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College World Series: How did Murray State get here? Can Cinderella run continue?
College World Series: How did Murray State get here? Can Cinderella run continue?
The College World Series is upon us again. This week, eight college baseball teams will take the field in Omaha in pursuit of a national championship.
We have a few familiar faces. LSU and Arizona — two of the sports most storied programs — are back. Louisville, UCLA, Arkansas, Oregon State, and Coastal Carolina are here too.
Then there's Murray State.
The Racers were the No. 4 seed in the Oxford Regional, but upset Georgia Tech and beat Ole Miss twice to advance to a super regional vs. Duke. Murray State kept the magic rolling at Duke, beating the Blue Devils in three games.
The Racers are now 44-15 on their way to their first ever College World Series appearance.
Here's what you should know about Murray State as the Racers look to continue their Cinderella run.
The pitching will be tested
Murray State's pitching has struggled vs. power conference teams. The Racers are winning games, but it's because of a lineup that's managed to win shootouts. If Murray State finds itself in a pitcher's duel, there are questions.
The Racers' top two arms, Nic Schutte and Isaac Silva, both have 1.38 WHIPs. Schutte allowed six earned runs in his regional start vs. Ole Miss and five earned runs in his super regional start vs. Duke.
Silva allowed seven runs vs. Georgia Tech and six vs. Duke.
Behind those two, the Racers don't have that many trusted arms in the bullpen, either. The LSU lineup should feel good about this matchup if they meet in Omaha.
Who can do damage at the plate?
Murray State's offense is red hot right now. It's how they've won tournament games despite a pitching staff prone to allowing chunks of runs.
Jonathan Hogart leads the team with 22 home runs. The redshirt senior has been slugging away with six home runs in the NCAA Tournament. Hogart hit three bombs vs. Duke, including two in the Game 3 win.
Hogart isn't alone in supplying the power. Slugger Carson Garner has 32 extra base hits with a 1.027 OPS.
Keep an eye on Dom Decker and Justin Mercer, too. They don't have much power, but Decker hits .361 and Mercer hits .356.
This lineup has scored 12+ runs on three occasions in the NCAA Tournament, including a 19-run outburst vs. Duke.
Program history
This year was just Murray State's fourth NCAA Tournament appearance. The Racers had made three prior trips in 1975, 1979, and 2003.
Murray State and LSU are in the same side of the bracket, so there's a chance they meet this week. There's also some postseason history between the squads after they met in the 1975 regional.
All of Murray State's previous postseason trips ended in a regional exit. This year was the program's first taste of a super regional and the Racers took advantage, earning the College World Series trip.
Murray State isn't the type of program you expect to see in Omaha. The Racers stadium holds just 800 fans, but head coach Dan Skirka has Murray State punching above its weight.
