Murray State University Athletics
Thursday, May 20
Murray, Ky.
5 p.m.
Murray State
vs
Austin Peay
Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics
Racers Go For First Title in 30 Years – Host Austin Peay
5/19/2021 1:14:00 PM | Baseball
Murray State will host Austin Peay as they compete for their first regular season title since 1991.
Murray State (29-21, 17-10 OVC) vs Austin Peay Governors (20-30, 14-13 OVC)
GAME 51-53
Dates: May 20-21, 2021
First Pitch: Thursday: 5:00 p.m.; Friday. 1 p.m. & ~4:30 p.m.
Location: Murray, Ky.
Stadium: Johnny Reagan Field (550)
Series History: Murray State leads 114-101-1
Last Meeting: Won series 2-1, Mar. 6-8, 2020 in Clarksville, Tennessee
Follow The Racers:
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: Game 1 Game 2 Game 3
Twitter In-Game: @RacersBaseball
Murray State Game Notes
First Pitch
The Racers closes out the 2021 regular season with a three-game series versus Austin Peay. The Racers have already clinched a spot in the OVC Tournament next week in Jackson, Tennessee. The Governors are fighting for their postseason spot, currently holding the fourth and final position in the tournament.
Inside the Matchup
The Racers and Governors have met 216 times on the diamond with Murray State holding a 114-101-1 advantage. Murray State has won five of their last six matchups with Austin Peay, including the Racers only conference series win of 2020, due the cancellation of the 2020 season. At home, the Racers are 59-38 with the Govs since the series started in 1948.
Probable Starters
Shane Burns (LHP) (1-1, 5.86 ERA) vs Luke Brown (RHP) (3-1, 5.58 ERA)
Sam Gardner (RHP) (5-4, 4.53 ERA) vs TBA
Quinton Kujawa (RHP) (2-0, 3.60 ERA) vs TBA
A Look at the Racers:
Murray State sits atop the conference standings overtaking Southeast Missouri last week after going 2-1 at SIU-Edwardsville, to improve their overall record to 29-21 and their conference record to 17-10.
The Racers will go for their first regular season conference title in 30 years as they face Austin Peay for their final conference series of the 2021 season. The previous regular season title came in 1991, when the team went 24-18 overall and 14-3 in OVC play. This was Coach Johnny Reagan's 11th and final OVC title who was in his 34th season of coaching. The 1991 OVC Tournament was hosted by Murray State. They won the opening game against Morehead State, 6-3 before dropping the next two to eventual champion Middle Tennessee, 4-3, and Eastern Kentucky, 6-3.
After being picked third in the preseason poll, Murray State is the first team to officially clinch a berth in the 2021 OVC Tournament that will take place May 27th-29th in Jackson, Tennessee. Only the top four teams in the OVC will earn a spot in Jackson and the tournament will be in double-elimination format. Murray State has won two OVC Tournament Championships since 1979 when the first tournament format was held. The Racers won the inaugural year in 1979 and then again in 2003.
With their two wins over SIUE, the Racers set a new program record for conference wins, 17. Murray State's previous high was 15, which had been achieved three times. The first time was in 2005 and then in back-to-back years in 2016 and 2017. Ryan Perkins was a key member of the 2017 team, hitting .279 in 57 games with 41 runs, 44 RBIs and 12 home runs to be named to the OVC All-Freshman Team and a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball News.
Murray State's 29 victories on the season are the most since 2017 and ties for seventh most in program history. The 1975 team holds the current program record of 40 wins, going 40-9 overall and 11-1 in OVC play. That year the team advanced to the program's first NCAA Tournament, falling to LSU, 7-2 and Miami (Fla.) 8-7, in Starkville, Mississippi.
The Racers are beginning to peak at the right time. They have won seven of their last eight, including a six-game winning streak, their longest of the season and longest since 2012, using solid pitching, timely hitting and good defense to outscore opponents by nearly double, 60-34. Five of the Racers wins have been come-from-behind victories and all three of the Racers extra-innings games has come during this time span as well. Murray State is 3-0 in the extra-frames affairs.
On their home field, Murray State is 16-4 and 9-3 in conference in 2021, both league bests. They have outscored opponents at Johnny Reagan Field 148-109, hitting 23 of their 75 home runs.
