Racers Set for Weekend Tournament in Bluegrass State

Friday, February 27

Lexington, KY

12:30 p.m.

Murray State

Michigan State

Photo by: David Eaton-Murray State Athletics

2/26/2026 9:10:00 AM | Softball

Murray State Travels to Lexington for the John Cropp Classic

By: Charlie Williams

Dates (Times): Friday, Feb. 27 (12:30 p.m. CT), Saturday, Feb. 28 (10 a.m. / 12:30 p.m. CT), Sunday, March 1 (1 / 3 p.m. CT) Opponents: Michigan State Spartans, Dayton Flyers, Kentucky Wildcats Locations (Venues): Lexington, Kentucky (John Cropp Stadium) Streaming: SEC Network+ Live Stats: GoRacers.com

Murray State Softball (6-8) will wrap up its non-conference schedule this weekend at the John Cropp Classic, hosted by the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington, Kentucky.

The Racers hosted a tournament of their own last weekend, picking up wins over Green Bay and South Dakota State at the Velvet Milkman Classic. Several Racers put together strong performances on the weekend, including pitchers Karlye Graber and Bre Haislip. Graber started the weekend by getting the win over Green Bay as a reliever, striking out three across 5 1/3 innings of work. She followed that up with a nine-strikeout performance in a loss to North Dakota. The sophomore did not allow a run in either game. Haislip got the win and pitched a complete game in the win over South Dakota State, not allowing an earned run and striking out four.

Prior to the Velvet Milkman Classic, the Racers hosted Kentucky for their 2026 home opener. In a hard-fought 4-2 loss, a record crowd of 657 saw Katy Huels go 2-for-4 at the plate on the day and score a run. Kynadee Warner, Allie Waldron, Kenley Minor, and Reagan Towns all recorded base hits. Waldron and Minor recorded RBI, while Towns recorded the first hit of her career. Bre Haislip started in the circle, pitching four innings and allowing just one earned run.

Kynadee Warner leads the team in batting average at .364 with 16 hits and an on-base percentage of .431. The sophomore is also a threat on the basepaths, with five steals on seven attempts. Freshman Allie Waldron leads the team with eight RBI and features a .278 batting average and a team-high 10 walks. The catcher is also tied with Bailey Broemmer to lead the team with two home runs. Broemmer is batting .383 on the season and adds 12 hits, six RBI, and a pair of doubles. Sophomore Katy Huels is tied with Broemmer for second on the team in hits with 12. Adison Hicks is second on the team with seven RBI and features five stolen bases in five attempts, fifth-best in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Bre Haislip (2-1) features a team-low 2.50 ERA, the fourth best in the MVC, along with 13 strikeouts across a team-high 28 innings with two complete games. Karlye Graber (2-1) leads the team with 23 strikeouts and has the lowest allowed batting average on the team at .223.

Scouting the Spartans Michigan State enters the John Cropp Classic with an 8-6 record. They feature a win over 13th-ranked Clemson and went 2-3 with a pair of wins over Howard at last week's Purple and Gold Challenge at LSU. The Spartans finished the 2025 season with a 16-29 record and a 6-16 mark in the Big Ten. Sharonda McDonald-Kelley is in her fourth season as the head coach of the Spartans and features a 58-95 record at Michigan State with a 160-178 career record. The Racers and Spartans have faced off twice, with both teams picking up a single win at a 2017 tournament in Normal, Illinois.

Scouting the Flyers Dayton is currently riding a six-game winning streak and features a 7-1 record through the opening weeks of the 2026 season. They are coming off a four-win weekend at the Elon Phoenix Invitational, where they benefited from a 32-11 run differential. The Flyers went 30-18 in 2025 with a 17-5 record in the Atlantic 10. Their season came to an end in the A-10 Championship, as they were eliminated by Saint Louis. Head coach Cara Clark is in her 19th year at the helm of the Flyers. She features a 452-444-2 record at Dayton and a 583-570-2 record in her career. The Racers and Flyers have only faced off once, with the Racers picking up a 5-2 win in 2017.

Scouting the Wildcats Kentucky features a 12-4 record on the 2026 season and is riding a six-game winning streak of its own. The streak started in the Wildcats' midweek win over Murray State and continued with an undefeated weekend at the Blues City Invitational in Memphis, Tennessee. In 2025, the Wildcats finished with a 31-28 record and a 7-17 mark in the Southeastern Conference and appeared in the Clemson Regional. Rachel Lawson is in her 19th season as the head coach in Lexington and features a 640-392-1 record at Kentucky and a 732-476-1 career record.

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