Murray State University Athletics
Wednesday, May 8
Oxford, Ala.
5:30 P.M.
Murray State
vs
Eastern Kentucky
Photo by: Dan Hasko
Racers Equipped for 2019 OVC Tournament in Alabama
5/6/2019 6:57:00 AM | Softball
Date: May 8th - 5:30 p.m.
Site (Venue): Oxford, Alabama (Choccolocco Park)
Live Video: https://es.pn/2JiSizf
Live Stats: http://bit.ly/2DOkFSo
MSU Record (Streak): 26-25, 16-6 OVC (W2)
Racers All-Time vs. Potential Opponents: 25-26 (13-12 vs. EKU, 12-14 vs SIUE)
EKU Record: 30-18, 16-6 OVC (W2)
SIUE Record (Streak): 16-27, 8-14 OVC (W1)
MSU Next Game: OVC Tournament (Time TBD)
After an exhilarating tiebreaker scenario went all the way to a coin flip to determine the seeding for the 2019 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament bracket, the Murray State softball team will begin tournament play at 5:30 p.m. from Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Alabama on Wednesday. Receiving a first-round bye as the fourth seed in the tournament, the Racers will play the winner of Eastern Kentucky and SIUE in their first contest of the postseason. Going 16-6 against OVC opponents in the regular season, the Racers enter the tournament with the second-best conference record in program history, behind their 20-7 OVC record in the 2015 season. Murray State is 9-15 in eight appearances at the OVC Tournament, finishing as high as second in 2015.
Last Time Out:
The Racers enter the tournament after a doubleheader sweep of SIUE in the final games of the regular season on Saturday afternoon in Edwardsville, Illinois. With victories of 5-2 and 8-2, the Racers were firing on all cylinders as they prevailed in two pivotal conference competitions.
Madison Culver led the Racer offense at the plate, going 4-7 with a pair of RBI on the day, while Denise Teague made some noise after driving in four runs in the doubleheader. Three of Teague's four runs would come with one swing of the bat - a three-run blast in game one for her first home run in a Racer uniform.
In the circle, Hannah James and Taylor Makowsky both added another win to their totals, beginning with a complete game performance from James in game one. She would fan nine batters over the seven-inning shift, allowing just two earned runs without issuing a single walk in the game.
Makowsky would follow with a stellar performance of her own in part two of the doubleheader, earning a victory after allowing just three hits through six innings of work to notch her ninth win of the season.
Entering Wednesday:
The Racers enter Wednesday as winners of five-straight games against OVC opponents after the sweep of SIUE on Saturday. The Racers have averaged 4.4 runs per contest through all competitions, while batting .266 as a team in 2019. In addition to 27 home runs, Murray State has also stolen 48 bases on the season.
Powered by Lillie Goetz offensively, the senior from Owensboro, Kentucky leads the Racers with a .317 average, 37 RBI, and a team-high 20 extra-base hits while reaching base at a .449 clip in 2019. Brenna Finck has scored 33 runs while swiping 11 bases, while Lexi Jones leads the Racers with eight round-trippers entering Wednesday's first-round contest.
In the circle, the Racers own a 3.60 ERA with an impressive 2.1 K/BB ratio on the year. Fueled by Hannah James and Taylor Makowsky, James leads the Racers with 12 wins and 13 complete game performances to accompany a 2.58 ERA in her freshman campaign. She has recorded 120 strikeouts while issuing just 29 walks, as she has posted an incredible 4.14 K/BB in 2019. She has not walked a batter in her last 25.1 innings of work.
Makowsky completes the dynamic duo at 9-5 overall, with a 2.74 ERA in her first season as a Racer. Additionally, she has held opposing hitters to a .242 average at the dish this season.
Scouting Eastern Kentucky:
The Colonels enter the tournament with a 30-18 record, which includes a 16-6 mark against OVC opponents. They are coming off a doubleheader sweep on Thursday, after they earned a pair of convincing wins over Belmont. Batting .303 as a team this season, EKU averages 5.48 runs per contest with 50 home runs on the year as they rank in the top 50 in the nation in all three of those statistical categories. Also a threat to steal bases, they did so successfully 58 times in the regular season.
Sammi Miller leads a potent Colonel offense with a .404 average and 18 stolen bases in 2019. EKU has also seen consistent production from Hannah Clark, who has driven in a team-high 52 runs with 13 home runs on the year.
