Latest news with #Skirka
San Francisco Chronicle
17-06-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
No-hit loss won't erase the lifetime memories made by Murray State during its improbable run
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The stands at Charles Schwab Field were emptying, and Murray State players wanted to savor their program's first College World Series as long as they could. Never mind the Racers had just been no-hit by Arkansas' Gage Wood in a 3-0 loss that will send them home to southwestern Kentucky on Tuesday. Some of the players filled jars with infield dirt, a keepsake from their improbable journey to the city where every college baseball team wants to be in June. Some milled about with family and friends. 'One of my wife's favorite movies is 'A League of Their Own,' and they said there's no crying in baseball,' an emotional coach Dan Skirka said to open his postgame news conference with 9-year-old son Keegan on his knee. 'Well, throw that out the window. There's no way I'm making it through this right here.' The Racers were the first Missouri Valley Conference team to make the CWS since 2003 and only the fourth No. 4 regional seed to get to Omaha since the NCAA Tournament went to its current format in 1999. They swept conference regular-season and tournament championships, beat No. 10 national seed Mississippi of the SEC twice on its home field and Georgia Tech of the ACC once en route to a regional title. Then the Racers went to Duke of the ACC for super regionals and lost the opener before winning two straight to punch their ticket to Omaha. Murray State overcame early jitters in its CWS opener against UCLA, falling behind 6-0, and lost 6-4. As for their game against Arkansas, the Racers just happened to run into a pitcher who threw one of the greatest games in college baseball history — a no-hitter with 19 strikeouts, a record in a nine-inning CWS game and tied for most by a Division I pitcher this season. 'We never lost faith. Haven't all year. We're not about to start now," third baseman Carson Garner said. 'About halfway through the game, I think we realized that, 'Hey, this guy's, he's dealing, he's throwing a perfect game.' ' Murray State finished 44-17 to set a program record for wins, ending the season with only its second shutout loss. 'The wins are phenomenal. We had a lot of them,' said Jonathan Hogart, who led the Racers with 22 homers. 'You just can't match the culture we have here. I'm going to miss Coach, I'm going to miss these two (Garner and Dustin Mercer). I'm going to miss every one of these guys. Strap on the cleats to go to war with these guys was such a blessing this year, and I'll never take it for granted.' Skirka, who finished his seventh season at the Racers' coach, put together a roster made up of eight Division I transfers, 14 from junior colleges and 14 high school recruits. Skirka said no one on his team was making money from endorsements or other name, image and likeness opportunities. 'You say at the end of the year only one team's happy,' Skirka said. 'That ain't the case this year. There's definitely more than one because these guys, the run they went on, you're not going to be able to wipe the smile off their face for a really long time. That's what I told them. They're going to share this for ages and people are going to ask them about it for ages, and that's really the cool thing.'
Hamilton Spectator
16-06-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
No-hit loss won't erase the lifetime memories made by Murray State during its improbable run
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The stands at Charles Schwab Field were emptying, and Murray State players wanted to savor their program's first College World Series as long as they could. Never mind the Racers had just been no-hit by Arkansas' Gage Wood in a 3-0 loss that will send them home to southwestern Kentucky on Tuesday. Some of the players filled jars with infield dirt, a keepsake from their improbable journey to the city where every college baseball team wants to be in June. Some milled about with family and friends. 'One of my wife's favorite movies is 'A League of Their Own,' and they said there's no crying in baseball,' an emotional coach Dan Skirka said to open his postgame news conference with 9-year-old son Keegan on his knee. 'Well, throw that out the window. There's no way I'm making it through this right here.' The Racers were the first Missouri Valley Conference team to make the CWS since 2003 and only the fourth No. 4 regional seed to get to Omaha since the NCAA Tournament went to its current format in 1999. They swept conference regular-season and tournament championships, beat No. 10 national seed Mississippi of the SEC twice on its home field and Georgia Tech of the ACC once en route to a regional title. Then the Racers went to Duke of the ACC for super regionals and lost the opener before winning two straight to punch their ticket to Omaha. Murray State overcame early jitters in its CWS opener against UCLA, falling behind 6-0, and lost 6-4. As for their game against Arkansas, the Racers just happened to run into a pitcher who threw one of the greatest games in college baseball history — a no-hitter with 19 strikeouts, a record in a nine-inning CWS game and tied for most by a Division I pitcher this season. 'We never lost faith. Haven't all year. We're not about to start now,' third baseman Carson Garner said. 