Southeast Missouri (23-10, 13-2 OVC) vs. Eastern Illinois (5-27, 1-11 OVC)
Series Information
Dates: Friday-Sunday, April 15-17, 2016
First Pitch: 6 p.m. / 2 p.m. / 1 p.m.
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Stadium: Capaha Field
Series: Southeast leads 34-32
Head Coaches: Steve Bieser (122-86, Fourth Season); Jason Anderson (5-27, First Season)
 
Media Information
Radio: SEMO ESPN 1220 AM, 92.9 FM / Erik Sean, Jess Bolen | Listen Live
Live Video: n/a
Live Stats: Game One | Game Two | Game Three
Twitter Updates: @SEMObaseball
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri | Eastern Illinois
 
Probable Starting Pitchers
Friday: LHP Joey Lucchesi (6-2) vs. RHP Michael McCormick (0-5)
Saturday: RHP Clay Chandler (4-1) vs. RHP Matt Wivinis (0-6)
Sunday: LHP Robert Beltran (4-1) vs. TBD
 
Leading Off
• Southeast Missouri baseball (23-10, 13-2 OVC) will return to Capaha this weekend to host last-place Eastern Illinois (5-27, 1-11 OVC).
• The Redhawks will host the second free tailgate of the season on Saturday. Jimmy Johns and Kohlfeld Distributing will be providing the food and beverage.
• The Redhawks are coming off a home-and-home sweep of Arkansas State for the first time since 2011.
• Southeast narrowly leads the all-time series with Eastern Illinois, 34-32. Southeast won the series last season in Charleston but dropped game two of the series.
• Joey Lucchesi leads the nation with 71 strikeouts. He is on pace to crack the single-single season strikeouts list again and the career strikeouts list.
• The Redhawks pitching staff leads the OVC in five categories.
• The Redhawks moved up nine spots in this week's NCAA RPI rankings to 42.
 
Redhawks Rundown
Back at Home
The Southeast Missouri baseball team (23-10, 13-2 OVC) returns to the friendly confines of Capaha Field this weekend to host last-place Eastern Illinois (5-27, 1-11 OVC) in a three-game series. The series will kick off Friday evening under the lights at 6 p.m.
 
Follow the Redhawks
This weekend's series will be broadcast on SEMO ESPN. Friday and Sunday's games will air on SEMO ESPN 1220 AM while Saturday's game will be on 92.9 FM. Erik Sean will provide play-by-play on the broadcast. Sean will be joined by Jess Bolen who will provide analysis. Fans can download the SEMO ESPN app to listen to live broadcasts of Redhawks baseball all season long. Live stats will be available on GoSoutheast.com. Live Twitter updates are available on the official Twitter page of Southeast Missouri baseball, @SEMObaseball. 
 
Join us for Fun this Weekend
Friday Night Under the Lights - Fans of all ages will have the opportunity to play catch under the lights of Capaha Field following Friday's game. The field will be open for 30 minutes for fans following the end of the game.
Free Tailgate - Jimmy Johns and Kohlfeld Distributing will be sponsoring the second free tailgate of the season at Saturday's game.
Sunday Runday - Kids 14 and under can run the bases after Sunday's series finale.
 
Let's Recap
After dropping its first OVC series of the season last weekend at Austin Peay, Southeast Missouri picked up right where it left off in game three of the series with the Govs at Arkansas State on Tuesday. Southeast Missouri completed a home-and-home sweep of Arkansas State with a 13-8 victory Tuesday evening. It's the first time since 2011 the Redhawks have picked up the sweep of the series with Arkansas State. It's also the first time since 2001 and 2002 that Southeast has won in Jonesboro, Arkansas in back-to-back seasons. The Redhawk offense exploded for 13 runs on 16 hits, led by three-hit, two-RBI performances by Branden Boggetto and Chris Osborne. Jacob Lawrence earned his second victory as he improves to 2-1 on the season. Lawrence pitched six complete innings, allowing four runs on seven hits. He struck out five and walked two.
 
What's Ahead
Southeast will hit the road for a four-game road swing beginning Tuesday at in-state rival Saint Louis. The Redhawks and Billikens will begin the home-and-home series at 6 p.m. from the Billiken Sports Complex. Southeast will then make the long haul to OVC-leading Jacksonville State for a three-game series next weekend. The Redhawks will then return to Cape Girardeau for a six-game homestand.
 
Series History
Southeast Missouri narrowly leads the all-time series with Eastern Illinois, 34-32. Last season, the Redhawks defeated the Panthers in game one, 21-1, before falling in game two, 9-5. Southeast picked up the series victory with a 5-0 shutout of EIU in game three. The Redhawks have won the last two series but dropped two games in 2013. The Redhawks have only swept the three-games series twice in the last 11 years.
 
The Top Staff in the League
The Redhawks pitching staff leads the league in a five categories including ERA (3.50), hits allowed per nine innings (8.38), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.72), strikeouts per nine innings (9.5), and WHIP (1.32). The Redhawks' 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings ranks sixth nationally.
 
LuKKhesi Leads the Nation in Strikeouts
Southeast's ace Joey Lucchesi leads the nation with 71 strikeouts this season. Lucchesi needs 87 strikeouts to crack the single-season top-ten list in the category. His 93 from last season ranks fifth on the list. He is also on pace to crack the career strikeouts list in only two seasons. He has 164 in his Redhawk career and needs 13 more to crack the list. He will be only the second to crack the list in two seasons. Ryan Spille's (1998-99) 215 strikeouts ranks second.
 
The Latest RPI Ranking
In this week's NCAA RPI rankings, Southeast Missouri has moved up nine spots from 51 to 42. Four OVC programs appear in the top 100. Behind Southeast is Morehead State (73), Austin Peay (74), and Jacksonville State (80). D1Baseball.com ranks the Redhawks 42nd.
 
Osborne Hits for the Cycle
Junior outfielder Chris Osborne became the first Southeast Missouri baseball player to hit for the cycle since 2003 on Sunday at Austin Peay. Osborne singled in the second inning, homered in the fifth, tripled in the eighth, and doubled in the ninth to complete the cycle. Denver Stuckey was the last Southeast player to hit for the cycle on May 4, 2003 at UT Martin.
 
Going Streaking
Garrett Gandolfo is riding a team-best 13-game hitting streak while Ryan Rippee has strung together an 11-game on base streak.