Murray State University Athletics
Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics
Anderson Named Preseason All-OVC, Racers Picked Sixth
2/7/2020 11:32:00 AM | Baseball
The Murray State baseball team has been picked to finish sixth in the 2020 Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Poll, as announced by the OVC on Friday. The predicted order of finish, as voted on by the league's coaches and sports information directors, selected Jacksonville State to claim the top spot after the Gamecocks won both the regular season and conference tournament titles a year ago.
In addition to the preseason poll, senior outfielder Brock Anderson was named to the preseason All-OVC Team. This honor comes after he was named to the All-OVC Second Team in 2019 after hitting .289 with a team-high 13 home runs and 44 runs batted in. Anderson is the first Racer to be named the preseason All-OVC team since 2017 when Ramsey Scott, Tyler Lawrence, and Adam Bauer all made the team.
The Racers will return many other key players from last year's team that went 16-14 in OVC play, the first time MSU was over .500 since 2010. Senior Jordan Cozart returns after leading the team with a .324 batting average and 13 doubles as does senior Ryan Perkins, who hit .262 with 12 doubles and 10 home runs.
On the mound, the Racers return their top two starters in senior Trevor McMurray and sophomore Shane Burns. McMurray led the team with 68.0 innings pitched and 62 strikeouts while Burns had 60 strikeouts and a 3.84 ERA all while holding opposing batters to a .224 average. Junior Jake Jones also returns after leading the team with a 3.46 ERA.
The Racers will begin their season in one week when they travel to Hattiesburg, Mississippi to take on the Golden Eagles of Southern Miss. First pitch for the first two games will be at 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday followed by a 1 p.m. start in the series finale on Sunday.
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2020 OVC Baseball Predicted Order of Finish
1. Jacksonville State (19 first-place votes) – 199 points
2. Eastern Kentucky (2) - 154
3. Austin Peay - 153
4. Belmont - 136Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
5. Morehead State (1) - 135
6. Murray State - 114
7. Southeast Missouri - 94
8. Eastern Illinois - 79
9. Tennessee Tech - 54
10. UT Martin - 52
11. SIUE - 40
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2020 Preseason All-OVC Baseball Team
Preseason OVC Player of the Year: Nick Howie (OF), Eastern Kentucky
Preseason OVC Pitcher of the Year: Joshua South (RHP), Belmont
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C - A.J. Lewis, Eastern Kentucky
1B - Jason Hinchman, Tennessee Tech
2B - Daniel Harris IV, Eastern Kentucky
SS - Tyler Wilber, Southeast Missouri
3B - Christian Pena, Eastern Illinois
OF - Garrett Spain, Austin Peay
OF - Brock Anderson, Murray State
OF - Nick Howie, Eastern Kentucky
DH - John Dyer, Tennessee Tech
DH - Alex Webb, Jacksonville State
UT - Cole Frederick, Jacksonville State
SP - Kenny Serwa, SIUE
SP - Joshua South, Belmont
SP - Isaiah Magwood, Jacksonville State
SP - Jason Goe, Morehead State
SP - Noah Niznik, Southeast Missouri
RP - Nick Wohlbold, UT Martin
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In addition to the preseason poll, senior outfielder Brock Anderson was named to the preseason All-OVC Team. This honor comes after he was named to the All-OVC Second Team in 2019 after hitting .289 with a team-high 13 home runs and 44 runs batted in. Anderson is the first Racer to be named the preseason All-OVC team since 2017 when Ramsey Scott, Tyler Lawrence, and Adam Bauer all made the team.
The Racers will return many other key players from last year's team that went 16-14 in OVC play, the first time MSU was over .500 since 2010. Senior Jordan Cozart returns after leading the team with a .324 batting average and 13 doubles as does senior Ryan Perkins, who hit .262 with 12 doubles and 10 home runs.
On the mound, the Racers return their top two starters in senior Trevor McMurray and sophomore Shane Burns. McMurray led the team with 68.0 innings pitched and 62 strikeouts while Burns had 60 strikeouts and a 3.84 ERA all while holding opposing batters to a .224 average. Junior Jake Jones also returns after leading the team with a 3.46 ERA.
The Racers will begin their season in one week when they travel to Hattiesburg, Mississippi to take on the Golden Eagles of Southern Miss. First pitch for the first two games will be at 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday followed by a 1 p.m. start in the series finale on Sunday.
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2020 OVC Baseball Predicted Order of Finish
1. Jacksonville State (19 first-place votes) – 199 points
2. Eastern Kentucky (2) - 154
3. Austin Peay - 153
4. Belmont - 136Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
5. Morehead State (1) - 135
6. Murray State - 114
7. Southeast Missouri - 94
8. Eastern Illinois - 79
9. Tennessee Tech - 54
10. UT Martin - 52
11. SIUE - 40
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2020 Preseason All-OVC Baseball Team
Preseason OVC Player of the Year: Nick Howie (OF), Eastern Kentucky
Preseason OVC Pitcher of the Year: Joshua South (RHP), Belmont
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C - A.J. Lewis, Eastern Kentucky
1B - Jason Hinchman, Tennessee Tech
2B - Daniel Harris IV, Eastern Kentucky
SS - Tyler Wilber, Southeast Missouri
3B - Christian Pena, Eastern Illinois
OF - Garrett Spain, Austin Peay
OF - Brock Anderson, Murray State
OF - Nick Howie, Eastern Kentucky
DH - John Dyer, Tennessee Tech
DH - Alex Webb, Jacksonville State
UT - Cole Frederick, Jacksonville State
SP - Kenny Serwa, SIUE
SP - Joshua South, Belmont
SP - Isaiah Magwood, Jacksonville State
SP - Jason Goe, Morehead State
SP - Noah Niznik, Southeast Missouri
RP - Nick Wohlbold, UT Martin
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Players Mentioned
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