Murray State University Athletics
Saturday, May 4
Edwardsville, Ill.
2 P.M.
Murray State
at
SIUE
Photo by: Dan Hasko
Racers to Close Regular Season on the Road in Edwardsville
5/3/2019 2:46:00 PM | Softball
Dates: May 4th – 2:00 p.m. (DH)
Site (Venue): Edwardsville, Ill. (Cougar Field)
Live Audio: mixlr.com/msuracers
Live Stats: http://bit.ly/2VeETQ9
MSU Record (Streak): 24-25, 14-6 OVC (L1)
Racers All-Time vs. SIUE: 10-14
SIUE Record (Streak): 15-24, 7-11 OVC (L4)
MSU Next Game: OVC Tournament (Time TBD)
The Racers will bring their regular season schedule to a close on Saturday, when they travel to Edwardsville, Illinois for an Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader against the Cougars of SIUE. While the Racers have already clinched a spot in next week's Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, Saturday's contests could have substantial seeding implications for Murray State in this year's tournament bracket. Currently in fifth place in the conference standings, the Racers look to avoid a first-round game in the conference tournament by moving up to one of the top four seeds – all of which will receive a first-round bye and a place in the double-elimination portion of the 2019 tournament.
Last Time Out:
The Racers enter Saturday's doubleheader after a single non-conference contest with Western Kentucky on Wednesday evening. Coming up short in the battle with the Hilltoppers, Murray State would fall by a score of 4-1 at the WKU Softball Complex in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
In the circle, the Racers held WKU to just six hits in the ballgame, thanks in part to another solid performance from freshman Hannah James. James tossed 4.2 scoreless innings in the competition, allowing just one hit while striking out a pair in her relief appearance for the Racers.
Murray State did struggle a bit at the plate, however, as they mustered just four hits of their own, with the lone Racer run coming by way of Denise Teague drawing a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the sixth.
At the plate, Lillie Goetz (1-3, 2B, BB) reached safely twice for Murray State, and would be responsible for the lone Racer extra-base hit of the ballgame with her double in the opening frame.
Entering the Weekend:
The Racers enter Saturday's doubleheader averaging 4.31 runs per contest while batting .266 as a team in 2019. At a pace of nearly one per game, the Racers have also stolen 46 bases, and have hit 26 home runs on the year. Lillie Goetz continues to anchor the Racer lineup with a .321 average, in addition to reaching base at a .446 clip with 19 extra-base hits and 36 RBI on the season. Brenna Finck leads the team in both runs scored (32) and stolen bases (11) while Lexi Jones has belted a team-high eight home runs entering the weekend.
In the circle, the Racers carry a 3.69 ERA, while posting a 2.06 strikeout-to-walk ratio that puts the Murray State pitching staff in the top third of NCAA Division I programs in that category. Hannah James and Taylor Makowsky rarely issue free passes to opposing batters, as they have allowed just 1.35 and 1.75 walks per seven innings respectively. James enters the weekend with a team-high 11 wins and 2.60 ERA, while Makowsky is working on an 8-5 record and 2.88 ERA on the season.
Scouting SIUE:
SIUE enters Saturday's doubleheader at 15-24 overall, with a 7-11 mark against OVC opponents. They currently sit in the eighth position in the conference standings as they fight for the final spot in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament next week. The Cougars are currently riding a four-game losing streak after suffering a pair of defeats to Belmont at home on Sunday.
SIUE is averaging 4.62 runs per contest, and are turning in a .275 average at the plate in 2019. They have only hit 19 home runs on the season, but have swiped 70 bases as they rank 22nd in the country in stolen bases per game. Alyssa Heren guides the Cougar offense with a .364 average and 15 stolen bases on the year, while the power has come mostly from Zoe Schafer, who has driven in 28 runs with a team-high six round-trippers thus far.
In the circle, SIUE has an ERA of 5.48, while opposing hitters have managed a .287 average at the dish against Cougar arms in 2019. The Racers could expect to see a combination of Emily Ingles (5-12, 4.64 ERA, 83 K) and Corrina Rivas (8-9, 5.18 ERA, 60 K) as the duo has worked more than two-thirds of the total innings in the circle for SIUE this season.
All-Time Series:
The Racers and Cougars have met 24 times in their history, while SIUE currently holds the all-time series with a record of 14-10. The two sides split last year's doubleheader as the Racers opened with a 2-0 victory before falling 1-0 in game two of the afternoon at Racer Field in Murray, Kentucky. Close games have been the recent trend between the two schools as the last seven contests have been decided by three runs or less.
