By: Chris Austin, Athletics Communications Assistant (Exclusive for LetsGoPeay.com)
As you've likely heard, we don't have any live-action contests to cover at LetsGoPeay.com right now. What we do have is free time; oodles and oodles of free time. Enough free time to swap oodles of emails with various people who would know to create a snapshot of the best players in Austin Peay softball history. Halfway home, we check in with one of the pivotal players who came along and ushered in a whole new era of success.
Morgan Rackel only played two seasons in a Governors uniform, after transferring from a Texas junior college, but in those two seasons she not only authored the most outstanding single-game pitching effort in the program's 35-year history, but also arguably earned the mantle of greatest softball pitcher in APSU history along the way.
When the left-handed, Calgary, Alberta, Canada native stepped on the pitcher's rubber on Feb. 23, 2019 versus McNeese history joined her, as she threw a 16-inning complete game versus the Cowgirls -- shattering the old school record by four innings – finishing with a 2-1, 217-pitch complete-game victory and finishing with a program record-tying 16 strikeouts.
Rackel also threw two no-hitters in her time with the Govs, including the first by a Govs softball pitcher in 21 years in a 1-0 Ohio Valley Conference victory versus Eastern Illinois her junior year in 2018.
She would finish the season with a 22-7 record, with two saves, a 1.41 ERA, 204 strikeouts and seven shutouts, earning the Governors only OVC Pitcher of the Year honor along with being selected to the All-OVC First-Team, All-Newcomers Team and All-OVC All-Tournament Team.
Rackel would follow with a senior season that saw her post a 21-9 record, with two saves, a 1.93 ERA, six shutouts and 242 strikeouts, while picking up her second All-OVC First-Team honor.
She would also become the first Austin Peay softball player to be named to the CoSIDA Academic All-American First Team and third player overall to earn Academic All-American accolades, as well as being selected to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Central Region Third team for the second straight year.
Overall, Rackel would tally the best winning percentage by any Govs pitcher (.729) in posting a 43-16 career win-loss record, becoming the only pitcher in program history to post two 20+ win seasons.
Despite only playing two seasons for the Govs, finish fourth all-time in program history in wins, strikeouts and shutouts, while finishing third in ERA and fifth in saves.
Rackel was also an outstanding hitter, finishing in the Top-10 all-time for home runs and slugging percentage and Top-20 in career batting average.
