Murray State University Athletics
Thursday, May 12
Oxford, Ala.
12:30 p.m.
Murray State
vs
Southeast Missouri
Players Mentioned
OF/U
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
IF/UT
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics
Racers Take Aim At OVC Tournament Title Thursday
5/11/2022 11:00:00 PM | Softball
Top-seeded Murray State takes on SEMO in opener
Date (Time): May 12 (12:30 p.m.)
Opponent: #5 Southeast Missouri
Site (Venue): Oxford, Ala. (Choccolocco Park)
TV: ESPN+ (PxP: Graham Doty; Analyst: Donna Conrad)
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
Twitter In Game: @RacersSoftball
MUR Record (Streak): 37-15-1 (Won 1)
SEMO Record (Streak): 28-22 (Won 4)
MUR Last Game: W 5-2 (May 8, 2022; Murray, Ky.)
SEMO Last Game: W 9-1 [5] vs. SIUE (May 11, 2022; Oxford, Ala.)
All-Time Series vs. SEMO (Streak): MUR leads 18-14 (Lost 1)
All-Time Series in  OVC Tournament (Streak): First Meeting
First Meeting: L 2-4 (Apr. 17, 2010; Murray, Ky.)
Last Meeting: L 2-5 (Apr. 24, 2022; Murray, Ky.)
Last 5 vs. SEMO: 2-3 (LWWLL)
Last 10 vs. SEMO: 3-7 (LWWLLLLWLL)
Next Game: May 12 vs. TTU (5:30 p.m.) OR May 13 vs. BEL/UTM (1:30 p.m.)
In A Nutshell
The 2022 OVC regular-season champion Murray State softball team begins its quest for its first-ever NCAA regional appearance Thursday at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Alabama. First up for the top-seeded Racers is fifth-seeded Southeast Missouri at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN+. The Redhawks won their tournament opener Wednesday, defeating eighth-seeded SIUE, 9-1 in five innings.
All-Time Series At A Glance
The Racers lead Southeast Missouri in the all-time series 18-14, after taking two out three from the Redhawks last month in Murray. Thursday will be the first-ever meeting between Murray State and SEMO in the OVC tournament.
Scouting The Redhawks
The Redhawks are 28-22 overall this season and finished fourth in the OVC after sweeping Belmont on the final weekend of the regular season.
Offensively, SEMO is currently batting .280 on the year, while their opponents are hitting .242. In the circle, the Redhawks have a staff ERA of 3.46, while their opponents have limited them to an ERA of 4.29. In addition, Southeast Missouri pitchers this season are doling out 6.35 strikeouts per seven innings and have a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.3:1.
Individually, Rachel Rook leads the way for the Redhawks in the circle with an ERA of 2.68, a 18-9 record, two shutouts, 203 strikeouts and 53 walks. At the plate, Kaylee Anderson leads SEMO with a team-high batting average of .770 to go along with team-highs of 51 hits, 35 runs, 10 home runs and 17 walks.
A Win Thursday Would…
A win Thursday would give Murray State its first OVC tournament win since defeating UT Martin on May 13, 2016.
Champions
The Murray State Racers claimed their first ever OVC regular-season title Sunday with a 5-2 win over Morehead State. It is the first championship for 10th-season skipper Kara Amundson and also the first in the 13-year history of the program.
Flip The Script
With an overall record of 37-15-1, the Racers have had one of the best turnarounds in Division I softball. After finishing 22-29 last season, Murray State has seen an improvement of 29 games in 2022. Penn State currently boasts the best turnaround this season at +38, with Boise State following at +32. South Dakota is currently tied with the Racers at +29, while Louisiana Tech and Georgia Tech follow at +28 and New Mexico rounds out the top five best turnarounds at +26.
A Record Harvest
On Tuesday, the Racer softball team turned in one of the most impressive postseason awards hauls of any sport in school history. Hannah James and head coach Kara Amundson led the way for Murray State by being named as Pitcher and Coach of the Year, respectively. James was then joined by Gracie Osbron and Logan Braundmeier on the All-OVC first team, while Taylor Jackson, Sierra Gilmore, Lily Fischer and Jenna Veber were named to the second team. Osbron rounded out the awards for MSU by also being named to the OVC All-Newcomer team.
Elite Pitching
The Racer pitching staff proved to not only be the best in the OVC, but one of the best in the country this season. MSU is currently fifth nationally in ERA at 1.59, fourth in shutouts with 19, second in hit batters with only nine and seventh in strikeout-to-walk ratio.
The Dynamic Duo
Hannah James and Jenna Veber have combined to be one of the best 1-2 pitching punches in the nation this season. Individually, James has the 11th best ERA in the nation this season at 1.25, while Veber is 23rd at 1.53. Currently, the Racers are just one of four Division I programs that have multiple pitchers in the top 25 for ERA, along with Oklahoma, UCLA and UMBC.
Double Your Fun
Already the school's single-season record holder for doubles at 24, Logan Braundmeier needs just one more to tie the OVC single-season record of 25 and five to tie the NCAA DI record of 29.
Taking 21 For The Team
Lily Fischer tied Ellyn Troup's school record of being hit by a pitch 21 times in one season, Sunday against Morehead State. Fischer has been hit the second-most times of any player in the country this season and is fifth hit by pitcher per game at 0.40.
What's Next
The Racers next outing will be determined by their performance against Southeast Missouri on Thursday afternoon. Win and MSU's next game is Friday at 1:30 p.m. against either the two-seed Belmont or the three-seed UT Martin. Lose and the Racers will return to Choccolocco Park Thursday evening to take on sixth-seeded Tennessee Tech at 5:30 p.m. All 13 games of the 2022 OVC Softball Championship will stream live on ESPN+.
