Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
University of Evansville
Racers to Open MVC Championship Against Sixth-Seeded Aces
5/5/2026 11:57:00 AM | Softball
Murray State and Evansville to face off in opening round.
Date (Time): Wednesday, May 6 (3 p.m. CDT)
Opponent: Evansville Purple Aces
Location (Venue): Carbondale, Illinois (Charlotte West Stadium)
Streaming: ESPN+
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
The Murray State Racers (26-21, 17-9 MVC) are set to begin their pursuit of the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference Championship with an opening-round game against the Evansville Purple Aces (21-28, 12-15 MVC) in Carbondale, Illinois.
The Racers ended the regular season riding a seven-game winning streak all the way to the No. 3 seed in the MVC Championship. Meanwhile, the Purple Aces were the last team in, capturing the No. 6 seed despite a five-game losing streak that included being swept by Valparaiso.
Murray State wrapped up the regular season in style, sweeping the Drake Bulldogs despite trailing in each of the final two games of the series. Adison Hicks led the team with seven RBI on the week and hit her seventh home run of the season. Freshman catcher Allie Waldron continued her stellar campaign, being the second Racer in as many weeks to be named MVC Freshman of the Week. The St. Louis native totaled six RBI, two doubles, and a pair of home runs on the weekend. In a 17-6 win on Friday, the freshman notched her second multi-homer game of the season, going 3-for-4 with a pair of three-run home runs and a double.
Sophomore transfer Kynadee Warner continues to lead the team with a .366 batting average and 59 hits. She also features a team-high 18 multi-hit games and has recorded six RBI on the year. Waldron is second on the team with a .329 batting average and 46 hits, while leading the team with 11 doubles and 23 walks. She also features 29 RBI and five home runs across her freshman campaign in the navy and gold. At second base, Adison Hicks has 44 hits and 33 RBI while batting .317 with seven home runs, three doubles, and a pair of triples. The other half of the middle infield, Parker Holcombe, is hitting .321 with 36 hits and 21 RBI. Bailey Broemmer is batting .317 with seven home runs, seven doubles, and 29 RBI, while Kenley Minor leads the team with eight homers and 36 RBI while batting .279.
The Murray State pitching staff is third in the MVC with a combined 3.74 ERA. Senior Bre Haislip (11-8) features a team-low 3.09 ERA and leads the team with 83 strikeouts and 131 1/3 innings pitched. Karlye Graber (9-5) features a 3.54 ERA and 55 strikeouts across 91 innings pitched, second most on the team. Raylee Roby (5-2) has a 3.80 ERA across 25 appearances and 55 innings pitched. Sophomore transfer Emily Siurek (0-2) has made 11 appearances and three starts, with a 3.79 ERA and 12 strikeouts across 24 innings, while freshman Hailey Brereton (1-4) has a 12.73 ERA across nine appearances and eight starts.
Scouting the Aces
Murray State holds a 16-12 advantage in the all-time series despite losing the regular-season series between the two teams earlier this year, the Racers' only series loss of the season. The Aces swept a pair of Friday match-ups, winning 3-0 and 6-5, before the Racers avoided a series sweep with a 3-1 win on Saturday. First-year head coach Bailey Dillender has led the Aces to their most MVC wins since 2016 on their way to a No. 6 seed appearance in the MVC tournament. Niki Bode continues to lead the Aces at the plate with the fifth-best batting average in the MVC at .389 and 51 total hits with 20 extra-base hits. Brooke Voss leads the Aces with 10 home runs and 34 RBI to go with five doubles and three triples. As a team, the Aces' batting average of .270 ranks ninth in the MVC with 348 total hits and 205 RBI. The Evansville pitching staff is eighth in the MVC with a combined 5.11 ERA, as Kate Ridgeway (10-13) leads the staff with a 4.23 ERA, 144 innings pitched across 32 appearances and 28 starts, 142 strikeouts, and 87 earned runs. Alexis Tucker (7-8) features a 4.46 ERA and 61 strikeouts across 108 1/3 innings of work.
Up Next
The winner of Wednesday's matchup will go on to face Southern Illinois at 3 p.m. CDT on Thursday, while the loser will face the loser of Wednesday's game between UNI and Illinois State at 6 p.m. CDT on Wednesday.
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