The Racers has shown all year long that they are capable of the long ball. Their 75 home runs are second most in program history, behind 2017's mark of 84. This season, the Racers broke the program's single game home run record when they hit seven against Eastern Illinois, Mar. 13th, in the rubber match game against the Panther, winning 15-5.
The duo of Jordan Cozart and Brock Anderson have combined for 31 of the Racers' 75 long balls. Anderson leads the OVC with 16 home runs, followed closely behind by Cozart with fifteen. In NCAA rankings, Anderson has the 10th-most in the country while Cozart is tied for 16th.
Cozart is on a hot-streak at the plate, hitting .500 (10-20) during the past week. He began the week versus SIU going 4-for-6 with three RBIs including the walk-off winner in the eleventh. Against SIUE, Cozart opened the series collecting three hits, scoring three runs and drove in two on a two-run homer. In the rubber match, Cozart had his third multi-hit game of the week. He gave the Racers a 3-2 lead in the fourth on his 15th home run of the season and then tied the game at six in the seventh with a two-out double to help Murray State clinch the series against SIUE and a spot in the OVC tournament in two weeks.
Bryson Bloomer has reached base safely in 30 straight games, dating back to the Memphis series at the end of March. Jake Slunder is the next closest Racer with a non-active streak of 15. Bloomer also had a hitting streak as long as ten games and his current streak is at seven games. Fifteen of his 18 multi-hit games and seven of his 10 multi-RBI games have come during this time. In the rubber match game against SIUE, Bloomer was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and one RBI.
On the base paths, Jake Slunder has been running wild all year long, swiping an OVC-best 23 bases, which is good for 17th in the nation. He also has the first inside-the-park home run in recent memory. Slunder's 53 runs scored tops the OVC and his three triples are third while his team-best 62 hits are fifth in the conference.
On the mound, the Racers will throw Shane Burns, Sam Gardner and Quinton Kujawa. Burns has been Murray State's game one starter all season long. The left-hander owns a record of 1-1 with an ERA of 5.86 in 50.2 innings pitched. Gardner has come on strong in the second half of the season, earning OVC Pitcher of the Week twice. In his last seven starts, Gardner is 5-2 and has gone 6.0 innings in six of seven starts with an ERA of 2.54 during the span. He leads the Racers in innings pitched. 59.0, and strikeouts, 66.
Quinton Kujawa will take the reins for the Racers in game three. Kujawa has started five games this season, picking up a 2-0 record including the extra-inning win over SIU in which he threw two scoreless innings. Over the weekend, Kujawa started the rubber match game against SIUE, working 3.2 innings, allowing two runs and struck out a career-high six.
In relief, Jones made three appearances in the week and didn't not surrender a walk or a run while striking out nine. Against SIU, Jones came in in the third inning and shut down the Salukis offense after they put up runs on the Racers starter, only allowing three base runners through three innings. He picked up the win in the rubber match game, throwing two innings and surrendering only one hit.
Jacob Pennington was key in the series opening 17-6 win over SIUE. He came in in relief of Shane Burns with two outs in the second innings to toss the next six and one-third innings, giving only one run on three hits with seven strikeouts and a pair of walks.
Redshirt junior Connor Holden has been named to NCBWA's 2021 Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List. He is one of 65 of the nation's top relief pitchers to be named to the list. This season, Holden is 1-1, owning a 2.05 ERA in 16 appearances on the mound with eight saves, tied for 22nd in the country. In 22.0 innings pitched, Holden has struck out 22 compared to only five walks and in his last nine outings, Holden has only allowed one run and one extra-base hit, a home run against Morehead State on Apr. 30.
Scouting Austin Peay
The Austin Peay Governors OVC Tournament hopes are on the line this weekend as they enter the final series looking for a bid to the tourney. The Govs are currently tied for fourth with Jacksonville State but with their series win over the Gamecocks last weekend, they hold the tiebreaker.
Shortstop Bobby Head led the Govs with a program-record 11 hits during the three-game series, batting .786 with four doubles and two home runs. He was named OVC Player of the Week for his efforts.
Pitchers Drew McIllwain, Tucker Weaver and Nick Wellman combined for 7.1 scoreless innings in Game 3 to help secure the series victory, 5-1.
For the series opener, the Govs will throw Luke Brown. Brown has started 11 of 13 games, with a 3-1 record and a 5.58 ERA in 59.2 innings pitched. Opponents are batting .283 against him with 39 strikeouts and 18 walks.
