Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
UT Martin
Racers Close Out Home Slate With UT Martin
5/9/2019 3:48:00 PM | Baseball
UT Martin at Murray State
GAMES 46-48
May 10-11
First Pitch: Friday: 2Â p.m. (DH), Saturday: 6Â p.m.
Series History: Murray State leads 72-34
Last Meeting: MSU 11, UTM 3 - May 18, 2018
Stadium: Reagan Field (Capacity: 800)
Dimensions: 330 (LF), 400Â (CF), 330 (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 are coming off a 6-4 win at Evansville, Wednesday, while the Skyhawks lost two out of three to Jacksonville State over the weekend. This will be the last home games for the Racers this season.
Inside the Series
Murray State and UT Martin have met 106 times on the diamond before with the Racers holding a commanding 72-34 series lead In Murray, the Racers have 39-15 advantage. MSU has also won four straight games in the series.
Senior Day
Before game three of this weekend's series, the Racers will honor their senior class which includes Jaron Robinson, Blake Clynes, Joe McMahon, Tyler Duke, Peyton Hayes, and Chance Carner. They will also honor redshirt-junior Cole Womack.
Comeback Kids
After coming back from a 3-0 deficit at Evansville, Tuesday, the Racers now have 12 comeback victories. Of those 12, nine have come when down in the seventh inning or later.
Robinson Nearing 200 Hits
After becoming just the ninth player in program history to play in 200 games, Tuesday at Evansville, senior shortstop Jaron Robinson is close to another 200 milestone as he is currently sitting at 191 career hits.
20 Wins in Year One
With the win at Evansville, Tuesday evening, the Racers now have 20 wins on the season. For head coach Dan Skirka, he is the second head coach in program history to get to 20 wins in his first season joining Mike Thieke who won 24 games in 1994.
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.
Running Wild
Under a new coaching staff, the Racers have been showing their speed on the basepaths as they have stolen 78 bases. They are currently second in the OVC behind EKU, who has 118. The Racers also have the third-best stolen base success rate at 79.6%.
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.
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 UT Martin
The Skyhawks are currently sitting in 10th place in the Ohio Valley Conference with a record of 8-16. They were picked to finish last in the preseason poll.
UT Martin comes into this series near the bottom of the statistics leaderboard on both sides of the ball. They are 10th in ERA during conference play at 6.67 and last in team batting average at .225.
Jordan Stoner was named to the All-OVC Preseason team and lived up to that billing as he is hitting a team-high .335 with three home runs and 24 RBI.
Nick Wohlbold has been one of the best closers in not just the OVC, but the country. He is 12th in the nation with 11 saves and has a 1.80 ERA.
Probable Starters
Austen Bullington (RHP) (3-7, 4.59 ERA) vs. Gray Dorsey (RHP) (1-3, 5.60Â ERA)
Sam Folks (LHP) (3-6, 5.35 ERA) vs. Trevor McMurray (RHP) (2-5, 5.72 ERA)
Winston Cannon (RHP) (5-8) vs. Shane Burns (LHP) (3-2, 3.83 ERA)
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