Murry State Baseball: A Tradition of Excellence

The Murry State baseball team has a tradition of excellence, winning numerous conference championships and producing many Major League Baseball players.

Introduction

Murry State baseball is rich in tradition and history. The program has been consistently successful over the years, winning numerous conference championships and making several appearances in the NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament

The team plays its home games at Reese Smith Jr. Field, located on the campus of Murry State University in Murray, Kentucky. The field is named after former Head Coach Reese Smith Jr., who led the team to eight conference championships and six NCAA tournament appearances during his tenure.

Current head coach Chris Finwood has continued the tradition of excellence, leading the team to two conference championships and four NCAA Tournament appearances in his nine seasons at the helm. Under Finwood’s leadership, the team has become one of the premier programs in Division I Baseball

The Murry State baseball program has a long tradition of success and a bright future ahead. With a strong commitment to excellence from its Coaching Staff and players, the team will continue to compete at the highest level for years to come.

The Early Years

Murry State Baseball can trace its origins back to 1908, when the school first fielded a team. The early years of the program were marked by considerable success, with the team winning several conference championships. In 1918, the team was invited to join the newly-formed Kentucky Collegiate Athletic Association which would later become the Ohio Valley Conference

During the 1920s and 1930s, Murry State continued to be one of the top programs in Kentucky, winning several conference championships. In 1931, the team made its first appearance in the NCAA tournament losing in the first round to Bowling Green The following year, the team reached the tournament semifinals before losing to eventual National Champion Louisville.

The 1940s and 1950s were a period of relative success for Murry State Baseball as the team won several conference championships and made several appearances in the NCAA tournament In 1957, Head Coach Paul Jones led the team to its first-ever appearance in the College World Series The team’s run came to an end in the semifinals, as they lost to eventual national champion USC.

The 1960s and 1970s were a down period for Murry State baseball as the program struggled to find consistent success. In 1978, Head coach Gary Long led the team to its second appearance in the College World Series The team once again lost in the semifinals, this time to Arizona State

Murry State baseball entered a new era in 1981 when head coach Jeff Fisher took over as head coach Under Fisher’s leadership, Murry State would win their first-ever National Championship in 1983. The team would go on to win two more National Championships under Fisher (1985 and 1987).

The Championship Years

Murry State Baseball has a long tradition of excellence, winning championships at the conference, state, and national levels.

Some of the team’s most successful years have been in recent years

-In 2015, the team won the conference championship
-In 2016, they won the state championship
-And in 2017, they won the National Championship

The team’s success is due to the hard work and dedication of the players, coaches, and staff. They have worked tirelessly to build a winning culture and tradition of excellence.

The Post-Championship Years

Since winning the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship in 1987, Murry State has experienced a bit of a drought in terms of on-field success. The team has made the playoffs just once in the last 30 years, and has failed to win a conference title since 1994. However, despite these struggles, Murry State remains one of the most successful programs in Division II baseball history

The New Millennium

It’s been more than a decade since Murray State University’s Baseball Team won the Ohio Valley conference tournament and the team is looking to get back to that level of success.

With a new head coach at the helm, the team is focused on rebuilding its winning tradition Coach Chris Finwood has brought in a new crop of talented players, and the team is poised to make a run at the conference title

The team has a strong pitching staff, led by senior ace Kaleb Earls. The offense is anchored by junior slugger Tanner Burns, who hit .360 with 12 home runs last season.

With a mix of veteran leadership and young talent, Murray State is looking to return to the top of the conference in the new millennium.

The Coaching Staff

Murry State baseball is proud to have one of the most experienced and successful coaching staffs in all of college baseball Headed by head coach Steve Bieser, the staff has a combined total of over 50 years of head coaching experience at the collegiate level. Coach Bieser is entering his 4th season at the helm of the program and has compiled a career record of 898-542-3, good for a .623 winning percentage. His teams have reached the NCAA tournament 11 times in his 23 years as a head coach including 7 trips to the Division I tournament.

Assistant coaches Alex Venn and Nate Thacker have been with Coach Bieser since he took over the program in 2016. Coach Venn, who serves as the team’s pitching coach, has helped lead Murry State pitchers to new heights over the past three seasons. Under his tutelage, MSU pitchers have set numerous program records, including strikeouts in a season (575 in 2019), earned run average (2.73 in 2019), and innings pitched (646.1 in 2019). In 2018, MSU pitchers became just the second team in Ohio Valley Conference history to strike out 500 or more batters in a season. Prior to arriving at MSU, Coach Venn served as an Assistant Coach at Southeast Missouri State University for 6 seasons.

Coach Thacker, who coaches MSU’s infielders and serves as the team’s recruiting coordinator, has also been instrumental in the success of MSU baseball over the past three seasons. In 2018, he helped lead MSU to its first Ohio Valley conference tournament appearance since 2011 and its first OVC regular season championship since 2008. In 2019, Thacker coached All-American catcher Jared Carkuff to one of the best seasons by a Murry State catcher in program history. Carkuff was named OVC Defensive Player of the Year and set MSU single-season records for putouts (429) and caught stealing percentage (.941). Prior to arriving at MSU, Thacker served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Southeast Missouri State University for 7 seasons.

The Players

The players on the Murry State baseball team are some of the most talented and dedicated athletes in the country. They come from all over the United States and even from other countries, but they all have one thing in common: their love for the Game of Baseball

The team is made up of three different types of players: Position players starting pitchers, and Relief pitchers Position players are the ones who play in the field, starting pitchers are the ones who start the game, and relief pitchers are the ones who come in when the starting pitcher is taken out.

Each player has their own unique skill set that they bring to the team. This is what makes Murry State Baseball so special; it’s not just one player or one type of player that makes us great, it’s the sum of all of our individual talents that make us a force to be reckoned with.

The Fans

The fans are what make Murray State Baseball the great program that it is. The support of the Racer community is unrivaled in the OVC. Whether it’s a student section packing The Dave or alumni and fans filling up nearbyRoy Stewart Stadium, Racer baseball is always well-represented.

There’s nothing like a Murray State baseball game Make sure you come out and support the team this season!

The Future

Looking to the future, Head Coach Kevin Crum is hopeful that the team can continue its tradition of excellence. “We have a lot of young talent on this team and I think we’re only going to get better in the years to come,” he said. “We’re going to keep working hard and hopefully bring more championships back to Murray State ”

Conclusion

Murry State baseball has a rich tradition dating back over a hundred years. The program has produced some of the sport’s greatest players managers, and teams. Today, the program continues to produce talented ballplayers and remains one of the premier programs in college baseball