Racers to Host Wildcats for Midweek Home Opener

2/17/2026 9:48:00 AM | Softball

Murray State hosts Kentucky for the first time since 2015.

By: Charlie Williams

Date (Time): Wednesday, Feb. 18 (3 p.m. CT)
Opponent: Kentucky Wildcats
Location (Venue): Murray, Kentucky (Racer Field)
Streaming: ESPN+
Live Stats: GoRacers.com

Murray State softball (4-5) opens its 2026 home campaign on Wednesday, hosting the Kentucky Wildcats (6-4).

Wednesday's meeting will mark the fifth matchup between the two Bluegrass State programs, the first since 2019 and the first in Murray since 2015. The Wildcats lead the all-time series 4-0.

Murray State is coming off a weekend in Starkville, Mississippi, at The Snowman - Alex Wilcox Memorial Tournament that saw them pick up a 6-1 win against North Texas on Feb. 14. In a game that saw several Racers have standout performances, Bre Haislip (1-0) pitched a complete game, tossing six strikeouts across seven innings and allowing just one earned run and no walks. Ailey Schyck went 3-for-3 at the plate on the day with three RBI and a home run, and Bailey Broemmer went 2-for-3, including a solo home run.

Broemmer leads the team with a .381 batting average and is tied with Kenley Minor for the team lead with eight hits. Minor is second on the team with a .308 average and also has eight hits. Schyck is hitting .300 so far in 2026 and joined Broemmer to record her first home run of the season in the win over North Texas. Freshman Allie Waldron still leads the Racers with two home runs and joins Adison Hicks to lead the team with four RBI each.

In the circle, newcomer Emily Siurek leads the team with a 3.00 ERA and 11 strikeouts across a team-high 16 1/3 innings pitched. Raylee Roby is right behind with a 4.67 ERA and features a 1-0 record and four strikeouts. Karlye Graber also has a win on the season and is second on the team with nine strikeouts.

Scouting the Wildcats
Kentucky (6-4) enters Wednesday's game after going 1-3 at the Stanford Invitational. After falling to Cal State Fullerton 6-2, they split a pair of games against No. 13 Stanford before falling to No. 15 Oregon. In 2025, the Wildcats finished with a 31-28 record and a 7-17 mark in the Southeastern Conference. They picked up a pair of wins over USC Upstate and Northwestern at the Clemson Regional before being eliminated by the host Tigers. Rachel Lawson enters her 19th season at the helm of the Wildcats in 2026 and features a 634-392-1 record at Kentucky and a 726-476-1 career record.

Carly Sleeman has led the Wildcats at the plate this season with a .417 batting average, while Karissa Hamilton leads the team with two home runs and nine RBI. Paeton Plotts has two home runs and eight RBI. Hailey Nutter features a team-high 18 1/3 innings pitched and 24 strikeouts with a 3.38 ERA, while McKenzie Oslanzi features a 1.76 ERA.

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