Murray State University Athletics
Sunday, April 25
Charleston, Ill.
1 P.M.
Murray State
at
Eastern Illinois
Photo by: David Eaton-Murray State Athletics
Racers Open Seven-Game Road Trip with Visit to Eastern Illinois
4/24/2021 11:53:00 AM | Softball
Murray State is just one game back of an OVC Tournament spot with nine conference games remaining
Dates:Â April 25th (1 & 3 PM), April 26th (1 PM)
Site (Venue): Charleston, Ill. (Williams Field)
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Stats:Â goracers.com/coverage
MSU Record (Streak):Â 17-24, 14-11 OVC (Lost 1)
Eastern Illinois Record (Streak):Â 20-15, 11-10 OVC (Won 1)
Racers All-Time vs. Eastern Illinois:Â 12-19
MSU Next Game:Â April 28th at North Alabama
MSU Next Home Game: May 8th-9th vs. Morehead State
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Murray State softball will kick off a seven-game road trip on Sunday when they travel to Charleston, Illinois for a three-game set with the Panthers of Eastern Illinois. A Sunday doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m. will be followed by a single game at 1:00 p.m. on Monday as inclement weather forced a shift in the series schedule. The Racers (17-24, 14-11 OVC) sit just one game back of Jacksonville State for fourth place in the OVC standings with nine games left to play as Murray State battles for a spot in the four-team OVC tournament. All three weekend contests will be streamed live on ESPN+, with live stats available on goracers.com.
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All-Time Series:Â
The Racers and Panthers have met 31 times entering the weekend, with Eastern Illinois holding a 19-12 advantage in the all-time series. Murray State did get the best of EIU in the most recent meetings, however, which featured a doubleheader sweep as the Racers took a pair of games from the Panthers by scores of 7-4 and 7-0 on the road in Charleston in 2019.
A Look at the Racers:Â
The Racers took two of three against Belmont last weekend, and saw the bats come alive as they averaged 5.67 runs per contest over the weekend series. Sierra Gilmore leads the way with a team-high .296 average at the dish while her 29 RBI on the year are also the most on the Racer roster. Logan Braundmeier has been on an absolute tear as of late, as the senior batted .636 in the Belmont series to accompany a pair of home runs. Her six round-trippers on the year are a team-best, while she also leads the way in on-base percentage (.358) and runs scored (28). She has also stolen 15 bases without being thrown out in 2021. The Racers have also seen productive at-bats from Lily Fischer, whose .472 slugging percentage paces the team to go along with four home runs. Jensen Striegel has been aggressive on the base paths all season long, swiping a team-high 18 bases in 21 attempts.
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In the circle, the Racers own the best team ERA in the OVC with a 2.46 mark through 41 contests thus far. They feature three pitchers with a sub-3.00 ERA in Taylor Makowsky (5-2, 2.23 ERA), Hannah James (6-8, 2.40 ERA), and Jenna Veber (6-12, 2.59 ERA). James has worked a team-high 116.2 innings with 119 strikeouts while holding opposing hitters to a .207 average at the dish.
Scouting Eastern Illinois:
The Panthers (20-15, 11-10 OVC) enter the weekend at seventh place in the OVC and are currently on a four-game conference losing streak. EIU is batting .280 as a team while averaging 5.21 runs per contest in 2021. Leading the way is Morgan Lewis (.339, 11 RBI) whose 21 stolen bases are the most in the OVC. The Panthers also feature two players with double-digit home run totals on the year in Megan Burton (14) and Haley Mitchell (10). Burton's 38 RBI also rank second in the OVC.
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In the circle, the Panther pitching staff carries a 3.78 ERA, while Jade Montgomery has seen the bulk of the innings with an even 100 on the season Her 3.36 ERA and 60 strikeouts both lead the team. The Racers could also expect to see Olivia Price this weekend, whose nine wins lead the Panthers. She has posted a 3.82 ERA with 22 strikeouts through 69.2 innings on the year.
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Notes/Upcoming Milestones
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Site (Venue): Charleston, Ill. (Williams Field)
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Stats:Â goracers.com/coverage
MSU Record (Streak):Â 17-24, 14-11 OVC (Lost 1)
Eastern Illinois Record (Streak):Â 20-15, 11-10 OVC (Won 1)
Racers All-Time vs. Eastern Illinois:Â 12-19
MSU Next Game:Â April 28th at North Alabama
MSU Next Home Game: May 8th-9th vs. Morehead State
Â
Murray State softball will kick off a seven-game road trip on Sunday when they travel to Charleston, Illinois for a three-game set with the Panthers of Eastern Illinois. A Sunday doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m. will be followed by a single game at 1:00 p.m. on Monday as inclement weather forced a shift in the series schedule. The Racers (17-24, 14-11 OVC) sit just one game back of Jacksonville State for fourth place in the OVC standings with nine games left to play as Murray State battles for a spot in the four-team OVC tournament. All three weekend contests will be streamed live on ESPN+, with live stats available on goracers.com.
