Murray State University Athletics
2020 Year in Review: Racer Softball
4/6/2020 2:44:00 PM | Softball
It was less than 24 hours before Murray State softball was supposed to make its 2020 home debut when the Ohio Valley Conference announced the suspension of all athletic activities on Thursday, March 12th due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Racers were scheduled to play Youngstown State at 2:30 p.m. the following day at the Racer Classic, but instead, the wait to compete at home in front of friends and family would be extended. After 22-straight games on the road to begin the year, Racer Field would never see a pitch during the 2020 season after the OVC decided to cancel all athletic competitions through the remainder of the academic year just four days later on March 16th amid the growing public health threat that the virus created.
After an unexpected end to the young season, Murray State finished the abbreviated 2020 campaign with a 12-10 record in a year that, while short of games, did not possess a shortage of highlights.
The Racers began the season with three wins on opening weekend at the Doc Halverson UNI-Dome Classic in Cedar Falls, Iowa as they earned victories over South Dakota State, Northern Iowa, and Drake. Sophomore Hannah James picked up right where she left off a year ago in the opener, hurling a two-hit shutout in a complete-game effort to secure a 1-0 win over the Jackrabbits. The weekend finale - an 8-0 six-inning triumph over Drake, who was coming off its second-straight Missouri Valley Conference championship, also served as a milestone for head coach Kara Amundson as it marked her 200th win since taking over the program in 2013.
Murray State would go on to sweep the following weekend, winning four contests at the Lady Demon Classic in Natchitoches, Louisiana. The tournament included a fantastic pitching performance from Jenna Veber in the February 15th contest against Northwestern State where the freshman tossed a one-hit shutout in the 3-0 Racer victory over the Lady Demons. The trip to Louisiana also saw disciplined Racer bats set a new single-game program record when they drew 14 walks in their 11-3 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Additionally, Abby Shoulders drew four walks, tying Lauren Buch's individual record set on March 27, 2011 against Tennessee Tech.
The Racers continued their winning ways the following weekend at the Stinger Classic in Montgomery, Alabama when they extended their winning streak to six games in a 14-4 rout of Howard University to open the weekend. Murray State posted season highs in both runs (14) and hits (13) in the win over the Bison. The six-game win streak was the longest since the 2017 season.
A Lexi Jones grand slam the following day in the Racers' 11-0 five-inning victory over Grambling State was also a highlight of the weekend, as the senior became the first player in program history to hit four grand slams in a career.
A weekend in Carbondale, Illinois at the Coach B Classic would be the next stop, as the Racers went on to earn victories against Creighton and Purdue Fort Wayne on the weekend. Hannah James struck out a career-high 11 Bluejay batters in the complete-game effort against Creighton, while the Racer offense put up 10 runs on 11 hits in the ballgame.
The final action of the 2020 season came at the Mizuno Classic in Stillwater and Norman, Oklahoma where the Racers would face some of their fiercest competition of the season that included battles with nationally-ranked #6 Oklahoma and #14 Oklahoma State. Murray State earned a victory in its Saturday outing with Missouri State in the tournament, as the Racers handed the Bears an 8-0 loss in a tremendous effort in all facets of the contest. Racer bats collected 11 hits overall, seven of them for extra bases, with home runs from Sierra Gilmore and Lexi Jones. Jenna Veber and Hannah James combined to toss the three-hit shutout.
Player of the Week
Hannah James represented Murray State with an OVC weekly award as the sophomore from Nicholasville, Kentucky was named the conference Pitcher of the Week on February 10th following the first weekend of competition in 2020.
By the Numbers
As a team, the Racers ranked 82nd in the nation and 2nd in the OVC in doubles per game (1.41) while they ranked 74th nationally and fourth in the OVC in steals per game at 1.36.
In the circle, the Racer pitching staff ranked 82nd in the country and 4th in the OVC with a 2.87 ERA, while their strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.37) and six shutouts were good for 30th in the nation in both of those categories.
Individually, Sierra Gilmore paced the team in batting average (.369), slugging percentage (.769), RBI (26), and runs scored (16). Her 26 RBI led the Ohio Valley Conference.
Logan Braundmeier topped the stat sheet in on-base percentage (.450), doubles (6), and stolen bases (6) as the junior from Aviston, Illinois played and started in all 22 contests for the Racers.
Lexi Jones also did some damage in the home run category on the year, as the Eldersburg, Maryland native was tied for third in the OVC with six round-trippers in 2020.
From a pitching perspective, the Racers saw outstanding individual efforts from freshman Jenna Veber, whose 15.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranked third in the nation and first in the OVC. Hannah James also put her name on the OVC leaderboard as her 50 strikeouts were tied for seventh in the conference.
A more detailed look at areas where the Racers excelled statistically during the 2020 campaign, along with individual team leaders, can be found in the table below.
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After an unexpected end to the young season, Murray State finished the abbreviated 2020 campaign with a 12-10 record in a year that, while short of games, did not possess a shortage of highlights.
The Racers began the season with three wins on opening weekend at the Doc Halverson UNI-Dome Classic in Cedar Falls, Iowa as they earned victories over South Dakota State, Northern Iowa, and Drake. Sophomore Hannah James picked up right where she left off a year ago in the opener, hurling a two-hit shutout in a complete-game effort to secure a 1-0 win over the Jackrabbits. The weekend finale - an 8-0 six-inning triumph over Drake, who was coming off its second-straight Missouri Valley Conference championship, also served as a milestone for head coach Kara Amundson as it marked her 200th win since taking over the program in 2013.
