Racers' 2026 Season Comes to a Close in MVC Championship Semifinals

Saturday, May 23

Murray, Ky.

11 a.m.

Murray State

UIC

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Murray St.	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	1	5	9	1
Ill.-Chicago	3	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	X	6	9	0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Southern Ill.	0	1	1	3	0	3	0	0	1	9	13	0
Murray St.	0	0	0	0	0	7	0	0	0	7	5	1

Photo by: David Eaton-Murray State Athletics

Racers' 2026 Season Comes to a Close in MVC Championship Semifinals

5/24/2026 12:50:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Sam Rhodes

MURRAY, Ky. - The Murray State baseball team saw its 2026 season come to a heartbreaking end Saturday, suffering a pair of narrow losses to Illinois-Chicago and Southern Illinois in the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Championships.

Supported by a combined 6,532 fans across both games, Racer Nation came out in full force to witness the final day of the campaign.

"It hurts, it really does," head coach Dan Skirka said of the season's conclusion. "Just so proud of them. The way they came together, 22 new faces. They just gelled, they competed, were coachable, all those things. And really, the best part was just awesome human beings off the field."

In the opener against UIC, Kristofer Hokenson gave the Racers an early spark with an RBI single in the first inning. The Flames answered quickly, pushing across three runs in the bottom of the frame and adding another in the second on a string of singles.

The Racers continued to fight back. Conner Cunningham grounded out to drive in a run, while Hokenson and Colby Ott each lifted sacrifice flies to keep Murray State within striking distance. After a UIC solo home run in the sixth extended the deficit to two, Kainen Jorge blasted a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth to bring the Racers within one. However, Murray State was unable to complete the rally, falling to the Flames 6-5.

Facing elimination in the nightcap against Southern Illinois, which advanced by defeating Indiana State earlier in the day, the Racers took the field at 7:15 p.m. at Johnny Reagan Field at Taylor Family Park.

The Salukis controlled the early innings, building an 8-0 advantage heading into the bottom of the sixth. That is when the crowd of 3,105 came alive, fueling a massive momentum shift.

Murray State broke through with a run on a wild pitch, followed immediately by a two-run single to right field from Hokenson. Moments later, with the bases loaded, one out and a 2-2 count, Daylan Pena delivered the defining swing of the tournament. Pena crushed a grand slam, the team's fifth of the season, that ignited the home crowd and slashed the SIU lead to a single run.

Keeping the Racers in the game, Kane Elmy threw his longest outing of the season and put up a strong performance on the mound. He tossed 3 1/3 innings, allowing just one run while striking out four.

Despite the late surge and strong relief pitching, Murray State's 2026 campaign ended with a 9-7 defeat, concluding the year with a 33-27 record.

"I'm speechless." Skirka said of the program's progress in the last year, "I don't even know what to say, you know, from the run last year, to rebuilding the roster in the offseason, to getting these guys bought in all fall and winter and preparing like crazy. I know we've talked about it , but going through what these guys went through this spring was just amazing. They handled it with class, and every curveball we throw them, they just hammered it… We're going to miss some of these guys big time, there's some big shoes to fill."