Big offense and big hearts fuel Murray State Racers as their improbable CWS run is about to begin

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Like Fresno State, Stony Brook and Oral Roberts before them, the Murray State Racers are about to be embraced as the College World Series’ lovable underdogs by local fans looking to adopt a team for the week.

Murray State merchandise already is selling fast among folks who are much more likely to identify the southwestern Kentucky school with basketball alums Ja Morant or Popeye Jones than the upstart ballclub making its CWS debut.

As a No. 4 regional seed, the Racers (44-15) beat No. 10 national seed Mississippi of the SEC two out of three times on its home field and also took down the ACC’s Georgia Tech. Then they won two of three at Duke in the super regionals. Up next is their CWS opener against No. 15 UCLA (47-16) on Saturday.

"A lot of people are cheering for us, but how many people actually believe in us that we can get it done?" said Dustin Mercer, the team’s leading hitter.

There’s plenty of belief in the clubhouse. Coach Dan Skirka and his players say their bond is unique for a team made up of eight transfers from four-year schools, 14 from junior colleges and 14 others players who started their careers with the Racers.

The way they see it, their small-budget program has things money can’t buy - players’ trust in each other, love for each other and grittiness.

"We don't have all the bells and whistles," Skirka said.

No, they don’t. Murray State doled out $858,107 on baseball in the 2024 fiscal year. That’s about one-tenth of the $9 million baseball budgets for the SEC’s Arkansas and LSU, the biggest spenders in the CWS. The Racers were just under the 11.7 scholarship limit for this season.

Skirka’s most recent salary was listed at $91,000 on the state of Kentucky’s transparency website, about 10 times less than the man who will be in the opposite dugout Saturday, UCLA’s John Savage.

The Racers ranked in the bottom half of Division I home attendance this season, averaging 375 fans per game at 800-seat Johnny Reagan Field. Contrary to several published reports, Skirka said he does not mow the grass, though his players do shovel snow off the field if necessary before early season practices and games.

The 40-year-old Skirka is straight out of central casting as the Racers' seventh-year head coach. He grew up in Coldwater, Michigan, population 14,000, and played college ball about 90 minutes away at Division II Grand Valley State.

Before he took over at Murray State, where he had been an assistant from 2009-14, he had been an assistant and head coach at junior colleges and an assistant at Division II Ouachita Baptist in Arkansas.

"Humble beginnings," Skirka said.

Skirka’s mantra is to squeeze everything he can out of his limited resources and then add a personal touch. Skirka said it’s about recruiting the right people more than the right players. A lot of his team’s success is the result of what has happened off the field. There were the team dinners at Skirka’s house, bowling outings, creative conditioning drills and presentations players give in the fall about their lives outside baseball.

“The culture, I know it's cliché, but that's the number one thing on my mind 24/7,” Skirka said. "That's what these guys want. That's what I promised them in the recruiting process."

The Racers swept the Missouri Valley regular-season and tournament championships and have kept rolling. They’re batting .357 and averaging 10.8 runs per game since the start of regionals.

Mercer, in his third season with the Racers since transferring from Virginia Tech, is batting .360 for the season and .552 with seven doubles in the NCAA Tournament.

Leadoff man Jonathan Hogart, who played at a junior college and Louisiana Tech before arriving at Murray State last year, has hit four of his team-best 22 homers in the postseason.

Graham Kelham, who transferred from Division III Saint Francis after last season, has recorded saves in four of the Racers’ five tournament wins.

"I think it's cool what they've done," said Oregon State pitcher Dax Whitney, who watched the Racers’ 5-4 win over Duke on Monday. "They obviously earned the opportunity to be here. I don't think anybody should overlook them."

Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1999, Murray State is just the fourth No. 4 regional seed to make it to Omaha. Fresno State came out of the loser’s bracket to win six games on its way to the 2008 national championship. Stony Brook went 0-2 with a pair of lopsided losses in 2012. Oral Roberts went 1-2 in 2023.

Win or lose Saturday, the Racers will face either No. 3 national seed Arkansas or No. 6 LSU in their second game.

The Racers say they’re up for anything at this point. Skirka said he’s been running on adrenaline and Red Bull since regionals.

"Since we've landed it's been go, go, go," he said. "You see the smile and look of just pure joy on these guys' faces. It's pure. They're having the time of their lives."

So is Skirka.

"Thanks to this group of Racers, they helped me get here," he said. "And it's been awesome, and we're looking forward to a little bit of a lengthy stay here."