Weather Forecast:
The weather forecast in Edwardsville, Illinois is calling for a cloudy high of 57 degrees to begin the doubleheader. Winds to the north at approximately eight miles per hour are expected to accompany some afternoon rain showers. Chance of precipitation: 45%
Site (Venue): Edwardsville, Ill. (Cougar Field)
Live Audio: mixlr.com/msuracers
Live Stats: http://bit.ly/2VeETQ9
MSU Record (Streak): 24-25, 14-6 OVC (L1)
Racers All-Time vs. SIUE: 10-14
SIUE Record (Streak): 15-24, 7-11 OVC (L4)
MSU Next Game: OVC Tournament (Time TBD)
The Racers will bring their regular season schedule to a close on Saturday, when they travel to Edwardsville, Illinois for an Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader against the Cougars of SIUE. While the Racers have already clinched a spot in next week's Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, Saturday's contests could have substantial seeding implications for Murray State in this year's tournament bracket. Currently in fifth place in the conference standings, the Racers look to avoid a first-round game in the conference tournament by moving up to one of the top four seeds – all of which will receive a first-round bye and a place in the double-elimination portion of the 2019 tournament.
Last Time Out:
The Racers enter Saturday's doubleheader after a single non-conference contest with Western Kentucky on Wednesday evening. Coming up short in the battle with the Hilltoppers, Murray State would fall by a score of 4-1 at the WKU Softball Complex in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
In the circle, the Racers held WKU to just six hits in the ballgame, thanks in part to another solid performance from freshman Hannah James. James tossed 4.2 scoreless innings in the competition, allowing just one hit while striking out a pair in her relief appearance for the Racers.
Murray State did struggle a bit at the plate, however, as they mustered just four hits of their own, with the lone Racer run coming by way of Denise Teague drawing a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the sixth.
At the plate, Lillie Goetz (1-3, 2B, BB) reached safely twice for Murray State, and would be responsible for the lone Racer extra-base hit of the ballgame with her double in the opening frame.
Entering the Weekend:
The Racers enter Saturday's doubleheader averaging 4.31 runs per contest while batting .266 as a team in 2019. At a pace of nearly one per game, the Racers have also stolen 46 bases, and have hit 26 home runs on the year. Lillie Goetz continues to anchor the Racer lineup with a .321 average, in addition to reaching base at a .446 clip with 19 extra-base hits and 36 RBI on the season. Brenna Finck leads the team in both runs scored (32) and stolen bases (11) while Lexi Jones has belted a team-high eight home runs entering the weekend.
In the circle, the Racers carry a 3.69 ERA, while posting a 2.06 strikeout-to-walk ratio that puts the Murray State pitching staff in the top third of NCAA Division I programs in that category. Hannah James and Taylor Makowsky rarely issue free passes to opposing batters, as they have allowed just 1.35 and 1.75 walks per seven innings respectively. James enters the weekend with a team-high 11 wins and 2.60 ERA, while Makowsky is working on an 8-5 record and 2.88 ERA on the season.
Scouting SIUE:
SIUE enters Saturday's doubleheader at 15-24 overall, with a 7-11 mark against OVC opponents. They currently sit in the eighth position in the conference standings as they fight for the final spot in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament next week. The Cougars are currently riding a four-game losing streak after suffering a pair of defeats to Belmont at home on Sunday.
SIUE is averaging 4.62 runs per contest, and are turning in a .275 average at the plate in 2019. They have only hit 19 home runs on the season, but have swiped 70 bases as they rank 22nd in the country in stolen bases per game. Alyssa Heren guides the Cougar offense with a .364 average and 15 stolen bases on the year, while the power has come mostly from Zoe Schafer, who has driven in 28 runs with a team-high six round-trippers thus far.
In the circle, SIUE has an ERA of 5.48, while opposing hitters have managed a .287 average at the dish against Cougar arms in 2019. The Racers could expect to see a combination of Emily Ingles (5-12, 4.64 ERA, 83 K) and Corrina Rivas (8-9, 5.18 ERA, 60 K) as the duo has worked more than two-thirds of the total innings in the circle for SIUE this season.
All-Time Series:
The Racers and Cougars have met 24 times in their history, while SIUE currently holds the all-time series with a record of 14-10. The two sides split last year's doubleheader as the Racers opened with a 2-0 victory before falling 1-0 in game two of the afternoon at Racer Field in Murray, Kentucky. Close games have been the recent trend between the two schools as the last seven contests have been decided by three runs or less.
Weather Forecast:
The weather forecast in Edwardsville, Illinois is calling for a cloudy high of 57 degrees to begin the doubleheader. Winds to the north at approximately eight miles per hour are expected to accompany some afternoon rain showers. Chance of precipitation: 45%
Players Mentioned
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/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
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/ Softball
IF
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/ Softball
U
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