In the circle, the Colonels have held opponents to a .245 average while posting a 3.33 ERA in 2019. The Racers could expect to see Mollie Paulick, who has tossed a team-high 102 innings for EKU this season. At 12-7, she has a 2.68 ERA while opposing hitters have managed to hit just .217 against her thus far.
Scouting SIUE:
At 16-27 overall, the Cougars are the eighth and final seed in this year's tournament with an 8-14 record against OVC opponents in 2019. They earn a postseason berth after a 5-4 extra-innings victory against Austin Peay in their regular season finale.
SIUE is averaging 4.51 runs per contest while batting .271 as a team on the year. They have also been crafty on the base paths, swiping 76 bases in 2019. Individually, the Cougars have seen good production from Zoe Schaefer, who is batting .324 with a team-high 7 home runs and 30 runs batted in.
In the circle, SIUE carries a team ERA of 5.54, while opposing hitters have managed a .291 average against Cougar arms this season. If the Racers meet the Cougars in the tournament on Wednesday, they could expect to see Emily Ingles, who guides the pitching staff with a 4.69 ERA with 92 strikeouts on the year. She has also held opponents to a team-best .260 average at the dish to lead her side entering the tournament.
All-Time Series:
The Racers split the regular season series with Eastern Kentucky, dropping the first game 5-1, before winning the second game in dramatic fashion with a 7-6 walk-off victory at Racer Field in Murray, Kentucky. After the split this season, the Racers own the all-time series against Eastern Kentucky with a 13-12 record against the Colonels.
The Racers do not hold the all-time series against their other potential opponent, as SIUE holds a 14-12 record against the Racers after Murray State took both games of this year's doubleheader at Cougar Field on Saturday afternoon. Entering Wednesday, Murray State has won four of the last five contests between the two sides.
Weather Forecast:
The forecast is calling for a partly cloudy high of 87 degrees at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Alabama on Wednesday evening. Winds to the south at approximately nine miles per hour are also expected to accompany the first round of the tournament. Chance of rain: 20%
Site (Venue): Oxford, Alabama (Choccolocco Park)
Live Video: https://es.pn/2JiSizf
Live Stats: http://bit.ly/2DOkFSo
MSU Record (Streak): 26-25, 16-6 OVC (W2)
Racers All-Time vs. Potential Opponents: 25-26 (13-12 vs. EKU, 12-14 vs SIUE)
EKU Record: 30-18, 16-6 OVC (W2)
SIUE Record (Streak): 16-27, 8-14 OVC (W1)
MSU Next Game: OVC Tournament (Time TBD)
After an exhilarating tiebreaker scenario went all the way to a coin flip to determine the seeding for the 2019 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament bracket, the Murray State softball team will begin tournament play at 5:30 p.m. from Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Alabama on Wednesday. Receiving a first-round bye as the fourth seed in the tournament, the Racers will play the winner of Eastern Kentucky and SIUE in their first contest of the postseason. Going 16-6 against OVC opponents in the regular season, the Racers enter the tournament with the second-best conference record in program history, behind their 20-7 OVC record in the 2015 season. Murray State is 9-15 in eight appearances at the OVC Tournament, finishing as high as second in 2015.
Last Time Out:
The Racers enter the tournament after a doubleheader sweep of SIUE in the final games of the regular season on Saturday afternoon in Edwardsville, Illinois. With victories of 5-2 and 8-2, the Racers were firing on all cylinders as they prevailed in two pivotal conference competitions.
Madison Culver led the Racer offense at the plate, going 4-7 with a pair of RBI on the day, while Denise Teague made some noise after driving in four runs in the doubleheader. Three of Teague's four runs would come with one swing of the bat - a three-run blast in game one for her first home run in a Racer uniform.
In the circle, Hannah James and Taylor Makowsky both added another win to their totals, beginning with a complete game performance from James in game one. She would fan nine batters over the seven-inning shift, allowing just two earned runs without issuing a single walk in the game.
Makowsky would follow with a stellar performance of her own in part two of the doubleheader, earning a victory after allowing just three hits through six innings of work to notch her ninth win of the season.
