Southeast Missouri (17-10) vs. Arkansas State (11-14)
Tuesday, March 31
Tuesday – 6:30 p.m.
Head Coaches
Steve Bieser (80-63, Third Season)
Tommy Raffo (185-183-1, seventh season)
Radio:
SEMO ESPN 1220 AM
Play-by-Play: Erik Sean, Jess Bolen
Audio Webcast: SEMOESPN.com
Live Stats: GoSoutheast.com
Twitter Updates: @SEMObaseball, @GoSoutheast
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri
 
Southeast Missouri Probable Starter
Tuesday – RHP Garret Stockton
 
Arkansas State Probable Starter
Tuesday – RHP Bo Ritter
 
Redhawk Rundown
 
Going for the Sweep of the Red Wolves
Southeast Missouri baseball returns home Tuesday to open a four-game home stand. Southeast welcomes Arkansas State in the midweek matchup. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. from Capaha Field. The Redhawks were victorious over Arkansas State a week ago, 6-5, in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Southeast Missouri will go for the sweep of the home-and-home series Tuesday. The last time the Redhawks swept the series was 2011. The game can be heard on SEMO ESPN 1220 AM.
 
Greek Night at the Ballgame
The Redhawks will be holding Green Night at Capaha Park Tuesday when Southeast Missouri hosts Arkansas State. Fraternities and sororities are encouraged to wear their letters for their chance to win t-shirts and gift cards at the game.
 
Let's Review
The Redhawks went 4-1 last week with wins over Saint Louis, Arkansas State, and two OVC wins over SIUE. The Redhawks extended a season-best six game winning streak with a pair of midweek victories but saw it snapped after dropping game one to SIUE on the road. Southeast bounced back to outscore SIUE 32-8 in the final two games to take its fourth OVC series of the season. The Redhawks have now plated 10 or more runs on 10 different occasions and leads the OVC with 219 runs scored. On the week, Southeast outscored its opponents 55-22. Southeast has now won eight of its last nine and 13 of 16. With the series win over SIUE, Southeast moves into a first place tie with the Cougars and Belmont. Joey Lucchesi earned OVC Pitcher of the Week honors for his efforts in game two Saturday. Lucchesi pitched seven innings, allowing only two hits and struck out 11 batters. He retired 12 of the first 13 batters he faced. Dalton Hewitt hit .444 (8-for-18) with seven runs scored, a double, home run and nine RBI during the week.
 
OVC Pitcher of the Week
Joey Lucchesi is the first Southeast Missouri pitcher to earn OVC Pitcher of the Week honors this season. Lucchesi picked up his fourth-straight victory in Saturday's win over SIUE. He pitched seven scoreless innings, surrendering only two hits in his outing. He struck out a career-high 11 batters. He held batters to a .091 average in the game. He retired 12 of the first 13 batters he faced. Lucchesi has not allowed a single run in his last two starts and 14 innings. He has started both of Southeast's shutouts this season.
 
Patience (at the Plate) is a Virtue
The Redhawks are the third most patient team at the plate in the nation as they rank third in base on balls with 166. That is first in the OVC, 20 more than Jacksonville State. Trevor Ezell ranks seventh nationally in the category with 27 while Dalton Hewitt is 14th with 24. The Redhawks have four players in the top 10 in the OVC including Jason Blum (20) and Branden Boggetto (16). Southeast drew a season-high 16 walks in Sunday's game at SIUE.
 
Scoring Outbreak
The Redhawks rank fifth nationally in scoring as they average 8.1 runs a game. They have scored 219 runs this season, ranking seventh. The Redhawks have blasted 28 home runs as a team this season which is eighth in the nation. While the Redhawks may be hitting .294, their on base percentage is an eye-popping .409 as a team, which is eighth in the nation.
 
Rip Roarin' Rookie
Freshman Trevor Ezell has come to Southeast Missouri and made an immediate impact. He reached base in the first 20 games of the season for a 20-game on base streak. He has also started every game, 17 games in left field, nine games at second base, and twice at third. Ezell has batted in the leadoff position (20 games) and the second spot in the order (7 games). Ezell has drawn a team-leading 27 walks and is sporting a .429 on base percentage. He also leads the Redhawks with 29 runs scored and eight stolen bases. He has also tallied six assists from the outfield this season.
 
You Name It, He'll Play It
Junior Hunter Leeper has proven he can play anywhere he needs to. He has started five games behind the plate, two in left field, and one in right field. He has also seen time at third base and most recently, added first base and shortstop to the list.
 
Looking Ahead
The Redhawks will play a three-game home series with Austin Peay beginning Thursday. The Govs are coming off a sweep of OVC powerhouse Tennessee Tech last weekend. This weekend will feature International Night Thursday and there will be an Easter egg hunt prior to Saturday's game. Thursday and Friday will both begin at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday will begin at 2 p.m. Southeast will then hit the road for a single game at in-state rival Missouri State and then head to Eastern Illinois, who is 0-20 on the season.