Â
All-Time Series:Â
The Racers and Panthers have met 31 times entering the weekend, with Eastern Illinois holding a 19-12 advantage in the all-time series. Murray State did get the best of EIU in the most recent meetings, however, which featured a doubleheader sweep as the Racers took a pair of games from the Panthers by scores of 7-4 and 7-0 on the road in Charleston in 2019.
A Look at the Racers:Â
The Racers took two of three against Belmont last weekend, and saw the bats come alive as they averaged 5.67 runs per contest over the weekend series. Sierra Gilmore leads the way with a team-high .296 average at the dish while her 29 RBI on the year are also the most on the Racer roster. Logan Braundmeier has been on an absolute tear as of late, as the senior batted .636 in the Belmont series to accompany a pair of home runs. Her six round-trippers on the year are a team-best, while she also leads the way in on-base percentage (.358) and runs scored (28). She has also stolen 15 bases without being thrown out in 2021. The Racers have also seen productive at-bats from Lily Fischer, whose .472 slugging percentage paces the team to go along with four home runs. Jensen Striegel has been aggressive on the base paths all season long, swiping a team-high 18 bases in 21 attempts.
Â
In the circle, the Racers own the best team ERA in the OVC with a 2.46 mark through 41 contests thus far. They feature three pitchers with a sub-3.00 ERA in Taylor Makowsky (5-2, 2.23 ERA), Hannah James (6-8, 2.40 ERA), and Jenna Veber (6-12, 2.59 ERA). James has worked a team-high 116.2 innings with 119 strikeouts while holding opposing hitters to a .207 average at the dish.
Scouting Eastern Illinois:
The Panthers (20-15, 11-10 OVC) enter the weekend at seventh place in the OVC and are currently on a four-game conference losing streak. EIU is batting .280 as a team while averaging 5.21 runs per contest in 2021. Leading the way is Morgan Lewis (.339, 11 RBI) whose 21 stolen bases are the most in the OVC. The Panthers also feature two players with double-digit home run totals on the year in Megan Burton (14) and Haley Mitchell (10). Burton's 38 RBI also rank second in the OVC.
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In the circle, the Panther pitching staff carries a 3.78 ERA, while Jade Montgomery has seen the bulk of the innings with an even 100 on the season Her 3.36 ERA and 60 strikeouts both lead the team. The Racers could also expect to see Olivia Price this weekend, whose nine wins lead the Panthers. She has posted a 3.82 ERA with 22 strikeouts through 69.2 innings on the year.
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Notes/Upcoming Milestones
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- With two stolen bases in last weekend's series against Belmont, Jensen Striegel continued to climb the ladder on Murray State's all-time stolen base list with 46 in a Racer uniform. She needs just four more to tie Mo Ramsey's 50 (2012-15) to move into second place in program history.
- Sierra Gilmore enters the weekend on a four-game hitting streak, while Lily Fischer has reached base safely in eight-straight contests.
- The Racers are 8-2 when they score a run in the first inning, and 10-5 when they score the first run of the game.
- In games where the Racers hit at least one home run, they are 11-2 in 2021. In contrast, Murray State is 6-22 when they do not hit a home run.
- Fifth-year senior Lexi Jones needs just one more home run to break into the top five on Murray State's all-time home runs list. Her 24 career round-trippers currently sits one behind Casey Castile's 25 for fifth-most in Racer history. Castile played for MSU from 2012-14.
- With three RBI in last weekend's series against Belmont, Sierra Gilmore passed Maggie Glass (2014-17) to move into fourth in Murray State history with 113 RBI in a Racer uniform. She needs 13 more to catch Jocelynn Rodgers' 126 (2014-17) for third on the program's all-time list.
- With 119 strikeouts on the year, junior Hannah James owns sole possession of the #4 spot on the program's all-time strikeout list with 289 total in a Racer uniform. Her 23 career wins are also sixth-most in Racer history as she chases Chelsey Sullivan's (2010-12) 27 to move into the top five
- With 119 strikeouts in 2021, Hannah James is just 29 away from the Murray State single-season strikeout record of 148 set by CheyAnne Gaskey in 2013.
- With four saves in 2021, Jenna Veber needs just two more to tie CheyAnne Gaskey's single-season program record of six that she set in 2013.
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- Sierra Gilmore has posted 13 multi-hit games and seven multi-RBI games to lead the Racers in both of those categories.
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Players Mentioned
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