'About halfway through the game, I think we realized that, 'Hey, this guy's, he's dealing, he's throwing a perfect game.' ' Murray State finished 44-17 to set a program record for wins, ending the season with only its second shutout loss. 'The wins are phenomenal. We had a lot of them,' said Jonathan Hogart, who led the Racers with 22 homers. 'You just can't match the culture we have here. I'm going to miss Coach, I'm going to miss these two (Garner and Dustin Mercer). I'm going to miss every one of these guys. Strap on the cleats to go to war with these guys was such a blessing this year, and I'll never take it for granted.' Skirka, who finished his seventh season at the Racers' coach, put together a roster made up of eight Division I transfers, 14 from junior colleges and 14 high school recruits. Skirka said no one on his team was making money from endorsements or other name, image and likeness opportunities. 'You say at the end of the year only one team's happy,' Skirka said. 'That ain't the case this year. There's definitely more than one because these guys, the run they went on, you're not going to be able to wipe the smile off their face for a really long time. That's what I told them. They're going to share this for ages and people are going to ask them about it for ages, and that's really the cool thing.' ___ AP college sports:
Fox Sports
16-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
No-hit loss won't erase the lifetime memories made by Murray State during its improbable run
Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The stands at Charles Schwab Field were emptying, and Murray State players wanted to savor their program's first College World Series as long as they could. Never mind the Racers had just been no-hit by Arkansas' Gage Wood in a 3-0 loss that will send them home to southwestern Kentucky on Tuesday. Some of the players filled jars with infield dirt, a keepsake from their improbable journey to the city where every college baseball team wants to be in June. Some milled about with family and friends. 'One of my wife's favorite movies is 'A League of Their Own,' and they said there's no crying in baseball,' an emotional coach Dan Skirka said to open his postgame news conference with 9-year-old son Keegan on his knee. 'Well, throw that out the window. There's no way I'm making it through this right here.' The Racers were the first Missouri Valley Conference team to make the CWS since 2003 and only the fourth No. 4 regional seed to get to Omaha since the NCAA Tournament went to its current format in 1999. They swept conference regular-season and tournament championships, beat No. 10 national seed Mississippi of the SEC twice on its home field and Georgia Tech of the ACC once en route to a regional title. Then the Racers went to Duke of the ACC for super regionals and lost the opener before winning two straight to punch their ticket to Omaha. Murray State overcame early jitters in its CWS opener against UCLA, falling behind 6-0, and lost 6-4. As for their game against Arkansas, the Racers just happened to run into a pitcher who threw one of the greatest games in college baseball history — a no-hitter with 19 strikeouts, a record in a nine-inning CWS game and tied for most by a Division I pitcher this season. 'We never lost faith. Haven't all year. We're not about to start now," third baseman Carson Garner said. 'About halfway through the game, I think we realized that, 'Hey, this guy's, he's dealing, he's throwing a perfect game.' ' Murray State finished 44-17 to set a program record for wins, ending the season with only its second shutout loss. 'The wins are phenomenal. We had a lot of them,' said Jonathan Hogart, who led the Racers with 22 homers. 'You just can't match the culture we have here. I'm going to miss Coach, I'm going to miss these two (Garner and Dustin Mercer). I'm going to miss every one of these guys. Strap on the cleats to go to war with these guys was such a blessing this year, and I'll never take it for granted.' Skirka, who finished his seventh season at the Racers' coach, put together a roster made up of eight Division I transfers, 14 from junior colleges and 14 high school recruits. Skirka said no one on his team was making money from endorsements or other name, image and likeness opportunities. 'You say at the end of the year only one team's happy,' Skirka said. 'That ain't the case this year. There's definitely more than one because these guys, the run they went on, you're not going to be able to wipe the smile off their face for a really long time. That's what I told them. They're going to share this for ages and people are going to ask them about it for ages, and that's really the cool thing.' ___ AP college sports: recommended in this topic
Winnipeg Free Press
16-06-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
No-hit loss won't erase the lifetime memories made by Murray State during its improbable run
