Racers Set for Opening Weekend in Chicago

Dates: February 11-13, 2021
Site (Venue): Chicago, Ill. (The Dome at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex)
Live Coverage Links: goracers.com/coverage
MSU Record (Streak): 0-0 (-)
Racers All-Time vs. The Field: 8-4 (3-1 vs. Butler, 3-1 vs. Western Illinois, 2-2 vs. Ball State, First Meetings with Seattle & DePaul)
MSU Next Game: Feb. 18-20 at Blazer Classic (Birmingham, Ala.)
MSU Next Home Game: March 10^th vs. Loyola Chicago

Murray State softball will kick off the 2022 campaign on Friday with five games at the DePaul Dome Tournament. The Racers are set to face Butler, Seattle, Ball State, DePaul and Western Illinois. The tournament will be held at The Dome at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Illinois. There will be no video stream available for this weekend's games.

Weekend Preview:
Murray State returns two-thirds of their starting lineup and top two pitchers from a team that finished 22-29 overall and 19-15 in OVC competition a year ago. At the plate, the Racers will look for big things from fifth-year seniors, Sierra Gilmore, Logan Braundmeier and Jensen Striegel. Gilmore, a 2021 All-OVC Second Team selection, led the team in batting average (.327), slugging percentage (.532), on-base percentage (.381), hits (51), RBI (40), and doubles (17) in 2021. Her 17 doubles were the most in the Ohio Valley Conference. Braundmeier led in home runs (6) and runs scored (32) and was top three in eight other offensive categories. Striegel brings massive speed to the Racers lineup, leading the Racers in stolen bases (21). She also finished second in runs scored (26) and walks (15) and third on the team in batting average (.269) and hits (42).

In the circle, the Racers will lean on both Hannah James and Jenna Veber to guide a Murray State pitching staff that recorded an OVC-best 2.61 ERA through 51 outings a year ago. James, a junior from Nicholasville, Kentucky, posted a team-best 2.21 ERA in 2021 and set the Racers single-season strikeout record with 158 strikeouts in 152.1 innings of work – holding opposing hitters to a .200 average. Veber, an Oswego, Illinois native, will look to build upon a season that landed her on the OVC All-Newcomer team. Veber posted a 2.58 ERA over a conference-leading 39 appearances on the year and her 6.1 K/BB ratio ranked 25th in the nation. She notched eight wins while her four saves were also the second-highest single-season total in program history.

All-Time Series:
Murray State holds a 3-1 series lead over both Butler and Western Illinois. The Bulldogs won both meetings a season ago in Mobile, Alabama. Murray State is tied in their all-time series with Ball State, each holding a pair of wins. The Racers played the Cardinals in 2019, winning 5-1. As for Seattle and DePaul, this weekend's contests will mark the first meetings between both schools.

Homecoming:
Head Coach Kara Amundson returns to her alma mater, DePaul University. Amundson played for the Blue Demons from 2004-07, for NFCA Hall of Famer Eugene Lenti. As a player, Amundson went to two Women's College World Series ('05, '07) and was a three-time academic honoree at the conference, helping the Blue Demons to a 20-0 mark in the Big East in 2007.

Scouting Butler:
The Bulldogs went 17-21-1 in their 2021 campaign and 6-6 in conference play to finish sixth in the Big East. Butler returns their five top batters and nine of their top ten for the 2022 season.

2021 All-Big East First Team selections Lauren Fey and Karli Ricketts return for their senior campaigns. Fey currently sits in first on Butler's All-Time List for batting average in a season, hitting .433 in 2021 to earn NFCA All-Region honors. Ricketts is a two-way player for the Bulldogs. She had an ERA of 2.72 through 95.1 innings of work with 113 strikeouts. At the plate, Ricketts had seven home runs and 26 RBIs.

Scouting Seattle:
The Redhawks went 30-21 in 2021, winning their second-straight WAC Tournament Championship and their second Divison I NCAA Tournament win in program history, defeating Portland State 6-5 before falling at No. 6 Washington. The Redhawks will look for preseason All- WAC Team selections, Carley Nance, Olivia Viggiano, and Stefanie Madrigal to pick up where they left off a season ago.

In the circle, Seattle posted a 3.31 ERA while opponents batted .271 at the dish. The Redhawks will have high expectations for Nance and Madrigal. Madrigal led the league with a 2.89 ERA while Nance had a 3.15.

Scouting Ball State:
The Cardinals are coming off one the best seasons in program history, with a 37-18 overall mark and a program record 31 Mid-American Conference wins. Ball State returns just five position starters and one pitcher from last season's team which produced the longest single-season MAC winning record in program history at 16 games and tied a program record with an 11-game overall winning streak.

Ball State returns 2021 NFCA All-Great Lakes Region First Team selection senior Faith Hensley and 2021 NFCA All-Great Lakes Region Second Team honoree Kayla Lissy. Hensley, a 2021 First Team All-MAC award winner, led the Ball State offense with a .390 batting average last year, including 17 doubles, seven home runs and a pair of triples. Hensley's team-leading 51 RBIs ranked third in the MAC, while her 38 runs scored were 10th. Lissy, a 2021 Second Team All-MAC honoree, tied for first nationally with nine triples and also recorded an inside-the-park home run. She was just as fast on the base paths, ranking fifth in the MAC with 18 stolen bases, including stealing home twice. She also provided a bit of power, launching a grand slam in the opening game in the Buffalo series. Overall, her 43 runs scored were sixth in the MAC, while she added 18 RBIs.

In the circle, the Cardinals return 12-game winner junior Deborah Jones who also owned the lowest ERA on the team at 3.64. Jones pitched a team-high 111.2 innings, striking out 79 batters and limiting opponents to a .261 average. She started 16 of her 30 appearances, earning two complete game shutouts and one combined shutout. She also collected three saves on the year.

Scouting DePaul:
The Blue Demons return 15 winners from last season's Big East regular season title team, finishing with an 25-11 overall record. DePaul averaged 4.72 runs per contest and batted .272 as a team and will look to graduate student Kate Polucha who she batted .306 in 2021. Polucha posted a team-high seven home runs, and finished the season with 23 RBIs.

In the circle, the DePaul pitching staff combined to post a 3.03 ERA and 162 strikeouts through 247 innings a year ago. The Blue Devils return their one of their top-two pitchers from last year in graduate student Natalie Halvorson. Halvorson made 23 appearances for the Blue Devils, racking up 95.0 innings pitched with 65 strikeouts and a 2.87 ERA in 2021.

Scouting Western Illinois:
The Leathernecks finished the 2021 season 16-29 overall, going 6-14 in conference play. Two-way player Savannah Rodriguez returns for her senior season after being named All-Summit League Second Team in 2021. Rodriguez made 24 appearances in the circle and led the team in batting average (.336), hits (44) and RBIs (33), while finishing second on the team in OPS (.991), doubles (10), home runs (eight) and slugging percentage (.595).

In the circle, no Leatherneck pitched more innings than Abby Carlin in 2021. Carlin threw 142. Innings in 31 appearances with 15 complete games. She had a 3.93 ERA and struck out 139.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Logan Braundmeier

Sierra Gilmore

Hannah James

Jensen Striegel

Jenna Veber

Murray State University Athletics