No. 1 Southeast Missouri (36-18, 23-7 OVC)
vs. No. 6 Eastern Illinois (22-31-1, 15-14-1 OVC)
Thursday, May 22
7 p.m.
Jackson, Tenn.
The Ballpark at Jackson
Head Coaches
Steve Bieser: 62-51, second season
Jim Schmitz: 20^th season
Radio: SEMO ESPN 1220 AM
Play-by-Play: Erik Sean, Jess Bolen
Audio Webcast: SEMOESPN.com
Live Stats: OVCSports.com
Live Video: OVCDigitalNetwork.com
Twitter Updates: @SEMObaseball, @GoSoutheast, @OVCSports
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri
 
Tournament Time
Southeast Missouri baseball is primed and ready for their 20th consecutive Ohio Valley Conference Tournament appearance as they head to Jackson, Tennessee for the 2014 OVC Baseball Tournament. The Redhawks will carry the No. 1 seed into the tournament after capturing the regular season title. Along with the OVC title, Southeast also has the 2014 Coach of the Year in Steve Bieser, the Player of the Year, Matt Tellor, and Co-Pitcher of the Year, Travis Hayes. Derek Gibson also joins Tellor and Hayes on the All-OVC First Team. All games can be viewed for free on the OVC Digital Network and can be heard on SEMO ESPN 1220 AM.

Scouting the Panthers
Southeast Missouri and Eastern Illinois matched up Apr. 17-19 in Cape Girardeau. Southeast won the three-game series over the Panthers. The Redhawks won the series but fell in game three game three, 10-3. No. 6 Eastern Illinois defeated No. 3 Jacksonville State in game two Wednesday evening, 2-1.
 
Looking Back
Southeast Missouri had already locked up the OVC regular season championship before stepping out of Conference play and sweeping IPFW the final weekend of the season. The Redhawks are making their record 20th-straight OVC Tournament appearance and are the No. 1 seed for the second time (2002 being the other). Southeast has won the OVC Tournament Championship in 1998 and 2002. As the No. 1 seed they will open play on Thursday night against a to-be-determined opponent. The team enters postseason play with 36 overall victories which is just one away from the school record set in 2002; the Redhawks have won 22 of its last 30 games overall. Senior 1B Matt Tellor set a new Southeast single-season RBI record (71) last week; he enters the postseason with a .392 average, 15 home runs (sixth nationally) and a .676 slugging percentage. Tellor's 1.31 RBI/game average ranks second nationally while his slugging percentage is seventh. Senior OF Derek Gibson leads the team with a .411 batting average, which is second in the OVC and sixth nationally. Gibson saw his 28-game hitting streak (longest in the OVC this season) end last week, but has an active streak of reaching base safely in 33-straight games. As a team the Redhawks are second in the OVC in hitting (.309) and third in E.R.A. (4.80). Travis Hayes got a no-decision against IPFW over the weekend but is 8-1 with a 3.22 E.R.A. (fourth in the OVC) in 78.1 innings this season. Alex Winkelman did pick up a win last week and is now 5-2 on the year with a 3.63 E.R.A. (seventh in the OVC). Southeast ranks first nationally in sacrifice flies (45) and is fourth in double plays/game (1.17).
 
2014 OVC Champions
Southeast Missouri clinched the 2014 Ohio Valley Conference Regular Season Championship at Tennessee Tech May 9. This is Southeast's second regular season championship; their first since 2002. 2014 is also the first 30-win season Southeast has had since 2011 when the team finished 34-22. The record for wins in a season at Southeast is 37, set back in 2000 and 2002. Southeast's 23 OVC wins this season was an win short of tying a conference record for league wins in a season, set by Tennessee Tech in 2013.
 
