Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Valparaiso
Murray State Opens MVC Play Against Valparaiso
3/19/2026 11:59:00 AM | Baseball
MURRAY, Ky. — Murray State is set for its first Missouri Valley Conference series of the season against Valparaiso in Evansville, Indiana. This weekend marks the final neutral-site home series for the Racers as renovations at Johnny Reagan Field near completion.
The Racers enter the weekend following a 5-3 midweek win over Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The victory was Murray State's third road win of the season and improved its impressive neutral-site record to 10-1.
The Racer offense is led by senior Luke Mistone, who leads the team in batting average, total bases, doubles, RBIs and at-bats. Mistone is one of the toughest batters to strike out in the country; he has only two strikeouts this year, ranking third in the nation with one strikeout per 45 at-bats.
Following a strong February, Murray State has struggled to find consistency on offense since the start of March, posting a 4-6 record and being shut out three times.
Valparaiso enters the weekend with a 6-10 record, having lost five of its last six games. The Beacons' offense features three hitters with batting averages over .300: Javin Gauthier, Cal Schembra and Michael Kuska. Gauthier was named MVC Player of the Week on Feb. 24 after slashing .667/.765/1.083 during a series in South Carolina.
Murray State will utilize a starting rotation of Nic Schutte on Friday, Jacob Hustedde on Saturday and Drew Deremer on Sunday.
The Racers look to capture their opening MVC series beginning at 3 p.m. Friday.
