MURRAY — Murray State Head Baseball Coach said he had the option Monday of he and his team learning about their NCAA Tournament draw in either a public or private setting.

He said it did not take him long to make the decision.

“I said public!” Skirka said after the team watched the ESPN2 broadcast of the NCAA Selection Show inside the Murray Room of the CFSB Center on the Murray State campus. Not only was the team in attendance, so too was a large Racer Nation audience to watch their team’s official notification for its fourth-ever entry to the NCAAs. 

The Racers drew 2022 College World Series champion and Southeastern Conference powerhouse Mississippi in this weekend’s Oxford Regional. 

“These guys have earned the recognition,” Skirka said. “Let’s get them out there as much as possible because you’re getting to know them and their personalities … and they’re awesome guys.

“For them to get the recognition for the work they’ve put in? I’m happy for them.”

This kind of event has been a common thing for Racer Athletics since the turn of the new year. In that time, and perhaps ahead of schedule from previous predictions, Murray State teams have won two postseason tournament championships inside the mighty Missouri Valley Conference (baseball and women’s basketball), along with an individual overall crown (Trey Wall in men’s golf) and three regular-season titles (tennis, which won Murray State its first Valley tourney title last year, along with women’s basketball and baseball).

And as time as elapsed, the country has come to know that Racer teams love to show their enthusiasm when they are on camera for such programs. Monday was no different.

In fact, of all of the teams that were shown on the live broadcast, the Racers seemed to have the strongest reaction. Many of the established programs in the nation had no reaction at all (one player was even seen yawning). Others had a quick burst of applause, then immediately had looks of fear, as if facing a ride on a 300-foot roller coaster, realizing they were being put in the ring with teams that might destroy them in their first games. 

The Racers, on the other hand, were ready, bursting from their seats with yells, fist pumps, clapping, dancing and, generally, acting as if they also were about to ride that same roller-coaster … only they had a mindset of “bring it on!”

“This team has a different identity,” Skirka said, acknowledging that his team probably has reason for not fearing Ole Miss. After all, the Racers beat the Rebels in an epic game last year in Oxford and had the lead late in this year’s early-season matchup, also in Oxford, before Ole Miss — who had a very strong finish to the regular season and lost, 3-2, to NCAA top seed Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament title game on Sunday — came back to win in extra innings. 

“But yeah, they really do enjoy each other and they really want to have fun … so they’re a little silly but in a great way. So I wasn’t surprised (by the strong reaction). They really enjoy being around each other and playing this game and we’re excited to get to do it at least another week.”

The Racers will meet the Rebels in a game set for 7 Friday night at Swayze Field in Oxford. The game can be seen on ESPN+.