Simon Elfrink
Sports Editor
While the skies continue to bring snow and ice, Murray State baseball still intends to kick off 2021 in an opening series at Lipscomb University on Saturday, Feb. 20.
The Racers look to follow up their success in 2020 by making the 2021 season a memorable one. Before the COVID-19 pandemic cut the 2020 season short after their last game on March 10, 2020, the Racers displayed an overall record of 10-7. The Racers had also won all seven games they hosted at Johnny Reagan Field. With the OVC preseason poll ranking the Racers third in the conference and the opening series against Lipscomb coming up on Friday, Feb. 19, the Racers are excited to retake the field.
Head Coach Dan Skirka said he and his team are excited, if the weather allows it, to get back between the lines for competition. With the depth of this year’s team, Skirka and the rest of the coaching staff feel that the Racers are ready for the packed, unorthodox schedule 2021 poses.
“We feel confident in a lot of different guys on the mound,” Skirka said. “We feel confident with a lot of different guys in the lineup. That’s going to be big playing the double headers on the weekend, and the OVC is going to be a challenge, but to have that depth with pitchers and position players is going to be nice.”
With an additional year of eligibility under their belts, the Racers return several key hitters that Skirka and the team are thrilled to have back. Among these bats are senior outfielders Brock Anderson and Ryan Perkins, as well as senior second basemen Jordan Cozart. By the time the season came to an abrupt halt in March, these three seniors had cemented themselves into pivotal roles in the Racers’ lineup.
Anderson was a huge power hitter for the Racers in 2020. In the 17-game season, Anderson hit eight home runs and drove in 23 runs, hitting .274 in the process. Anderson was on pace to shatter his statistics from 2019, and his .742 slugging percentage dwarfed his junior year’s .574.
Perkins was having a successful 2020, as well. Making a start in all 17 games, Perkins hit .303, six homers and 21 RBIs. Perkins posted a .370 on-base percentage, as well as a .652 slugging percentage.
Before COVID-19 put a stop to his season, Cozart was lighting pitchers up at the plate. Hitting .417 with fiver homers and nineteen RBIs, Cozart slugged .750 and reached base nearly every other appearance with an on-base percentage of .486. These numbers, coupled with strong defense at second base, allowed Cozart to be named Collegiate Baseball News 3rd-Team All-American, as well as D1Baseball’s Top 30 Second Baseman in the country. D1Baseball also wrote Cozart’s name down on their list for Top 50 Senior Hitters in the nation.
“When we finished the spring last year, they were hitting three, four, five in the order,” Skirka said. “Anytime those guys can come back and you don’t lose them to graduation you feel pretty good about it. I think a lot of teams are in that boat so that’s what’s going to make college baseball great this year. It’s going to be challenging; it’s going to be a dog fight every game.”
Despite the option to return, not all seniors took the opportunity for an additional year of college baseball. One name the Racers were sad to see absent from the roster was right-handed pitcher Trevor MacMurray, who boasted a 3-0 record and the conference’s lowest earned run average at an unbelievable 0.35 ERA over 25.2 innings, 25.1 of which were scoreless. MacMurray also led the OVC in hits per nine innings at 5.26 and struck out 23 batters in the short season. D1Baseball named him the OVC Breakout Pitcher of the Year.
Skirka said MacMurray’s loss will be difficult to make up for in the Racers’ rotation.
“Trevor was really hot for us last year, and it wasn’t just what he did on Friday nights,” Skirka said. “It was what he did all week in the weight room, around the pitching staff around the other guys. He was a phenomenal student athlete for us. One of our captains for multiple years, just did everything you asked and then some. You don’t replace Trevor MacMurray, but he left his stamp on this program. He influenced a lot of guys; he led a lot of guys in the right direction.”
The Racers will turn to pitchers like sophomore left-hander Shane Burns, who begins his third year for the Racers after a prominent 2020 season. Burns showed a modest 1-2 record, but achieved a 2.60 ERA in 17.1 innings pitched. Burns struck out 24 batters over that span and walked 13, keeping his opponents’ batting average down to just .190, the fifth lowest in the OVC.
Graduate student Sam Gardner has the potential to be another big arm for the Racers in 2021. Gardner made four starts on the mound in 2020, achieving a 3-0 record and a 1.47 ERA. In just 18.1 innings pitched, Gardner struck out 18 batters and walked only four. His opponents’ batting average was a low .222 as well.
“Shane battled last year,” Skirka said. “He wasn’t at his best, but he was still able to put up some decent numbers. Sam was battling through some injuries, and did the same so [I’m] excited to see those guys.”
Skirka and the Racers will get to test their mettle for the first time this season with a series against Lipscomb. The first game is slated to begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20.
