hitting close to .350.
The Eagles are one of the best offensive teams in the country as they are currently 27th in the nation with a .298 team batting average. They also have 482 total hits, good enough for 12th in the country.
Saturday's starter Jason Goe is 20th in the country in strikeout-to-walk ratio. He punches out 6.71 batter for every base on balls.
Probable Starters
Gray Dorsey (RHP) (1-3, 7.17 ERA) vs. Dalton Stambaugh (LHP) (3.68 ERA)
Shane Burns (LHP) (3-2, 3.83 ERA) vs. Jason Goe (RHP) (4-2, 3.97 ERA)
Joe Ivey (RHP) (4-1, 5.87 ERA) vs. Alex Garbrick (2-4, 5.75 ERA)
