The Racers are headed to Omaha.
With a 5-4 win Monday over the Duke Blue Devils in Durham, North Carolina, Murray State University's baseball team is advancing to the Men’s College World Series for the first time in program history.
After losing Game 1 of the super regional to Duke on Saturday 7-4, the Racers roared back with a vengeance on Sunday, defeating the Blue Devils 19-9 to force a winner-take-all scenario Monday night.
Murray State’s Jonathan Hogart led off Monday night’s game with a home run in the first at-bat. After notching two runs in the first inning, the Racers’ bats cooled off, with the team held scoreless for the next five innings.
By the top of the seventh, Duke had scored three runs to take a slight lead over the Racers. Hogart’s power hitting came through for the second time Monday night, as he launched a home run into left field to tie the game up 3-3. With that dinger, his 22nd of the year, Hogart tied the program record for home runs in a season.
In the first at-bat at the top of the eighth inning, MSU’s Luke Mistone launched another home run over the left field fence to take back the lead for the Racers. Dan Tauken then notched an RBI triple to put the Racers up 5-3. Duke’s Macon Winslow responded with a home run of his own at the bottom of the eighth to cut the Racers’ lead down to one.
After going scoreless at the top of the ninth, Murray State was three outs away from advancing to the World Series. With one out and a runner on first base, Duke’s Ben Miller sent a ground ball to Murray State’s shortstop Conner Cunningham, who tossed it to second baseman Dom Decker to set up what would have been a routine double play in most situations. However, Duke’s Wallace Clark, who was running from first base, slid into Decker after he tagged the bag at second base before Decker could make the throw to first. The referees then called both Duke players out due to runner’s interference – and Murray State players rushed the mound, celebrating the play they thought had just clinched the Racers’ first berth in the Men’s College World Series.
It turned out that on-field celebration was premature. After Duke’s coaching staff challenged the on-field call, the referees overturned the previous ruling of a double play due to runner’s interference, leaving Duke with the tying run on first base and two outs and forcing the Racers to come down from their emotional high to take care of business in one final out.
That left pitcher Graham Kelham – who came onto the mound in the seventh inning – to face Duke’s Jake Hyde, who had already hit a home run in the third inning of Monday’s game. After fouling off a couple of Kelham’s pitches, Hyde sent a groundball to Mistone, the first baseman – who cooly walked to the base to secure the eighth and final spot at the MCWS for the Racers.
Hats came flying out of the Racers’ dugout as the players once again rushed the mound and dogpiled Kelham to celebrate the first trip to Omaha in Murray State baseball’s history.
Kelham earned the win for the Racers, getting the final eight outs of the night.
Holding his son Keegan, head coach Dan Skirka was overwhelmed with emotion in an interview with ESPN moments after the Racers’ win.
“God is great,” Skirka said. “[Coaches] try to be the example and lead them and it’s such a great group. We’re so blessed.”
The Racers’ first trip to Omaha marks another milestone in an already historic season. Murray State – which won both the Missouri Valley Conference’s regular season championship and the MVC tournament title – advanced to the NCAA super regional round for the first time in program history after winning the Oxford, Mississippi Regional. The Racers also set a program record this year for most wins in a season with 44 and counting.
Murray State is the first MVC team to advance to the MCWS since 2003. The Racers are also just the fourth regional four-seed to advance all the way to Omaha.
In the Men’s College World Series, eight teams – narrowed down from a field of 64 programs – play for a shot at the NCAA Baseball Championship. The teams are split into two double-elimination brackets. The winners of those two brackets then face off in a best-of-three series for the biggest title in college baseball.
Murray State will play at least two games at the MCWS, with the first against UCLA on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT in Omaha. The Racers’ next game would be on Monday at either 1 or 7 p.m. CT, depending on the results of Saturday’s game. In addition to UCLA, Murray State’s bracket also includes Arkansas and LSU.
