Southeast Missouri (17-11, 9-3 OVC) vs. Austin Peay (15-10, 8-4 OVC)
Friday-Sunday, April 3-5, 2015
Friday – 6:30 p.m.
Saturday – 2 p.m.
Sunday – 1 p.m.
Head Coaches
Steve Bieser (80-64, Third Season)
Gary McClure (28^th season)
Radio: SEMO ESPN 1220 AM
Play-by-Play: Erik Sean, Jess Bolen
Audio Webcast: SEMOESPN.com
Live Stats: Game One | Game Two | Game Three
Twitter Updates: @SEMObaseball, @GoSoutheast
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri | Austin Peay
 
Southeast Missouri Probable Starting Rotation
Friday – LHP Alex Winkelman
Saturday – RHP Travis Hayes
Sunday – LHP Joey Lucchesi
 
Austin Peay Probable Starting Rotation
Friday – RHP Alex Robles
Saturday – RHP Caleb Powell
Sunday – LHP Zach Hall
 
Redhawk Rundown
 
Key Series with the Govs
Southeast Missouri baseball will host Austin Peay State University in a three-game series this weekend. The series was pushed back a day due to inclement weather in the forecast for Thursday and Friday. The series will begin Friday at 6:30 p.m. Game two will be played Saturday at 2 p.m. and the series finale is slated to be Sunday at 1 p.m. The Govs come into the series riding a four-game winning streak including a sweep of Tennessee Tech a week ago. Southeast Missouri will look to stay strong at the halfway point of the season. The series can be heard live on SEMO ESPN 1220 AM.
 
International Night
Southeast baseball will be hosting International Night Saturday. Southeast Missouri State international students are encouraged to come out to Capaha Park and take in some Redhawks baseball. Prizes and giveaways will be available for those in attendance.
 
Easter Egg Hunt
The Redhawks will host an Easter egg hunt 15 minutes prior to Saturday's game. The hunt is open to kids ages 10 and under and is free.
 
Let's Review
Southeast lost to Arkansas State at home Tuesday, 12-10. With the loss, the Redhawks split the annual home-and-home series after taking game one in Jonesboro, 5-4. 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 11 different occasions and leads the OVC with 229 runs scored. On the week, Southeast outscored its opponents 55-22. Southeast has now won eight of its last 10 and 13 of 17. 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.
 
NCAA Home Run Report
The NCAA released a report Wednesday stating that home runs in collegiate baseball have increased 39% from a year ago. For Southeast Missouri, home runs have increased 45% percent, above the national average. The Redhawks have hit 31 homers so far this season. At the end of March last season, Southeast had hit only 17. Nationally, the Redhawks rank sixth in the nation in home runs and ninth in home runs per game (1.11). The rise in home runs have been attributed to the new lower-seamed baseballs.
 
It Was a Solid Month
Southeast closed the month of March with a 13-5 record. They were 4-1 at home and 7-3 on the road and 2-1 at neutral locations. The Redhawks put up a .318 batting average and the pitching staff held opponents to a .263 batting average. Southeast out scored its opponents 178-97 and knocked 21 home runs out of the park. Southeast stole almost twice as many bases as its opponents (23-12) and forced opposing fielders into 32 errors while Southeast only committed 10.
 
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 173. That is first in the OVC, nearly 30 more than Jacksonville State. Trevor Ezell ranks sixth nationally in the category with 29 while Dalton Hewitt is 13th with 25. The Redhawks have three players in the top 10 in the OVC including Jason Blum (21).
 
Scoring Outbreak
The Redhawks rank seventh nationally in scoring as they average 8.2 runs a game. They have scored 229 runs this season, ranking sixth. The Redhawks have blasted 31 home runs as a team this season which is sixth in the nation. While the Redhawks may be hitting .297, their on base percentage is an eye-popping .411 as a team, which is eighth in the nation.
 
Looking Ahead
The Redhawks will travel to Springfield, Missouri Tuesday for a game with in-state rival Missouri State. The Redhawks and Bears will face off at 6:35 p.m. Southeast then heads to Eastern Illinois for a three-game set with the Panthers. EIU is currently winless on the season at 0-21 and 0-9 in league play.