Where is Murray State baseball from? Location, city and more to know about Racers baseball team

The Murray State Racers are going dancing.

For the first time in program history, Murray State has made the College World Series. 

After beating Duke in the Durham Super Regional bracket, the Racers became just the fourth-ever No. 4 seed to reach the CWS, where they hope their strong run will continue. Given its relatively small size and lack of major success, the details about Murray State are unknown to many college baseball fans who might be wondering: where exactly are the Racers from?

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Here’s everything to know about Murray State baseball, from its home location to history in the origin of its team name.

MORE: The Sporting News’ latest 2025 MLB mock draft

Where is Murray State located?

Murray State University is a public university based in Murray, Kentucky, which is in the western half of the state. It is one of eight four-year public universities in Kentucky. The school first opened in 1922, and it was originally a “normal” school that had a goal of producing teachers.

Named after the city it’s located in, it officially became Murray State University in 1966. According to U.S. News & World Report, the school had a student population of 8,111 as of fall 2023 and has a campus size of 253 acres.

Murray State is around 118 miles away from Nashville and 227 miles from St. Louis.

What conference is Murray State baseball in?

Murray State baseball is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, which they have been in since 2022. Prior to joining Missouri Valley Conference, the second-oldest NCAA Division I conference in the country, Murray State was in the Ohio Valley Conference.

When the Racers punched their ticket to the CWS, they became the first MVC team to reach Omaha since Missouri State back in 2003. Murray State is also now the 11th MVC program ever to reach the CWS.

MORE: Full list of Men’s College World Series wins by school

Murray State Racers name origin

Murray State’s team name is the Racers, with its Mascot being “Dunker.”

According to Murray State’s website, the school initially had a team name of the “Thoroughbreds” in reference to the passion for horse racing in the state of Kentucky. With that name becoming too long for writers to use in headlines, nicknames like “T-Breds,” “Race Horses” and “Racers” were often used instead, and around the 1950s, it was Racers that caught on as the team name. 

However, even with “Racers” being more commonly used to refer to Murray State baseball, it wasn’t until 2014 that the “Thoroughbreds” nickname was officially changed to be the Racers, like the rest of the university’s athletic programs.

Murray State baseball NCAA Tournament history

Prior to 2025, Murray State had made the NCAA Tournament in baseball on three occasions, and the Racers were in a 22-year drought of national tournament appearances. The team’s 2025 run to the College World Series is the first in program history.

Here’s a look at Murray State’s other three trips to the NCAA Tournament:

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