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The stands at Charles Schwab Field were emptying, and Murray State players wanted to savor their program's first College World Series as long as they could. Never mind the Racers had just been no-hit by Arkansas' Gage Wood in a 3-0 loss that will send them home to southwestern Kentucky on Tuesday. Some of the players filled jars with infield dirt, a keepsake from their improbable journey to the city where every college baseball team wants to be in June. Some milled about with family and friends. 'One of my wife's favorite movies is 'A League of Their Own,' and they said there's no crying in baseball,' an emotional coach Dan Skirka said to open his postgame news conference with 9-year-old son Keegan on his knee. 'Well, throw that out the window. There's no way I'm making it through this right here.' The Racers were the first Missouri Valley Conference team to make the CWS since 2003 and only the fourth No. 4 regional seed to get to Omaha since the NCAA Tournament went to its current format in 1999. They swept conference regular-season and tournament championships, beat No. 10 national seed Mississippi of the SEC twice on its home field and Georgia Tech of the ACC once en route to a regional title. Then the Racers went to Duke of the ACC for super regionals and lost the opener before winning two straight to punch their ticket to Omaha. Murray State overcame early jitters in its CWS opener against UCLA, falling behind 6-0, and lost 6-4. As for their game against Arkansas, the Racers just happened to run into a pitcher who threw one of the greatest games in college baseball history — a no-hitter with 19 strikeouts, a record in a nine-inning CWS game and tied for most by a Division I pitcher this season. 'We never lost faith. Haven't all year. We're not about to start now,' third baseman Carson Garner said. 'About halfway through the game, I think we realized that, 'Hey, this guy's, he's dealing, he's throwing a perfect game.' ' Murray State finished 44-17 to set a program record for wins, ending the season with only its second shutout loss. 'The wins are phenomenal. We had a lot of them,' said Jonathan Hogart, who led the Racers with 22 homers. 'You just can't match the culture we have here. I'm going to miss Coach, I'm going to miss these two (Garner and Dustin Mercer). I'm going to miss every one of these guys. Strap on the cleats to go to war with these guys was such a blessing this year, and I'll never take it for granted.' Skirka, who finished his seventh season at the Racers' coach, put together a roster made up of eight Division I transfers, 14 from junior colleges and 14 high school recruits. Skirka said no one on his team was making money from endorsements or other name, image and likeness opportunities. 'You say at the end of the year only one team's happy,' Skirka said. 'That ain't the case this year. There's definitely more than one because these guys, the run they went on, you're not going to be able to wipe the smile off their face for a really long time. That's what I told them. They're going to share this for ages and people are going to ask them about it for ages, and that's really the cool thing.' ___ AP college sports:
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
"I wanted to earn it": Dan Skirka shares the immense significance of Murray State's journey to Omaha
Dan Skirka shares the immense significance of Murray State's journey to Omaha (Image Source: Murray State) It takes grit and grind every time to make the trek down the road to Omaha, and the road to the College World Series is no different for Murray State University's head baseball coach Dan Skirka. But this season, that road has a larger burden and a weight more personal. After leading the Racers to school history's first CWS appearance, Skirka said, "I just wanted to earn it," and that speaks to anyone and everyone who's ever pulled for the underdog. This is not simply one stop on the sport's biggest stage. This is the result of years spent cultivating a program, developing a special culture, and exceeding even the most hopeful expectations over a remarkable season in 2025. Earning a historic trip to the College World Series It's been an incredible journey for Murray State to get to Omaha. The Racers began a Cinderella postseason march as a No. 4 regional seed, upsetting traditional power programs such as Ole Miss and Duke in the NCAA Oxford Regional and Durham Super Regional, respectively. That included a gritty run through the key elimination games that earned them their historic place in the Men's College World Series. Skirka, who was just named the 2025 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Mike Martin National Coach of the Year, has led the Racers to a program-record 44 wins on the season, as well as the first Illinois Valley Conference regular season and tournament championships in program history. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo Coming from modest origins with a focus on recruiting "the right people rather than the right players," has created a close group that can bridge the considerable gap in resources vs the larger competitors. Now they bring all of their school's hopes and thousands of new fans with them to Saturday's opener of the CWS run against UCLA. The true significance of Omaha for Skirka As a former player who started his coaching career as an assistant at multiple levels before rejoining the Murray State staff in 2019, it isn't just a professional destination for Dan Skirka visiting Omaha; it's a place that reinforces faith and faith. Also Read: Which team is closest to 2025 MLB World Series title? Where do Los Angeles Dodgers rank? His mantra of "squeezing every bit of what he could out of his limited resources" and the added "personal touch" has certainly reflected in a gritty and spirited team. We can feel the time put into this journey from Skirka, as he displays a strong emotional attachment. The Coach of the Year award and the CWS berth are another recognition not only of his coaching, but of the culture he has nurtured.
