Murray State’s baseball team is in Omaha and preparing for its opening game in the Men’s College World Series against UCLA.
Murray State Associate Athletic Director of Athletic Communication Dave Winder, who is himself a former Racer baseball player, appeared on the WHOP Early Bird Show on Thursday and said the team is ready to get the tournament started.
The Racers have made the College World Series for the first time in school history. They join a field in Omaha that includes traditional baseball powerhouses including Oregon State, Louisville, Arkansas, LSU, Coastal Carolina, and Arizona.
Considered the “Cinderella” of the tournament, the Racers won the Missouri Valley Conference before shocking the college baseball world by knocking out No. 10 seed Ole Miss to win the Oxford Regional.
Then last weekend, it was Duke’s turn as the Racers won the best-of-three series in Durham, N.C., to reach the College World Series.
Winder said it’s been an incredible run for the team.
One of the leaders on this year’s Murray team is Madisonville native Jonathan Hogart, who leads the nation in leadoff home runs with eight. He is one homer away from breaking the school’s single-season home run mark.
Hogart transferred to Murray from Louisiana Tech and is one of several players that found Murray when others didn’t show interest.
Winder said third baseman Dom Decker came out of an Indiana junior college; Luke Mistone transferred from Cal State-Fullerton; catcher Will Vierling transferred from Louisville and is from Wisconsin; ace pitcher Nic Schutte came from Motlow State and had no Division-I offers; pitcher Isaac Silva transferred from Troy where he played for three seasons and barely saw the field; and of course, star relief pitcher Graham Kelham, who arrived after taking the Juco path and played last season with the Hoptown Hoppers.
It is an unlikely group of players who have accomplished the greatest season in Murray State baseball history. They will look to keep the Cinderella story going on Saturday at 1 p.m. when the Racers meet UCLA on ESPN. The winner advances to play the winner of the LSU-Arkansas game. The loser of Saturday’s game will drop into the consolation bracket to play the loser of the LSU-Arkansas game.