The Murray State baseball team had an interesting opening weekend to their season, as they were not able to play their first series at home against South Dakota State due to inclement weather. 

Instead, the Racers traveled to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to play a doubleheader against Western Illinois on Friday, Feb. 14.

The Racers got off to a hot start in the first game and scored six runs in the first inning, and this was due in no small part to a three-run homer hit by junior catcher Will Vierling. That was not all for him, as he also had another home run in the second inning, giving him two homers in his first two at-bats as a Racer.

The lead got up to seven runs before the Leathernecks of Western Illinois began to fight back, scoring three unanswered runs. But the Racers’ pitchers were able to hold them off and secure the 10-5 victory.

As for the second game, it was all Murray State, as they were able to shut out Western Illinois and get a huge 16-0 win to sweep the series.

The pitching for the Racers really got the job done, as senior Isaac Silva and junior Dylan Zentko combined to allow just two hits and racked up nine strikeouts. 

The offense was also clicking, especially in the fifth inning, where the Racers were able to score 11 runs. Redshirt senior Dan Tauken began the scoring in the fifth with a two-run homer, followed immediately by yet another big fly from Vierling, his third in the series.

The Racers were slated to be back at home for a three-game series against St. Thomas that would start on Saturday, Feb. 22, but that series has been cancelled due to inclement weather. They will instead play the Skyhawks of UT Martin on the road in a two-game series beginning on Tuesday, Feb. 25.