Murray State would go on to sweep the following weekend, winning four contests at the Lady Demon Classic in Natchitoches, Louisiana. The tournament included a fantastic pitching performance from Jenna Veber in the February 15th contest against Northwestern State where the freshman tossed a one-hit shutout in the 3-0 Racer victory over the Lady Demons. The trip to Louisiana also saw disciplined Racer bats set a new single-game program record when they drew 14 walks in their 11-3 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Additionally, Abby Shoulders drew four walks, tying Lauren Buch's individual record set on March 27, 2011 against Tennessee Tech.
The Racers continued their winning ways the following weekend at the Stinger Classic in Montgomery, Alabama when they extended their winning streak to six games in a 14-4 rout of Howard University to open the weekend. Murray State posted season highs in both runs (14) and hits (13) in the win over the Bison. The six-game win streak was the longest since the 2017 season.
A Lexi Jones grand slam the following day in the Racers' 11-0 five-inning victory over Grambling State was also a highlight of the weekend, as the senior became the first player in program history to hit four grand slams in a career.
A weekend in Carbondale, Illinois at the Coach B Classic would be the next stop, as the Racers went on to earn victories against Creighton and Purdue Fort Wayne on the weekend. Hannah James struck out a career-high 11 Bluejay batters in the complete-game effort against Creighton, while the Racer offense put up 10 runs on 11 hits in the ballgame.
The final action of the 2020 season came at the Mizuno Classic in Stillwater and Norman, Oklahoma where the Racers would face some of their fiercest competition of the season that included battles with nationally-ranked #6 Oklahoma and #14 Oklahoma State. Murray State earned a victory in its Saturday outing with Missouri State in the tournament, as the Racers handed the Bears an 8-0 loss in a tremendous effort in all facets of the contest. Racer bats collected 11 hits overall, seven of them for extra bases, with home runs from Sierra Gilmore and Lexi Jones. Jenna Veber and Hannah James combined to toss the three-hit shutout.
Player of the Week
Hannah James represented Murray State with an OVC weekly award as the sophomore from Nicholasville, Kentucky was named the conference Pitcher of the Week on February 10th following the first weekend of competition in 2020.
By the Numbers
As a team, the Racers ranked 82nd in the nation and 2nd in the OVC in doubles per game (1.41) while they ranked 74th nationally and fourth in the OVC in steals per game at 1.36.
In the circle, the Racer pitching staff ranked 82nd in the country and 4th in the OVC with a 2.87 ERA, while their strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.37) and six shutouts were good for 30th in the nation in both of those categories.
Individually, Sierra Gilmore paced the team in batting average (.369), slugging percentage (.769), RBI (26), and runs scored (16). Her 26 RBI led the Ohio Valley Conference.
Logan Braundmeier topped the stat sheet in on-base percentage (.450), doubles (6), and stolen bases (6) as the junior from Aviston, Illinois played and started in all 22 contests for the Racers.
Lexi Jones also did some damage in the home run category on the year, as the Eldersburg, Maryland native was tied for third in the OVC with six round-trippers in 2020.
From a pitching perspective, the Racers saw outstanding individual efforts from freshman Jenna Veber, whose 15.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranked third in the nation and first in the OVC. Hannah James also put her name on the OVC leaderboard as her 50 strikeouts were tied for seventh in the conference.
A more detailed look at areas where the Racers excelled statistically during the 2020 campaign, along with individual team leaders, can be found in the table below.
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| Offensive Categories | 2020 Total | NCAA Rank | OVC Rank | |
| Doubles per Game | 1.41 | 82nd | 2nd | |
| Stolen Bases per Game | 1.36 | 74th | 4th | |
| Pitching Categories | 2020 Total | NCAA Rank | OVC Rank | |
| Earned Run Average | 2.87 | 82nd | 4th | |
| Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio | 3.37 | 30th | 2nd | |
| Shutouts  | 6 | 30th | 2nd | |
| Team Leaders (Category) | Individual | 2020 Total | NCAA Rank | OVC Rank |
| Batting Average | Sierra Gilmore | .369 | - | - |
| Slugging Percentage | Sierra Gilmore | .769 | - | 4th |
| On-Base Percentage | Logan Braundmeier | .450 | - | - |
| Hits | Sierra Gilmore  | 24 | - | t-8th |
| Runs Scored | Sierra Gilmore | 16 | - | - |
| Doubles | Logan Braundmeier | 6 | - | t-5th |
| Home Runs | Sierra Gilmore | 7 | t-46th | 2nd |
| Home Runs | Lexi Jones | 6 | - | t-3rd |
| Total Bases | Sierra Gilmore | 50 | - | 2nd |
| Runs Batted In | Sierra Gilmore | 26 | - | 1st |
| Runs Batted In | Lexi Jones | 20 | - | t-8th |
| Stolen Bases | Logan Braundmeier | 6 | - | - |
| Pitching Categories | ||||
| Earned Run Average | Hannah James | 2.58 | - | 9th |
| Earned Run Average | Jenna Veber | 2.62 | - | 10th |
| Opponent Batting Average | Hannah James | .235 | - | 9th |
| Opponent Batting Average | Jenna Veber    | .236 | - | 10th |
| Strikeouts | Hannah James | 50 | - | t-7th |
| Wins | Hannah James | 5 | - | 8th |
| Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio | Jenna Veber | 15.00 | 3rd | 1st |
| Shutouts | Hannah James | 3 | - | t-1st |
Players Mentioned
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