The Cinderella story in college baseball this year is Murray State, as the Racers upset Duke in the Super Regionals to advance to their first Men's College World Series. They will be the biggest underdogs entering the tournament, with their first matchup coming against UCLA on Saturday.
At the heart of every sports underdog story is a strong head coach, and for Murray State, that would be Dan Skirka. The veteran coach is in his first stint as a head skipper anywhere in college baseball, but it has culminated in Murray State's best-ever baseball season.
Under Skirka, Murray State has now had five straight seasons with at least 30 wins, including its first 40-win season. As the Racers look to make history in Omaha, here's a breakdown of their head coach.
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Who is Dan Skirka?
Dan Skirka is currently in his seventh season as Murray State's head coach, but his history with the team dates back longer than that. Skirka was originally an assistant coach at Murray State from 2009-14 before he left the school to become an assistant at Walters State Community College.
He spent four seasons at Walters State, then returned to Murray State in 2019 to become the Racers' head coach in what became Skirka's first head coaching opportunity in college baseball.
Murray State baseball is a small operation, as their stadium holds just 800 people. The program has such limited resources that Skirka actually cuts the grass on the field himself every morning.
Murray St. making it to Omaha is one of the best stories in college sports. This is their stadium it holds 800 people. Their head coach Dan Skirka literally cuts the grass.
— Griffin S. DeMarrais (@GDeMarraisTV) June 10, 2025
Gotta feel good for those guys. pic.twitter.com/YEOPmvHIuj
After a successful 2024 season in which Murray State went 37-20, the Racers signed Skirka to a contract extension through the 2027 season.
"Coach Skirka has embraced the new resources that we have invested in the program and have used them to bring in top talent, so we cannot wait to see how he continues to build off recent successes to continue and be competitive in the MVC and lead us to a championship," athletic director Nico Yantko said in a statement.
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Dan Skirka salary
According to the Greenwood Commonweatlh Newspaper, Skirka makes just $68,000 a year, which would make him one of the lowest-paid coaches in the sport.
MORE: Who is in the College World Series?
Dan Skirka Murray State coaching history
| Year | Record |
| 2025 | 43-15 |
| 2024 | 37-20 |
| 2023 | 31-28 |
| 2022 | 30-25 |
| 2021 | 33-25 |
| 2020 | 10-7 |
| 2019 | 24-30 |