Murray State Racers Punch College World Series Ticket in Dramatic Fashion with Win over Duke in Super Regional Thriller

The Murray State Racers are going to Omaha. In what will go down as one of the most unforgettable nights in program history, the Racers won the Super Regional at Duke with a 5-4 victory over the Blue Devils to secure their first-ever trip to the College World Series.

It didn’t come easy—and at one point, they had to win the game twice.

After leading most of the contest and fending off a late surge from Duke, Murray State clung to a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth with one out to go. That final out seemed to arrive on a controversial play: a ground ball to shortstop with a runner on first, where a sliding Duke baserunner at second base was ruled to have interfered with the turn of a potential double play. The umpires called interference, awarding the Racers a game-ending double play.

Cue the celebration.

Players stormed the field. Gloves and hats went flying. But just as quickly as the chaos began, it came to a halt. The umpires convened, discussed, and reversed the interference call—saying the slide was legal. The batter-runner was ruled safe at first, and Duke was alive again with two outs and a runner aboard.

No matter. Murray State took the field again, composed and determined to finish what they started. On the very next pitch, the Duke batter rolled one to first base. The out was recorded. This time, it counted.

And the celebration resumed—only this time, it was real.

The final play was fitting for a game full of momentum swings, tight execution, and nail-biting tension. But the story of how Murray State got there was written earlier in the night, largely thanks to Madisonville native Jonathan Hogart. The slugging infielder came through with two towering home runs, including what turned out to be the game-winning solo shot in the top of the seventh inning.

Hogart’s second blast broke a 4-4 tie and helped seal a defining moment for a program that’s been knocking on the door of college baseball relevance for years.

“This is everything we’ve worked for,” Hogart said after the game, still clutching the game ball and wearing a face smeared with eye black, champagne, and tears. “We’re going to Omaha, and we’re doing it together.”

Murray State’s journey to this point has been anything but conventional. They entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed in their regional and shocked the college baseball world by knocking off heavily favored teams in back-to-back elimination games. Then came a grueling, weather-delayed Super Regional at Duke that stretched their pitching thin and tested their grit at every turn.

But the Racers met the moment, with role players stepping up and stars delivering when it mattered most.

The night started with a bang as Hogart launched his first home run in the top of the second to give Murray State an early lead. Duke answered quickly with a two-run shot of their own in the bottom of the third, and the teams traded blows until the fifth, when a clutch two-out single by Murray State’s leadoff man tied the game at 3-3.

A manufactured run in the sixth gave the Racers a short-lived 4-3 lead, but Duke once again responded, using a pair of singles and a sacrifice fly to even the score once more.

That’s when Hogart came up again in the seventh. With two outs and nobody on, he worked a full count and crushed a fastball over the left-field fence, igniting the Racer dugout and silencing the once-raucous Durham crowd.

From there, the pressure only mounted.

Murray State’s bullpen—a patchwork unit of converted starters and young arms—delivered three crucial innings, including a tense eighth where Duke loaded the bases with just one out. Junior right-hander Caleb Burns struck out one batter on a high fastball and then got a lazy flyout to center to preserve the lead.

Then came the ninth, where it seemed Murray State had already won before the rug was momentarily pulled out from under them.

“It’s a good thing we didn’t panic,” said Racers head coach Dan Skirka, who has led the program since 2019. “We tell our guys all the time to play until the final out. Turns out we had to get that final out twice. And we did.”

Skirka’s steady leadership and strategic acumen have guided the Racers through one of the most improbable runs in recent college baseball memory. Under his watch, Murray State has transformed from a middling Ohio Valley Conference team into a gritty contender capable of beating anyone.

Now, they’re among the final eight teams standing—and headed to Omaha for the first time in school history.

For a program that has quietly built a winning culture without the fanfare of SEC budgets or Power Five exposure, the trip to the College World Series is validation of everything they’ve built.

“It’s not just about this group,” Skirka said. “It’s about every player who came through this program and helped us lay the foundation. They’re part of this too.”

That sentiment was echoed by senior catcher Riley Morgan, who transferred to Murray State after starting his career at a JUCO in Illinois.

“This is a brotherhood,” Morgan said. “I’ve never been around a team this close, and that’s why we’re going to Omaha. We’ve got talent, sure—but more than that, we believe in each other.”

While Hogart’s heroics will dominate the headlines, the Racers got contributions from top to bottom. Sophomore left fielder Jackson Bates made a diving catch in the sixth that prevented what could’ve been a go-ahead run. Senior second baseman Landon Greer turned two double plays. And freshman reliever Mikey Jarrell, pitching on short rest, bridged the gap to the ninth inning with two scoreless frames.

The Racers’ defense, though tested, held up when it mattered. And their bats—timely if not overwhelming—did just enough to get them over the top.

When the final out was recorded (for the second time), Murray State players collapsed in joy and disbelief. A team that few outside of their region believed in is now headed to college baseball’s biggest stage.

For Hogart, a small-town kid from Madisonville who dreamed of playing in the College World Series, the night was nothing short of perfect.

“I just kept thinking, ‘Is this real?’” Hogart said. “I grew up watching Omaha on TV. And now we’re going.”

And they’re going in style—battle-tested, unshaken, and ready for more.

Murray State may not have the history, the hype, or the household names. But they have heart, a little magic, and now, a ticket to Omaha.