The Murray State Racers left behind their 800-seat home stadium in Kentucky for the national spotlight in Omaha, Nebraska. As the biggest underdog in the College World Series, the Racers are set to begin play on Saturday, June 14, on college baseball’s biggest stage.
Who are the Murray State Racers?
The Racers were just the fourth team from the regionals to make it all the way to Omaha as a No. 4 seed. The school, with an enrollment of just over 10,000 students in Murray, Kentucky, was known primarily for its basketball program, which boasts 18 NCAA tournament appearances to its credit.
This is the first trip to the College World Series for the baseball team. Impressive enough to earn a shout-out on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky Congressman James Comer.
“This is a historic achievement for a small school,” Comer said. “Murray State defied the odds in the era of NIL and big contracts and players getting paid. This is a group of baseball players that want to play ball. They play hard every game, they weren’t highly recruited, and they win.”
How did they make it to the College World Series?
They can also hit. The Racers ranked 11th in the nation in scoring and generated 70 runs in seven regional tournament games. They beat both Ole Miss and Duke twice during their run to Omaha.
A post by a local reporter on X that went viral may have summed it up best. It’s an image of the Racers’ 800 800-seat stadium, with a caption that says that Coach Dan Skirka mows the grass himself. It’s just one of the duties a head coach at a small school has to do.
“A lot goes into it. We’re trying to prepare to win baseball games,” Skirka said. “But at the same time, we’re trying to prepare future husbands, dads, and future bosses and trying to do it the right way. A byproduct of that is winning some baseball games and getting to do something cool like this.”
What about being the biggest underdogs in the tournament?
The Racers also embraced the underdog role as they’ve done the entire postseason. It is a big deal back home, but Jonathan Hogart, who smashed a pair of home runs in the decisive game of the Durham Super Regional to send the Racers to Omaha, said he won’t be distracted.
“We don’t want to buy into any of the hype or the underdog story. We just want to focus on what we do best,” Hogart said. “The community support has been phenomenal back in Murray. We come home, there’s hundreds of people waiting for us. My hometown, personally, is going crazy right now. They’ve made drinks, shirts, huge watch party Saturday for us.”
Fresno State was the only regional four seed to make a Cinderella run all the way to a national championship. The Bulldogs won it all in 2008. The last team to give it a shot was Oral Roberts in 2023.
Which teams are the big favorites in Omaha?
SEC powers Arkansas and LSU are practically co-favorites, according to FanDuel and other sportsbooks. However, the favorite has won the tournament just once in the last 10 years. So, keep an eye out for a team like Coastal Carolina. This is their first trip back to the tournament since they won it all in 2016. Head coach Kevin Schnall made the case for the Chanticleers, who had quite the streak going.
“It’s an honor to be back,” Schnall said. “This team deserves to be back. We’re 53 and 11. We’ve won 23 straight games in a row. They’re one of eight teams in the country still playing, and again, they deserve that opportunity. They play so relentlessly and consistently all year.”
And there are three former Pac-12 teams to consider. UCLA and Arizona could make a run, but Oregon State, playing as an independent for the first time, is hoping to add to its three national titles. Outfielder Gavin Turley, who led the team with 19 home runs, believes it’s all about the team’s attitude.
“Going into the postseason, it’s kinda just like, ‘hey, we’re going to leave it all out there,’” Turley said. “Win or lose, there’s going to be no regrets. When you play like that, it’s easy to go out there and play free and perform at your best.”
The eight-team double-elimination tournament runs for 10 days and begins Friday afternoon, June 13, when Arizona takes on Coastal Carolina. Cinderella Murray State plays its first game on Saturday, June 14, against UCLA.