Entering Wednesday:
The Racers enter Wednesday as winners of five-straight games against OVC opponents after the sweep of SIUE on Saturday. The Racers have averaged 4.4 runs per contest through all competitions, while batting .266 as a team in 2019. In addition to 27 home runs, Murray State has also stolen 48 bases on the season.
Powered by Lillie Goetz offensively, the senior from Owensboro, Kentucky leads the Racers with a .317 average, 37 RBI, and a team-high 20 extra-base hits while reaching base at a .449 clip in 2019. Brenna Finck has scored 33 runs while swiping 11 bases, while Lexi Jones leads the Racers with eight round-trippers entering Wednesday's first-round contest.
In the circle, the Racers own a 3.60 ERA with an impressive 2.1 K/BB ratio on the year. Fueled by Hannah James and Taylor Makowsky, James leads the Racers with 12 wins and 13 complete game performances to accompany a 2.58 ERA in her freshman campaign. She has recorded 120 strikeouts while issuing just 29 walks, as she has posted an incredible 4.14 K/BB in 2019. She has not walked a batter in her last 25.1 innings of work.
Makowsky completes the dynamic duo at 9-5 overall, with a 2.74 ERA in her first season as a Racer. Additionally, she has held opposing hitters to a .242 average at the dish this season.
Scouting Eastern Kentucky:
The Colonels enter the tournament with a 30-18 record, which includes a 16-6 mark against OVC opponents. They are coming off a doubleheader sweep on Thursday, after they earned a pair of convincing wins over Belmont. Batting .303 as a team this season, EKU averages 5.48 runs per contest with 50 home runs on the year as they rank in the top 50 in the nation in all three of those statistical categories. Also a threat to steal bases, they did so successfully 58 times in the regular season.
Sammi Miller leads a potent Colonel offense with a .404 average and 18 stolen bases in 2019. EKU has also seen consistent production from Hannah Clark, who has driven in a team-high 52 runs with 13 home runs on the year.
In the circle, the Colonels have held opponents to a .245 average while posting a 3.33 ERA in 2019. The Racers could expect to see Mollie Paulick, who has tossed a team-high 102 innings for EKU this season. At 12-7, she has a 2.68 ERA while opposing hitters have managed to hit just .217 against her thus far.
Scouting SIUE:
At 16-27 overall, the Cougars are the eighth and final seed in this year's tournament with an 8-14 record against OVC opponents in 2019. They earn a postseason berth after a 5-4 extra-innings victory against Austin Peay in their regular season finale.
SIUE is averaging 4.51 runs per contest while batting .271 as a team on the year. They have also been crafty on the base paths, swiping 76 bases in 2019. Individually, the Cougars have seen good production from Zoe Schaefer, who is batting .324 with a team-high 7 home runs and 30 runs batted in.
In the circle, SIUE carries a team ERA of 5.54, while opposing hitters have managed a .291 average against Cougar arms this season. If the Racers meet the Cougars in the tournament on Wednesday, they could expect to see Emily Ingles, who guides the pitching staff with a 4.69 ERA with 92 strikeouts on the year. She has also held opponents to a team-best .260 average at the dish to lead her side entering the tournament.
All-Time Series:
The Racers split the regular season series with Eastern Kentucky, dropping the first game 5-1, before winning the second game in dramatic fashion with a 7-6 walk-off victory at Racer Field in Murray, Kentucky. After the split this season, the Racers own the all-time series against Eastern Kentucky with a 13-12 record against the Colonels.
The Racers do not hold the all-time series against their other potential opponent, as SIUE holds a 14-12 record against the Racers after Murray State took both games of this year's doubleheader at Cougar Field on Saturday afternoon. Entering Wednesday, Murray State has won four of the last five contests between the two sides.
Weather Forecast:
The forecast is calling for a partly cloudy high of 87 degrees at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Alabama on Wednesday evening. Winds to the south at approximately nine miles per hour are also expected to accompany the first round of the tournament. Chance of rain: 20%
Players Mentioned
C/IF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
U
/ SoftballMason Miller & Dylan Anderson | Racer Mens Basketball | 10/27 Press Conference
Monday, October 27
Head Coach Ryan Miller | Racer Mens Basketball | 10/27 Press Conference
Monday, October 27
Head Coach Jody Wright | Racer Football | 10/27 Press Conference
Monday, October 27
Head Coach Ryan Miller | Racer Basketball Post Game Press Conference | 10/26/25
Monday, October 27