As a team, the Govs are hitting .264 with a .394 slugging percentage and a .357 on-base percentage. Austin Peay has hit 39 home runs as a team, led by Garrett Spain with nine.
GAME 51-53
Dates: May 20-21, 2021
First Pitch: Thursday: 5:00 p.m.; Friday. 1 p.m. & ~4:30 p.m.
Location: Murray, Ky.
Stadium: Johnny Reagan Field (550)
Series History: Murray State leads 114-101-1
Last Meeting: Won series 2-1, Mar. 6-8, 2020 in Clarksville, Tennessee
Follow The Racers:
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: Game 1 Game 2 Game 3
Twitter In-Game: @RacersBaseball
Murray State Game Notes
First Pitch
The Racers closes out the 2021 regular season with a three-game series versus Austin Peay. The Racers have already clinched a spot in the OVC Tournament next week in Jackson, Tennessee. The Governors are fighting for their postseason spot, currently holding the fourth and final position in the tournament.
Inside the Matchup
The Racers and Governors have met 216 times on the diamond with Murray State holding a 114-101-1 advantage. Murray State has won five of their last six matchups with Austin Peay, including the Racers only conference series win of 2020, due the cancellation of the 2020 season. At home, the Racers are 59-38 with the Govs since the series started in 1948.
Probable Starters
Shane Burns (LHP) (1-1, 5.86 ERA) vs Luke Brown (RHP) (3-1, 5.58 ERA)
Sam Gardner (RHP) (5-4, 4.53 ERA) vs TBA
Quinton Kujawa (RHP) (2-0, 3.60 ERA) vs TBA
A Look at the Racers:
Murray State sits atop the conference standings overtaking Southeast Missouri last week after going 2-1 at SIU-Edwardsville, to improve their overall record to 29-21 and their conference record to 17-10.
The Racers will go for their first regular season conference title in 30 years as they face Austin Peay for their final conference series of the 2021 season. The previous regular season title came in 1991, when the team went 24-18 overall and 14-3 in OVC play. This was Coach Johnny Reagan's 11th and final OVC title who was in his 34th season of coaching. The 1991 OVC Tournament was hosted by Murray State. They won the opening game against Morehead State, 6-3 before dropping the next two to eventual champion Middle Tennessee, 4-3, and Eastern Kentucky, 6-3.
After being picked third in the preseason poll, Murray State is the first team to officially clinch a berth in the 2021 OVC Tournament that will take place May 27th-29th in Jackson, Tennessee. Only the top four teams in the OVC will earn a spot in Jackson and the tournament will be in double-elimination format. Murray State has won two OVC Tournament Championships since 1979 when the first tournament format was held. The Racers won the inaugural year in 1979 and then again in 2003.
With their two wins over SIUE, the Racers set a new program record for conference wins, 17. Murray State's previous high was 15, which had been achieved three times. The first time was in 2005 and then in back-to-back years in 2016 and 2017. Ryan Perkins was a key member of the 2017 team, hitting .279 in 57 games with 41 runs, 44 RBIs and 12 home runs to be named to the OVC All-Freshman Team and a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball News.
Murray State's 29 victories on the season are the most since 2017 and ties for seventh most in program history. The 1975 team holds the current program record of 40 wins, going 40-9 overall and 11-1 in OVC play. That year the team advanced to the program's first NCAA Tournament, falling to LSU, 7-2 and Miami (Fla.) 8-7, in Starkville, Mississippi.
The Racers are beginning to peak at the right time. They have won seven of their last eight, including a six-game winning streak, their longest of the season and longest since 2012, using solid pitching, timely hitting and good defense to outscore opponents by nearly double, 60-34. Five of the Racers wins have been come-from-behind victories and all three of the Racers extra-innings games has come during this time span as well. Murray State is 3-0 in the extra-frames affairs.
On their home field, Murray State is 16-4 and 9-3 in conference in 2021, both league bests. They have outscored opponents at Johnny Reagan Field 148-109, hitting 23 of their 75 home runs.
The Racers has shown all year long that they are capable of the long ball. Their 75 home runs are second most in program history, behind 2017's mark of 84. This season, the Racers broke the program's single game home run record when they hit seven against Eastern Illinois, Mar. 13th, in the rubber match game against the Panther, winning 15-5.
