#7 Southeast Missouri (19-25) vs. #2 Jacksonville State (36-15)

OVC Tournament First Round
Date: Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Time: 12:30 p.m., CT
Location: Edwardsville, Ill.
Stadium: Cougar Field
Head Coaches: Mark Redburn (185-252 overall; 19-25 at Southeast; 12-12 OVC). Jana McGinnis (760-426 overall; 760-426 at JSU; 216-79 OVC).
Weather Forecast: Mostly Sunny, 86 degrees

Media Coverage
Live Stats | OVC Tournament Bracket | OVC Tournament Central
Video: OVC Digital Network
Twitter Updates: @SEMOsoftball
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri

Postseason Play Begins
Seventh-seeded Southeast Missouri (19-25) faces second-seeded Jacksonville State (36-15) in the first round of the Ohio Valley Conference Championship Wednesday. First pitch is set for 12:30 p.m., CT, at Cougar Field in Edwardsville, Ill.

Follow the Redhawks
Live video for all of Southeast's games at the Ohio Valley Conference Championship can be accessed for free online at the OVC Digital Network. Live stats will be available online at OVCSports.com. Twitter updates will be provided @SEMOsoftball.

OVC Tournament Bound
Southeast makes its 16th Ohio Valley Conference Tournament appearance in 2015. The Redhawks ended a three-year stretch where they missed getting to the event. Southeast last made the OVC Tournament in 2011. That year, the Redhawks went 4-2 and finished second after falling to Jacksonville State in a winner-take-all final.

Field is Set
The 2015 Ohio Valley Conference Championship field consists of OVC regular-season champion and host SIU Edwardsville (No. 1, 39-14), Jacksonville State (No. 2, 36-15), Murray State (No. 3, 36-17), Tennessee Tech (No. 4, 28-25), Eastern Kentucky (No. 5, 23-26), Eastern Illinois (No. 6, 20-25), Southeast (No. 7, 19-25) and Morehead State (No. 8, 22-22). The Redhawks are a combined 4-11 against this year's field with wins over Tennessee Tech, Eastern Illinois and Morehead State.

OVC Tournament Record
Southeast is 39-23 all-time in Ohio Valley Conference Tournament play. The Redhawks have won the event five times (1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999) in their program's history.

Redhawks Secure No. 7 Seed
The Redhawks secured the No. 7 seed in this week's Ohio Valley Conference Tournament with a three-game sweep of Austin Peay (May 2-3). Southeast is a No. 7 seed for the first time in its OVC Tournament history. The Redhawks finished four spots higher than their 11th-place ranking in this year's OVC Preseason Poll.

Against the No. 2 Seed
Southeast is 6-5 all-time against the No. 2 seed at the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. The Redhawks faced the No. 2 seed in nine of their OVC Tournament appearances (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2011). Jacksonville State was the No. 2 seed the last time it faced Southeast in the postseason during the 2011 campaign.

Full Steam Ahead
The Redhawks enter the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament on a four-game winning streak, one of three teams headed to the event with winning streaks of four or more games. Jacksonville State (5 games) and Murray State (4 games) are the others.Southeast is on a four-game winning streak for the third time this season. The Redhawks won eight of their last 10 contests.

Last Time vs. Jacksonville State
Southeast and Jacksonville State hooked up in a doubleheader during the second weekend of the Ohio Valley Conference season. JSU swept the Redhawks, 10-4, 6-5, in Jacksonville, Ala., on Mar. 23. The Gamecocks hit five home runs to fuel their game one victory. Sara Borders then hit a two-run walkoff home run to grab JSU a come-from-behind win in the nightcap.

Series History
The Redhawks and Gamecocks meet in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament for the sixth time Wednesday. Southeast owns a 1-4 record against Jacksonville State at the league's postseason event. The Redhawks faced the Gamecocks in the 2004 (0-1), 2005 (0-1) and 2011 (1-2) tournaments. JSU, which was seeded higher than Southeast in each of those years, was the No. 5 seed in 2004, No. 1 seed in 2005 and No. 2 seed in 2011. The Redhawks are 3-33 against the Gamecocks since moving to the NCAA Division I ranks in 1992.

Seeing Double
Southeast registered double-digit hits in three-straight games. The Redhawks had 14 in game one, 11 in game two and 12 in game three of their series sweep at Austin Peay (May 2-3). Southeast collected 10 or more hits in six of its last nine contests.

Wernig Produces
Freshman Claire Wernig hit .500 (8-for-16) with three runs scored, a double and eight RBI in four games for Southeast last week. Wernig had multiple-hits in three of the four games she played, establishing a season-high three hits and three RBI against Austin Peay. She went 7-for-13 (.538) with all eight of her RBI in the Redhawks sweep of the Lady Govs.

Welcome to the OVC Tournament
All 19 players on Southeast's roster make their first trip to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. Lindsey Patterson and Jamie Woodworth are the only four-year seniors on the team and both get to experience the postseason in their final year with the Redhawks. Kayla Fortner is the only player on the roster with previous postseason experience. Fortner played in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament under Mark Redburn at Evansville.

Fortner Eyes RBI Record
Kayla Fortner needs just one RBI to break Southeast's all-time single-season record. Fortner leads the team and ranks third in the Ohio Valley Conference with 48 runs batted in. She is currently tied for first with Renee Kertz (48 RBI, 2011).  