Opponent: #5 Southeast Missouri
Site (Venue): Oxford, Ala. (Choccolocco Park)
TV: ESPN+ (PxP: Graham Doty; Analyst: Donna Conrad)
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
Twitter In Game: @RacersSoftball
MUR Record (Streak): 37-15-1 (Won 1)
SEMO Record (Streak): 28-22 (Won 4)
MUR Last Game: W 5-2 (May 8, 2022; Murray, Ky.)
SEMO Last Game: W 9-1 [5] vs. SIUE (May 11, 2022; Oxford, Ala.)
All-Time Series vs. SEMO (Streak): MUR leads 18-14 (Lost 1)
All-Time Series in  OVC Tournament (Streak): First Meeting
First Meeting: L 2-4 (Apr. 17, 2010; Murray, Ky.)
Last Meeting: L 2-5 (Apr. 24, 2022; Murray, Ky.)
Last 5 vs. SEMO: 2-3 (LWWLL)
Last 10 vs. SEMO: 3-7 (LWWLLLLWLL)
Next Game: May 12 vs. TTU (5:30 p.m.) OR May 13 vs. BEL/UTM (1:30 p.m.)
In A Nutshell
The 2022 OVC regular-season champion Murray State softball team begins its quest for its first-ever NCAA regional appearance Thursday at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Alabama. First up for the top-seeded Racers is fifth-seeded Southeast Missouri at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN+. The Redhawks won their tournament opener Wednesday, defeating eighth-seeded SIUE, 9-1 in five innings.
All-Time Series At A Glance
The Racers lead Southeast Missouri in the all-time series 18-14, after taking two out three from the Redhawks last month in Murray. Thursday will be the first-ever meeting between Murray State and SEMO in the OVC tournament.
Scouting The Redhawks
The Redhawks are 28-22 overall this season and finished fourth in the OVC after sweeping Belmont on the final weekend of the regular season.
Offensively, SEMO is currently batting .280 on the year, while their opponents are hitting .242. In the circle, the Redhawks have a staff ERA of 3.46, while their opponents have limited them to an ERA of 4.29. In addition, Southeast Missouri pitchers this season are doling out 6.35 strikeouts per seven innings and have a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.3:1.
Individually, Rachel Rook leads the way for the Redhawks in the circle with an ERA of 2.68, a 18-9 record, two shutouts, 203 strikeouts and 53 walks. At the plate, Kaylee Anderson leads SEMO with a team-high batting average of .770 to go along with team-highs of 51 hits, 35 runs, 10 home runs and 17 walks.
A Win Thursday Would…
A win Thursday would give Murray State its first OVC tournament win since defeating UT Martin on May 13, 2016.
Champions
The Murray State Racers claimed their first ever OVC regular-season title Sunday with a 5-2 win over Morehead State. It is the first championship for 10th-season skipper Kara Amundson and also the first in the 13-year history of the program.
Flip The Script
With an overall record of 37-15-1, the Racers have had one of the best turnarounds in Division I softball. After finishing 22-29 last season, Murray State has seen an improvement of 29 games in 2022. Penn State currently boasts the best turnaround this season at +38, with Boise State following at +32. South Dakota is currently tied with the Racers at +29, while Louisiana Tech and Georgia Tech follow at +28 and New Mexico rounds out the top five best turnarounds at +26.
A Record Harvest
On Tuesday, the Racer softball team turned in one of the most impressive postseason awards hauls of any sport in school history. Hannah James and head coach Kara Amundson led the way for Murray State by being named as Pitcher and Coach of the Year, respectively. James was then joined by Gracie Osbron and Logan Braundmeier on the All-OVC first team, while Taylor Jackson, Sierra Gilmore, Lily Fischer and Jenna Veber were named to the second team. Osbron rounded out the awards for MSU by also being named to the OVC All-Newcomer team.
Elite Pitching
The Racer pitching staff proved to not only be the best in the OVC, but one of the best in the country this season. MSU is currently fifth nationally in ERA at 1.59, fourth in shutouts with 19, second in hit batters with only nine and seventh in strikeout-to-walk ratio.
The Dynamic Duo
Hannah James and Jenna Veber have combined to be one of the best 1-2 pitching punches in the nation this season. Individually, James has the 11th best ERA in the nation this season at 1.25, while Veber is 23rd at 1.53. Currently, the Racers are just one of four Division I programs that have multiple pitchers in the top 25 for ERA, along with Oklahoma, UCLA and UMBC.
Double Your Fun
Already the school's single-season record holder for doubles at 24, Logan Braundmeier needs just one more to tie the OVC single-season record of 25 and five to tie the NCAA DI record of 29.
Taking 21 For The Team
Lily Fischer tied Ellyn Troup's school record of being hit by a pitch 21 times in one season, Sunday against Morehead State. Fischer has been hit the second-most times of any player in the country this season and is fifth hit by pitcher per game at 0.40.
What's Next
The Racers next outing will be determined by their performance against Southeast Missouri on Thursday afternoon. Win and MSU's next game is Friday at 1:30 p.m. against either the two-seed Belmont or the three-seed UT Martin. Lose and the Racers will return to Choccolocco Park Thursday evening to take on sixth-seeded Tennessee Tech at 5:30 p.m. All 13 games of the 2022 OVC Softball Championship will stream live on ESPN+.
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