The duo of Jordan Cozart and Brock Anderson have combined for 31 of the Racers' 75 long balls. Anderson leads the OVC with 16 home runs, followed closely behind by Cozart with fifteen. In NCAA rankings, Anderson has the 10th-most in the country while Cozart is tied for 16th.
Cozart is on a hot-streak at the plate, hitting .500 (10-20) during the past week. He began the week versus SIU going 4-for-6 with three RBIs including the walk-off winner in the eleventh. Against SIUE, Cozart opened the series collecting three hits, scoring three runs and drove in two on a two-run homer. In the rubber match, Cozart had his third multi-hit game of the week. He gave the Racers a 3-2 lead in the fourth on his 15th home run of the season and then tied the game at six in the seventh with a two-out double to help Murray State clinch the series against SIUE and a spot in the OVC tournament in two weeks.
Bryson Bloomer has reached base safely in 30 straight games, dating back to the Memphis series at the end of March. Jake Slunder is the next closest Racer with a non-active streak of 15. Bloomer also had a hitting streak as long as ten games and his current streak is at seven games. Fifteen of his 18 multi-hit games and seven of his 10 multi-RBI games have come during this time. In the rubber match game against SIUE, Bloomer was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and one RBI.
On the base paths, Jake Slunder has been running wild all year long, swiping an OVC-best 23 bases, which is good for 17th in the nation. He also has the first inside-the-park home run in recent memory. Slunder's 53 runs scored tops the OVC and his three triples are third while his team-best 62 hits are fifth in the conference.
On the mound, the Racers will throw Shane Burns, Sam Gardner and Quinton Kujawa. Burns has been Murray State's game one starter all season long. The left-hander owns a record of 1-1 with an ERA of 5.86 in 50.2 innings pitched. Gardner has come on strong in the second half of the season, earning OVC Pitcher of the Week twice. In his last seven starts, Gardner is 5-2 and has gone 6.0 innings in six of seven starts with an ERA of 2.54 during the span. He leads the Racers in innings pitched. 59.0, and strikeouts, 66.
Quinton Kujawa will take the reins for the Racers in game three. Kujawa has started five games this season, picking up a 2-0 record including the extra-inning win over SIU in which he threw two scoreless innings. Over the weekend, Kujawa started the rubber match game against SIUE, working 3.2 innings, allowing two runs and struck out a career-high six.
In relief, Jones made three appearances in the week and didn't not surrender a walk or a run while striking out nine. Against SIU, Jones came in in the third inning and shut down the Salukis offense after they put up runs on the Racers starter, only allowing three base runners through three innings. He picked up the win in the rubber match game, throwing two innings and surrendering only one hit.
Jacob Pennington was key in the series opening 17-6 win over SIUE. He came in in relief of Shane Burns with two outs in the second innings to toss the next six and one-third innings, giving only one run on three hits with seven strikeouts and a pair of walks.
Redshirt junior Connor Holden has been named to NCBWA's 2021 Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List. He is one of 65 of the nation's top relief pitchers to be named to the list. This season, Holden is 1-1, owning a 2.05 ERA in 16 appearances on the mound with eight saves, tied for 22nd in the country. In 22.0 innings pitched, Holden has struck out 22 compared to only five walks and in his last nine outings, Holden has only allowed one run and one extra-base hit, a home run against Morehead State on Apr. 30.
Scouting Austin Peay
The Austin Peay Governors OVC Tournament hopes are on the line this weekend as they enter the final series looking for a bid to the tourney. The Govs are currently tied for fourth with Jacksonville State but with their series win over the Gamecocks last weekend, they hold the tiebreaker.
Shortstop Bobby Head led the Govs with a program-record 11 hits during the three-game series, batting .786 with four doubles and two home runs. He was named OVC Player of the Week for his efforts.
Pitchers Drew McIllwain, Tucker Weaver and Nick Wellman combined for 7.1 scoreless innings in Game 3 to help secure the series victory, 5-1.
For the series opener, the Govs will throw Luke Brown. Brown has started 11 of 13 games, with a 3-1 record and a 5.58 ERA in 59.2 innings pitched. Opponents are batting .283 against him with 39 strikeouts and 18 walks.
As a team, the Govs are hitting .264 with a .394 slugging percentage and a .357 on-base percentage. Austin Peay has hit 39 home runs as a team, led by Garrett Spain with nine.
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