Racers Set for Opening Weekend in Hattiesburg

Dates: February 12-13, 2021
Site (Venue): Hattiesburg, Miss. (Southern Miss Softball Complex)
Live Video: C-USA TV
Live Coverage Links: goracers.com/coverage
MSU Record (Streak): 0-0 (-)
Racers All-Time vs. The Field: 4-8 (4-8 vs. Southern Ill., First Meetings with North Dakota & Southern Miss.)
Southern Illinois Record (Streak): 0-0 (-)
North Dakota Record (Streak): 0-0 (-)
Southern Mississippi Record (Streak): 0-0 (-)
MSU Next Game: Feb. 19-20 at South Alabama Tourn. (Mobile, Ala.)
MSU Next Home Game: March 13^th vs. Eastern Kentucky

Murray State softball will return to competitive action for the first time in 341 days when they open the 2021 campaign against Southern Illinois on Friday at the Black and Gold Invitational in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The Racers are slated to play four games over two days on the weekend, beginning with a Friday doubleheader against SIU before a Saturday that features single games against North Dakota and the host Golden Eagles of Southern Mississippi. All games will be streamed live on C-USA TV.

Weekend Preview:
Murray State returns nearly their entire starting lineup and top three pitchers from a team that finished 12-10 in nonconference competition a year ago. At the plate, the Racers will look for big things from senior Sierra Gilmore, who led the team in batting average (.369), slugging percentage (.769), RBI (26), and runs scored (16) through 22 games in 2020. Her 26 RBI were the most in the Ohio Valley Conference. Murray State will also see some power return to the batting order in fifth-year senior Lexi Jones who drove in 20 runs while belting six home runs a year ago.

In the circle, the Racers will lean on both Hannah James and Jenna Veber to guide a Murray State pitching staff that recorded a 2.87 ERA through 22 outings a year ago. James, a junior from Nicholasville, Kentucky, posted a team-best 2.58 ERA in 2020 and was responsible for 50 strikeouts in 57 innings of work – holding opposing hitters to a .235 average. Veber, an Oswego, Illinois native, will look to build on an outstanding freshman season in 2020 that saw her carry a 2.62 ERA while holding hitters to a .236 average at the dish. Additionally, her 15.0 K/BB ratio ranked third in the nation.

All-Time Series:
Friday will mark the 13^th and 14^th meetings between Murray State and Southern Illinois as the Racers and Salukis are familiar with each other after having met in each of the last seven seasons. The Salukis hold the all-time series with an 8-4 record against the Racers after winning four of the last five encounters. Southern Illinois prevailed in extra innings in the last meeting – an 8-6 eight-inning thriller in Carbondale. As for North Dakota and Southern Mississippi, Saturday's contests will mark the first meetings between both schools.

Scouting Southern Illinois:
The Salukis went 15-6 in an abbreviated 2020 campaign, winning nine-straight contests before the year was brought to a close. Averaging 4.6 runs per game, SIU batted .252 with 14 home runs through 21 games a year ago. Individually, the Salukis will be led by 2019 All-MVC selection Jenny Jansen, who drove in 19 runs with 10 extra-base hits in 2020.

In the circle, SIU posted a team ERA of 2.75 in 2020, and will be fueled by sophomore Sarah Harness who made 15 appearances in the circle, going 9-4 with a 1.97 earned run average with two saves in 71.0 innings of work during her freshman campaign. She led the Missouri Valley Conference in wins (9) and finished second in both innings pitched (71.0) and strikeouts (76).

Scouting North Dakota:
The Fighting Hawks went 7-17 in 2020, closing the year on a three-game skid when the season was brought to a halt. They averaged 2.58 runs per game and batted .224 through 24 contests. The Fighting Hawks will look for senior Ashlynn Uvila to pick up where she left off a year ago when she led the team in average (.349) and on-base percentage (.391). She also shared the team lead in RBIs (9) and doubles (2).

In the circle, North Dakota posted a hefty 4.71 ERA while opponents batted .330 at the dish. The Fighting Hawks will have high expectations for sophomore Lauren Feld, who led the team with a 3.13 ERA, firing 15.2 innings and striking out 11 hitters in her freshman campaign.

Scouting Southern Mississippi:
The Golden Eagles were off to a strong start before last season was cut short, flying out to a 14-8 record in nonconference action. Averaging 6.78 runs per contest and batting .287 as a team, Southern Miss was a force to be reckoned with offensively a year ago. The Golden Eagles will look for Madison Rayner to continue her momentum from a year ago when she batted .418, posted a 10-game hitting streak, and finished the season with 24 runs seven RBI. She also led the team in slugging pct. at .818.

In the circle, the Southern Miss pitching staff combined to post a 2.54 ERA and 114 strikeouts through 135 innings a year ago. The Golden Eagles return their top-two pitchers from last year in juniors Kaylan Ladner and Makenna Pierce. Ladner made 10 appearances for the Golden Eagles, racking up 47.0 innings pitched with 34 strikeouts and a 1.64 ERA in 2020. As for Pierce, she tallied 33.1 innings pitched with a career-best 1.89 ERA and a 5-1 record. She also notched 34 strikeouts on the year.

Murray State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Sierra Gilmore

Hannah James

Lexi Jones

Jenna Veber

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