That's Not All
Kayla Fortner is also eight total bases away from breaking the school's single-season record in that category. Fortner is behind Michelle Summers (114 total bases, 2008). In addition, she is nine runs away from surpassing Southeast's single-season record in runs scored (Kim Palmer, 48 runs, 1998). Fortner broke the school's single-season home run (16) and walk (35) records in April.
 
Nice Work
Southeast compiled a record of 13-7 and 10-5 in Ohio Valley Conference play since the start of April. The Redhawks went 10-7 in April and are presently 3-0 in May. In addition, Southeast posted back-to-back series wins to close out the regular season (2-1 vs. Eastern Illinois on Apr. 25-26; 3-0 at Austin Peay on May 2-3).

Nice Improvement
The Redhawks have a +8 increase in the win column this season after getting just 11 victories in 2014. Southeast's 19 victories surpassed the win total from each of the last two seasons (11 in 2014; 15 in 2013). The 19 overall wins and 12 Ohio Valley Conference victories are the Redhawks most in a season since 2012 (25-30, 13-16 OVC).

Redburn to Coach in First OVC Tourney
Mark Redburn will coach in his first Ohio Valley Conference Tournament this week. Redburn took Southeast from an 11th-place OVC preseason ranking to a seventh-place finish during his first year at the helm. The Redhawks are the only team with a first-year head coach in the OVC Tournament this season.

Last Time Out
Southeast split a doubleheader with Arkansas in its final non-conference series Wednesday. The Redhawks dropped game one, 13-5, before rallying to win the nightcap, 4-3, in extra innings. Southeast earned its first win over an SEC opponent since 2007. In addition, the Redhawks went 7-13 against non-league foes this year.

Fortner Breaks Single-Game Record
In her first at-bat of the Eastern Illinois series, outfielder Kayla Fortner broke Southeast's all-time single-season home run record. Fortner homered twice in the Redhawks doubleheader sweep of the Panthers on Apr. 25. She leads the Ohio Valley Conference with 16 home runs in 41 starts this year. Michelle Summers held the previous record with 14 home runs in 2007.

Getting On Base
Kayla Fortner has reached base in 14 consecutive games. Fortner has also scored at least one run in 12 of her last 16 starts. Her current streak matches her own team-best and season-long stretch of 14-straight games where she got on base.

Another Streak
Kayla Fortner also owns an eight-game hitting streak that started in game one of Southeast's doubleheader against Eastern Illinois (Apr. 25). Fortner's hitting streak is the longest of any Redhawk through 44 games this season.

Team Effort
The 2015 club placed itself among Southeast's top 10 teams in home runs and walks. Southeast is currently fifth in home runs (37) and eighth in walks (130) on those lists.

Now Appearing
Freshman Madeline Krumrey went 5-1 with a shutout, two complete game victories, two saves and 34 strikeouts in her last eight appearances. Krumrey tossed her second complete game shutout of the season when she gave up just four hits and struck out five in seven innings against Eastern Illinois (Apr. 25). She tied a single-season high nine strikeouts in 5.2 innings during her other start against the Panthers on Apr. 26. Most recently, Krumrey worked eight innings to beat Arkansas (Apr. 29) and picked up two wins at Austin Peay (. She leads the Redhawks in ERA (3.66), appearances (30), starts (24), wins (13), complete games (13), shutouts (2), saves (2), innings pitched (166.1) and strikeouts (90) this year.

Going the Distance
Madeline Krumrey is one of seven Ohio Valley Conference pitchers with 13 or more complete games this season. Tennessee Tech's Danielle Liberatore tops the conference with 21 complete games, while SIUE's Haley Chambers (20), UT Martin's Elizabeth Wiegand (16), Eastern Illinois' Jessica Wireman (15), Morehead State's Mackenzie Grossman (14), Jacksonville State's Taylor West (13) and Krumrey follow. Krumrey is also third in the OVC in innings pitched (166.1).

Home Run Hayes
Freshman catcher Riley Hayes hit a home run in five of her last 10 games. Hayes homered for the first time in her career when she belted a three-run round-tripper to ignite Southeast's 5-4 come-from-behind win over Saint Louis (Apr. 22). She then hit a solo home run against Tennessee State (Apr. 23), added two more against Eastern Illinois (Apr. 25) and hit one at Austin Peay (May 3). Hayes and Kayla Fortner are the only Redhawks to hit a homer in four-straight games this season.

League Leader
Kayla Fortner leads the Ohio Valley Conference in slugging percentage (.863), on-base percentage (.531), home runs (16) and walks (35). Fortner is also second in the conference in batting average (.403) and third in RBI (48) and total bases (107). She ranks nationally in walks (25th), home runs per game (26th), and slugging percentage (27th).

Yard Work
The Redhawks have homered in 25 games and have a total of 37 through 44 contests this season. The 37 home runs are Southeast's most in a season since 2008 (40). Kayla Fortner and Lindsey Patterson are the Redhawks top home run threats with 16 and seven, respectively.

About Jacksonville State
Jacksonville State has the longest winning streak out of the eight teams headed to this year's Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. JSU, which is 36-15, stands tied with Murray State for the second-most wins in the league. The Gamecocks won the OVC Tournament in four of the last seven years. JSU is second in the OVC in hitting (.313), pitching (2.60) and fielding (.972). Sara Borders is the team's top offensive threat, ranking behind Southeast's Kayla Fortner in batting average (.386), slugging percentage (.800), on-base percentage (.505) and walks (34). Borders, like Fortner, has 16 home runs this year, as well.