Murray State
Drake
Racers to Face Bulldogs in MVC Championship Opener
5/6/2025 3:16:00 PM | Softball
Murray State Opens Postseason Play Against Drake
Date (time): May 7 (10:00 a.m. CT)
Opponent: Drake BulldogsÂ
Site: Des Moines, Iowa
Stats: GoRacers.com
Streaming: ESPN+
The Murray State Racers (21-27, 11-16 MVC) will face the Drake Bulldogs (12-30, 12-15 MVC) in the opening game of the 2025 Missouri Valley Conference Championship on Wednesday morning in Des Moines, Iowa.
Wednesday's opening round match between the eighth-seed Bulldogs and ninth-seed Racers marks the ninth all-time meeting between Murray State and Drake, and the first meeting of the 2025 season. Murray State holds a 5-3 edge in the all-time series despite taking a 4-1 loss in their most recent meeting on April 14, 2024.Â
The Racers enter postseason play as one of the hottest hitting teams in the MVC. Third in the league with a .279 batting average, Murray State leads the conference with 79 extra base hits and has 22 home runs on the season. Freshman Katy Huels leads the team with a .340 batting average, 54 hits, and is tied with fellow freshman Kenley Minor to lead the team with 29 runs scored. Sophomore shortstop Parker Holcombe is third on the team with a .299 batting average and 46 hits on the season. Junior Ailey Schyck has provided power to the Racer lineup, hitting .288 while leading the team with eight home runs and 29 RBI on the season.  Â
The Murray State pitching staff is tenth in the MVC with a 4.29 combined ERA. Bre Haislip (6-12) features a team-low 3.63 ERA and leads the team with 67 strikeouts and 121.1 innings pitched. Freshman Karlye Graber (8-10) has stepped into a big role in her first year with the Racers, with 100.1 innings pitched across 30 appearances and 11 starts. She features an ERA of 3.77 and 58 strikeouts on the season. Raylee Roby (6-3) rounds out the regular rotation for Murray State and racked up four wins in the month of April, and was named MVC Pitcher of the week after a pair of wins against Evansville.  Â
Drake enters the MVC Championship coming off a sweep at the hands of Missouri State. The Bulldogs are seventh in the MVC with a team batting average of .257. They are led at the plate by Ava Curry, who features the fifth-best average in MVC at .385; she also features 47 hits and 14 RBI. Emma Dighton hits .347 and leads the team with 52 hits, 11 home runs, and 37 RBI. Natalee Watts has been the Bulldogs' biggest threat on the basepaths with four stolen bases on four attempts.
The Bulldogs' pitching staff is fifth in the MVC with a 3.65 combinded ERA. Paige Bedsworth (10-2) has the third lowest ERA in the MVC at 2.08 across 87 innings in 29 appearances. Molly Hoekstra (4-10) leads the team with 99.1 innings pitched this season and features a team-high 52 strikeouts. Â
Wednesday, May 7, 2025 | Des Moines, IAÂ
10:00 AMÂ Â No. 8 Drake vs No. 9 Murray State
1:00 PMÂ Â Â No. 5 Missouri State vs No. 12 UIC
4:00 PMÂ Â Â No. 7 Bradley vs No. 10 Valparaiso
7:00 PMÂ Â Â Â No. 6 Indiana State vs No. 11 Evansville
Thursday, May 8, 2025 | Des Moines, IAÂ
10:00 AMÂ Â No. 1 Southern Illinois vs TBD
1:00 PMÂ Â Â No. 4 Illinois State vs TBD
4:00 PMÂ Â Â Â No. 2 Belmont vs TBDÂ
7:00 PMÂ Â Â No. 3 UNI vs TBD
Friday, May 9, 2025 | Des Moines, IA
1:00 PMÂ Â TBD vs TBD
4:00 PMÂ Â TBD vs TBD
Saturday, May 10, 2025 | Des Moines, IA
1:00 PMÂ Â TBD vs TBD
Follow the Racers on Twitter (@MSURacers), Instagram (@RacersAthletics), and Facebook to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Murray State Athletics. Follow Murray State softball on Twitter and Instagram (@RacersSoftball).Â
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