OVC Player of the Year
After having a solid first-year with the Redhawks in 2013 (.311, 73 hits, 8 home runs, 46 RBI), Matt Tellor made an even bigger impact as a senior in leading Southeast Missouri to its second overall OVC regular season championship. The first baseman played in all 54 games and hit .392 with 87 hits, 57 runs, 18 doubles, 15 home runs, 71 RBI and a .676 slugging percentage. Tellor also added 19 multi-RBI games (first in the league) and 26 multi-hit contests (fifth in the league) and along the way set a new Southeast Missouri single-season RBI record (breaking a mark that had stood since 1995). His numbers were even better in OVC play where he had hits in 28 of 30 Conference contests, including a hit in 16-straight OVC games to end the season. In those contests Tellor hit .431 with 56 hits, 39 runs, 12 doubles, 13 home runs, 50 RBI, a .823 slugging percentage and a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. Nationally Tellor ranks second in RBI per game (1.31), fourth in total bases (150), sixth in home runs (0.28/game), seventh in slugging (.676), ninth in hits (87), 14th in batting average (.392) and 16th in runs per game (1.06). In game three against UT Martin on March 30 he was 4-for-5 with four runs scored, three home runs and five RBI; that performance would earn him Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week honors. Tellor had a five-hit performance at Austin Peay on April 13 and smashed two home runs and drove in four RBI at Murray State on May 3. Overall Tellor is the fifth Southeast Missouri player to earn Player of the Year honors and first since Trenton Moses won back-to-back awards in 2011 and 2012.
 
OVC Co-Pitcher of the Year
In his first season with the Southeast Missouri team, Travis Hayes appeared in 16 games and compiled an 8-1 record and 3.22 ERA in 78.1 innings of work. He began the year in the bullpen before becoming a starter during the first OVC series of the season. His eight victories were second in the OVC (56th nationally), his ERA ranked fourth and he held opponents to a .237 batting average which was fifth in the league. In league-only games Hayes compiled a 7-1 record and 2.74 ERA (second in the OVC). The junior earned complete game victories against SIUE and Jacksonville State (a three-hit shutout) and capped the season by earning a victory in a four-inning relief stint at Tennessee Tech to help the Redhawks lock up the OVC regular season championship. Hayes is the sixth different Southeast Missouri pitcher to be named OVC Pitcher of the Year and first since Tim Alvarez took home the honor in 2003, completing a three-year run of Southeast pitchers winning the award.
 
Dick Howser Trophy Semifinalist
Senior Derek Gibson has been named a semifinalist for the 2014 Dick Howser Trophy, presented by Easton Foundations. The award, given to the top player in collegiate baseball, is based on two rounds of national voting by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. The candidates hail from 17 different conferences and 28 different schools. Gibson joins Tennessee Tech's Dylan Bosheers and Daniel Miles on the 2014 Dick Howser Semifinalists list from the OVC. The Dick Howser Trophy, given in memory of the former Florida State University All-America shortstop and major league player and manager, who died of brain cancer in 1987, is regarded by many as college baseball's most prestigious award. Criteria for consideration of the trophy include performance on the field, leadership, moral character and courage, qualities that were exemplified by Dick Howser's life.
 
NCBWA Poll
Southeast Missouri baseball was listed on the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Top 30 Poll as having received votes in the May 12 and 19 polls.
 
RBI Kings
Matt Tellor and Derek Gibson, the league's top RBI producers, are the second and fifth-highest in the nation with 71 and 66, respectively. Matt Tellor shattered the school's single season RBI record last week set by Brian Shaefer in 1995. Shaefer's record of 67 stood for 19 years.
 
Sacrificial Lambs
The Redhawks lead the country in sacrifice flies with 45. Derek Gibson (11) leads the nation while Matt Tellor ranks sixth with nine of his own.
 
Double Vision
Southeast Missouri is the third-most double play turning team in the nation with 63 double plays turned this season. They rank fourth in double plays per game with 1.17.
 
Speed Racers
The Redhawks have made their presence on the base paths known this season. Southeast leads the OVC in stolen bases as a team with 94, 12 more than Austin Peay, who has the second most. The Redhawks' 94 stolen bags is the eighth-best in the nation. Jason Blum ranks second in the league with 23 while Cole Bieser ranks seventh with 14.
 
Team Statistical Rankings
As of Monday, May 20, the Redhawks' .309 team batting average ranks ninth in the nation while their 591 hits ranks eighth. Southeast is the sixth-highest run producing team in the country with 396 runs while Southeast ranks seventh in scoring (7.3 runs/game). The team .394 on base percentage ranks 14th while their .429 slugging percentage is ranked 18th.
 
Individual Statistical Rankings
Derek Gibson's .411 batting average is good enough for sixth-best in the country while Matt Tellor is 14th with a .392 hitting clip. Gibson's 88 hits are eighth in the country while Tellor ranks ninth with 87. Tellor is fifth in home runs with 15. Jason Blum is eighth-highest run scorer with 59 while Tellor ranks