Murray State joins the Missouri Valley Conference: The softball implications

On Friday, the Missouri Valley Conference and Murray State jointly announced that the Racers will join the MVC effective July 1, 2022.

The move had been rumored to be in the works for several weeks and continues the year-long trend of conference realignments. The Racers will leave the Ohio Valley Conference, their current league, and are the second OVC team to depart for the MVC; Belmont’s move was previously announced and will become official also on July 1st.

Murray State’s addition gives the MVC eleven softball-playing schools. The Racers also add the state of Kentucky to the MVC’s geographical footprint. 

While the Racers’ move to the Missouri Valley is primarily motivated with the sport of men’s basketball in mind, there are certainly softball implications from the move, as well.

From a conference perspective, the move only strengthens the MVC’s softball offering. Already a strong league on the diamond, the MVC placed two teams in the NCAA tournament last season – and neither of them was regular-season champion Illinois State, underscoring the existing depth of the league.

The move further decimates the Ohio Valley Conference, a once-strong softball league. Murray State will be the fifth program to leave the OVC within a one-year span (the departures of the Racers, Belmont, and Austin Peay will all become official on July 1st; Eastern Kentucky and Jacksonville State left in 2021). The only team that has been announced as an incoming member to the OVC is Little Rock, which doesn’t play softball.

During Kara Amundson’s active 9-year tenure as Murray State head coach, the program has averaged better than 27 wins a season (excluding the abbreviated 2020 year) and crossed the 30-win plateau three times.

The Racers have been one of the most consistent teams in the OVC during that same time period, finishing with a winning record in conference play in all but two seasons. The Racers have finished in the top five in the OVC standings three times since the league dropped an East/West divisional setup.

Quality player development has been a hallmark of the Racers during the last decade, as well. Players like Jessica Twaddle (a two-time OVC Player of the Year and MSU’s only All-American) and two-time All-OVC pitcher Mason Robinson have donned Murray State jerseys.

MSU’s program makeup and product on the diamond should fit right in within the Missouri Valley. While the move may have been primarily motivated by basketball, there are also positives on the softball side for both conference and school.