Gardner & Whaley Chase Pro Ball Dreams

Two former Murray State Baseball players are chasing their professional dreams this summer in two different leagues.

Sam Gardner, of Shelbyville, Tenn., is pitching with Gateway Grizzlies in Frontier League and Alec Whaley is doing the same with the Trenton Thunder in the MLB Draft League.

"It's no surprise to me that Alec and Sam are both having individual success and making themselves appealing to pro baseball," said Murray State Coach Dan Skirka. "Both have big time work ethics and they give everything they can into their careers. I'm so happy for them and look forward to following their careers."

Gardner last played for the Racers in the 2021 season in which he was an All-Ohio Valley Conference pick after becoming the Racers' ace with a team-high 68 innings with 74 strikeouts and a 5.50 ERA.

This summer with the Grizzlies, the righthander has appeared in 19 games with an ERA of 5.72 in 50.1 innings with 58 strikeouts. The Shelbyville, Tenn. native was recently given an opportunity to pitch from the bullpen and it seems to be to his liking. Since June 19, Gardner has 13 appearances with an ERA of 2.98 in 15.1 innings with 25 strikeouts and only three walks.

Whaley, out of O'Fallon, Mo., finished up his college career last spring as the Murray State career leader in appearances with 109. Overcoming two serious injuries that limited him to only six appearances in 2019 and 2020, Whaley reinvented himself into a submarine thrower to remain effective in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He ultimately threw 193 career innings with 147 and an ERA of 5.31.

The MLB Draft League is a new effort by Major League Baseball to provide a chance for prospects to show their talent, while the Frontier League is also a partner with MLB and prospects are being evaluated there as well.

2022 Hall of Fame Dinner & Program
The annual Hall of Fame dinner is on the night of Nov. 11 at the CFSB Center. The 2022 class will also be recognized Nov. 12 at the Racer football game against Robert Morris (1 p.m. kick off) and a men's basketball game against a yet to be determined opponent. Hall of Fame dinner tickets may be purchased through the MSU ticket office online at GoRacers.com.

Racer Football Mini-Ticket Plan
Racer football three-game mini-plan packages are now available for purchase. The package includes a general admission ticket for the home opener vs. Jacksonville State (Sept. 10), vs. Eastern Illinois (Sept. 24) and vs. Robert Morris (Nov. 12). The home opener will be a night to remember as we "Light up the Stew" and giveaway 3,000 LED blue and gold glow boom sticks presented by CFSB. The Racers return home two weeks later for the always popular "Family Weekend", and finish out the season at home with Hall of Fame and Military Day. Each purchase of a 3-game mini-plan will also include one general admission ticket to a Racers home basketball game at CFSB Center during the 2022-23 season.

About Murray State Athletics
Located in Murray, Kentucky, the athletics department of Murray State University is a NCAA Division I member and plays in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Racers have 15 programs including men's teams for baseball, basketball, cross country, football and golf and women's teams for basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball, as well as a mixed gender rifle team. The Racers became members of the Missouri Valley Conference on July 1, 2022. The Racers will become a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2023. The MSU rifle program competes in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Murray State University Athletics

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Sam Gardner

Alec Whaley

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