Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Illinois State
Valley Play Marches on as Racers Travel to Normal
4/24/2026 9:08:00 AM | Softball
Fifth-Place Murray State Takes on Third-Place Illinois State
Dates (Times): Saturday, April 25 (noon and 2:30 p.m. CDT), Sunday, April 26 (noon CDT)
Opponent: Illinois State Redbirds
Location (Venue): Normal, Illinois (Marian Kneer Softball Stadium)
Streaming: ESPN+
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
The Murray State Racers (20-21, 11-9 MVC) and Illinois State Redbirds (25-16, 14-8 MVC) will face off in a Missouri Valley Conference series on Saturday and Sunday in Normal, Illinois.
After winning one game in a weekend series at Belmont, the Redbirds are third in the MVC standings. Meanwhile, the Racers are fifth in the conference after splitting a midweek doubleheader against the second-place SIU Salukis. The Racers came up just short in the first game of the Tuesday twin bill, falling 4-3 despite an Adison Hicks two-RBI home run and excellent performances in the circle from Bre Haislip and Raylee Roby. They bounced back in Game 2, winning 3-0 as Parker Holcombe went 3-for-3 with two RBI, and Adison Hicks and Kynadee Warner each hit a triple, with Hicks going 2-for-2 with an RBI of her own. Karlye Graber allowed just three hits in 3 2/3 innings as a reliever and earned her first win in the circle since March 14 against Valparaiso.
The Racers are batting .274 as a team on the season. Parker Holcombe leads the team with a .348 batting average, while Kynadee Warner leads the way with 47 hits and features a .343 average. Sophomore Kenley Minor leads the Racers with 27 RBI and six home runs, in addition to being named MVC Player of the Week on April 7, while Bailey Broemmer is second on the team with five home runs and adds 21 RBI while batting .303. Freshman Allie Waldron is batting .325 on the year with 23 RBI and leads the team with eight doubles. Senior Adison Hicks adds eight extra-base hits and 18 RBI while batting .311.
The Murray State pitching staff is third in the MVC with a 3.65 combined ERA. Senior Bre Haislip (9-8) features a team-low 2.81 ERA and leads the team with 75 strikeouts and 119 2/3 innings pitched. Karlye Graber (6-5) features a 3.74 ERA and 48 strikeouts across 76 2/3 innings pitched, second most on the team. Raylee Roby (4-2) has a 3.33 ERA across 19 appearances and 42 innings pitched after big performances against Bradley, Indiana State, and SIU.
Scouting the Redbirds
Murray State trails in the series between the new MVC rivals 2-7, with the Racers' most recent win coming in the second game of the 2025 series, 6-1. Fourth-year head coach Tina Kramos has led the Redbirds to a 25-16 record with a 14-8 mark in MVC play, good for third in the conference. Last weekend, the Redbirds won the opening game of their series at Belmont before suffering a pair of extra-inning losses to the Bruins. The Redbirds are batting .297 as a team and are led at the plate by Bella Atkinson, who is fourth in the MVC with a .406 batting average and fifth in the conference with 42 RBI while leading the team with 10 home runs. Hannah Meeks features a .317 batting average, and Tatum Wolford is batting .320, and both are tied with Atkinson to lead the team with 13 doubles. Hannah Meshnick is second on the team with a .366 average and has 11 RBI, while Morgan Calhoun has 30 RBI with a .338 batting average. The Illinois State pitching staff features a combined 4.16 ERA, fourth best in the MVC, as Paige McLeod (17-3) leads the team with a 2.48 ERA and 70 strikeouts across 132 2/3 innings. Hannah Meshnick (6-10) has started 15 games in the circle with a 5.64 ERA and 47 strikeouts across 85 2/3 innings, and Gracelyn Kemp (2-2) has a 5.93 ERA across 41 1/3 innings with 18 strikeouts.
Follow the Racers on X (@MSURacers), Instagram (@RacersAthletics), and Facebook to stay up to date on all that is happening with Murray State Athletics. Follow Murray State Softball on X and Instagram (@RacersSoftball).
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