CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri (3-2) heads to the Blues City Classic for four games this weekend. The Redhawks will square off against Lipscomb, Loyola-Chicago, Ball State and host Memphis at this year's event.

2014 Blues City Classic

Dates: Friday-Sunday, Feb. 21-23, 2014
Location: Southaven, Miss.
Site: Greenbrook Park
Participating Teams: Southeast Missouri (3-2), Lipscomb (8-1), Loyola-Chicago (3-6), Ball State (4-2), Memphis (4-5), Alabama A&M (6-5), Appalachian State (1-6),
Evansville (2-2), Missouri State (6-2), Morehead State (1-4), Murray State (5-2)

Southeast's Tournament Schedule
Saturday, Feb. 22 -- Southeast Missouri vs. Lipscomb, 12:30 p.m., CT
Saturday, Feb. 22 -- Southeast Missouri vs. Loyola-Chicago, 3 p.m., CT
Sunday, Feb. 23 -- Southeast Missouri vs. Ball State, 10 a.m.
Sunday, Feb. 23 -- Southeast Missouri at Memphis, Noon, CT

Tournament Coverage
Blues City Classic Tournament Central
Live Stats:
Saturday, Feb. 22 - Southeast Missouri vs. Lipscomb
Saturday, Feb. 22 - Southeast Missouri vs. Loyola-Chicago
Sunday, Feb. 23 - Southeast Missouri vs. Ball State
Sunday, Feb. 23 - Southeast Missouri at Memphis
Twitter Updates: @GoSoutheast

Southeast Missouri Returns to Action at Blues City Classic
Southeast Missouri will play its second of four tournaments to start the 2014 season when it heads to the Blues City Classic this weekend. The Redhawks will be one of 11 teams partcipating in this year's event which is hosted by Memphis. Southeast faces Lipscomb (12:30 p.m.) and Loyola-Chicago (3 p.m.) Saturday, and Ball State (10 a.m.) and Memphis (Noon) Sunday.

Series History
The Redhawks are a combined 9-16 against teams they will face at the Blues City Classic this weekend. Southeast is 2-1 vs. Ball State, 2-4 vs. Lipscomb, 2-6 vs. Memphis and 3-5 vs. Memphis. The Redhawks came up short in their previous meeting against each of these teams, losing to Ball State, 2-1, in 1993, Lipscomb, 3-2, in 2006, Loyola-Chicago, 8-3, in 2001, and Memphis, 2-1, in 2013.

Blues City Classic
Southeast travels to the Blues City Classic for the third-straight year in 2014. The Redhawks went a combined 1-9 in their last two appearances in the tournament. Southeast opened the 2013 Blues City Classic with a 10-7 extra-inning win over Detroit, its only victory in that span.

Nice Start
The Redhawks opened their 2014 campaign with three wins at the Mardi Gras Classic in Monroe, La. last weekend. Southeast came from behind to beat Houston Baptist in its season-opener on Feb. 14. The Redhawks scored nine runs in the final three innings of that game to pull off the 9-7 win, its first in a season-opener since 2010. Southeast capped the tournament with back-to-back victories over Grambling State.

Early Season Honors
Southeast's Lindsey Patterson and Keaira Schilling were named to the All-Tournament Team at this year's Mardi Gras Classic. Patterson hit a three-run home run to tie the game and ignite the comeback in the Redhawks season-opening 9-7 win over Houston Baptist (Feb. 14). She also scored three runs, added a double and contributed four RBI. Schilling finished with a 1-1 record in four appearances and two starts. She picked up her first carer win against Grambling State (Feb. 16), striking out 11 in a complete game shutout. Schilling recorded at least two strikeouts in each of the second, third, fifth and sixth innings. She also walked five and faced 31 hitters. Schilling's 11 strikeouts fell two shy of tying Southeast's single-game record of 13 by Giana Zimmerman in 2009.

Head Coach Lana Richmond
Lana Richmond is in her 32nd season as head coach at Southeast. Richmond, who has the longest consecutive tenure of any Southeast and current Ohio Valley Conference coach, has compiled 603 NCAA Division I wins and 876 victories in her career. She first took over as head coach in 1982 and built her program from the ground up. Richmond has led her Southeast teams to four NCAA Division II Tournament berths, one NCAA Division II Final Four, one NCAA Division I Tournament appearance, five OVC regular-season titles and five OVC Tournament crowns.

.500 Club
Savannah Carpenter and Chelsea Smith hit .500 during their opening weekend of the 2014 campaign. Carpenter hit safely in each of her first five games this season. Carpenter went 7-for-14 with three runs scored, two doubles, two home runs and four RBI, while Smith went 6-for-12 with three runs scored and one RBI. They currently rank among the top-six in batting average in the Ohio Valley Conference -- Carpenter (5th); Smith (6th). Carpenter owns a league-best 1.071 slugging percentage, as well.

Southeast Debuts
Eight different players, including Haylee Krack, Rachael Duncan, KC Saxe, Nicole Deering, Leah Duffe, Sarah Lindsie Heifner, Keaira Schilling and Aubrey Denno made their Southeast debuts at the Mardi Gras Classic last week. Krack, who hit safely in her first five games wearing a Redhawk uniform, boasted a .467 batting average with three runs, seven hits, two doubles, a home run and three RBI. Schilling and Denno each made two starts inside the circle, while Duncan started four contests.

Offense Delivers
Southeast ranks second in the Ohio Valley Conferene in batting average with a .328 clip. The Redhawks, one of four teams hitting over .300 in the league, are behind Jacksonville State (.347). The Redhawks lead the OVC in slugging percentage (.565) and on-base percentage (.426). Southeast outhit its opponent in three of its first five games and registered double-digit hits on two occasions.