Murray State
Western Kentucky
Racers Set for Midweek Matchup with WKU
2/18/2020 4:28:00 PM | Baseball
GAME 4
Murray State at Western Kentucky
Feb. 19, 2020
First Pitch:Â Wednesday: 3 p.m.
Series History:Â Murray State leads 71-53-1
Last Meeting:Â Feb. 27, 2019 (WKU won 9-5)
Stadium: Nick Denes Field
Dimensions:Â 330 (LF) | 400 (CF) | 330 (RF)
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Twitter In-Game:Â @RacersBaseball
First Pitch
The Racers will hit the road once again for a single game against Western Kentucky. The Racers are coming off three close losses to perennial power Southern Miss while WKU took two of three from Valparaiso.
Inside the Series
Murray State and Western Kentucky have had a long-standing rivalry dating back to when the Hilltoppers were in the OVC from 1948 to 1982. The Racers hold a 71-53-1 advantage in the all-time series, but WKU has won four straight games.
New Faces
The Racers welcome 14 new players to the team this year, including five freshman, eight JUCO transfers, and one graduate transfer.
BrockStar
Senior Brock Anderson was named to the preseason All-OVC team, becoming the first Racer to earn the honor since 2017. A year ago, Anderson led the team with 13 home runs and 44 runs batted in while hitting .289.
Racers Picked Sixth
Murray State was picked sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll as voted on by head coaches and SIDs. Defending regular season and tournament champion Jacksonville State was picked to repeat.
Tournament Trip
MSU advanced to the OVC Tournament last season for the third straight season. The Racers went 1-2 in Marion, Illinois, defeating UT Martin in an elimination game.
Home Sweet Home
The Racers will play a total of 29 contests inside the friendly confines of Reagan Field in 2019 including nine straight games at home following their three-game road trip to begin the year.
Scouting Western Kentucky
Western Kentucky was picked seventh in the Conference-USA Coaches Poll. The poll was topped by the Racers' first opponent this season, Southern Mississippi.
Senior Richard Constantine was named to the Preseason C-USA team. In 2019, he hit .376 with seven home runs and 25 RBI in just 32 games played.
WKU finished 2019 with a 26-29-1 record including a 16-13-1 in conference play, but will have to replace the 2019 Conference-USA Player of the Year and third-round pick Jake Sanford.
Hilltoppers projected starting pitcher Riley Boyd was taken in the the 28th round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft by the Kansas City Royals out of Jefferson College. However, he chose to honor his commitment to Western Kentucky instead of signing for his hometown Royals.
Probable Starters
Joe Ivey (RHP) (0-0, 6.75 ERA) vs. Riley Boyd (RHP)
