Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Belmont
First-Place Murray State Hosts Bruins for Renovated Reagan Field Debut
4/1/2026 6:16:00 PM | Baseball
MURRAY, Ky. – Murray State Baseball will kick off a new era Friday at the newly renovated Johnny Reagan Field as the Racers host Belmont in a three-game series for their first home action of the 2026 season.
After four weekends of neutral-site series, the Racers return to Reagan Field's new turf infield looking to continue their dominant start to MVC play, bringing a 6-0 record and first place in the Valley into the weekend.
We're all excited, head coach Dan Skirka said. Being at home, playing a good team, we're off to a good start in conference play. And then all the peripheral stuff. Just looking around, it's like, man, this place is awesome. Can't wait to get out here and compete on it.
The Racers' week began with a pair of Missouri Valley Conference accolades, with Conner Cunningham earning MVC Player of the Week after batting .500 with three doubles and eight RBIs. Cunningham showed his discipline at the plate as well, drawing four walks with just one strikeout.
Jacob Hustedde's outing vs. Bradley was worthy of the MVC Pitcher of the Week nod after six innings of work featuring 11 strikeouts and no runs allowed.
Skirka will look to turn the tables on an unfavorable record against the Bruins, entering the series with a 6-14 record against Belmont at the helm, despite winning three of the last four contests. Belmont leads the all-time series 35-25.
Belmont enters the weekend with a 10-19 overall record, going 2-4 in MVC matchups. Freshman Brady Holbrook leads the Bruin offense with a .367 batting average and nine RBIs in his 2026 campaign.
The Belmont pitching staff claims a team ERA of 6.45, led by scheduled Friday starter Tate Marland, who leads the Bruins with a 3-1 record on the mound and a 6.47 ERA.
The Racers will give the ball to Nic Schutte to start Friday's contest, followed by Jacob Hustedde on Saturday, with Sunday's starter to be determined.
Murray State is scheduled for first pitch times at 5 p.m., 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. for the series. All three games will be featured on ESPN+, with live updates available from @RacersBaseball on Instagram and X.
