Southeast Missouri (10-8, 3-3) at SIUE (11-9, 2-4)
Date: Friday, Mar. 24-Sunday, Mar. 26, 2017
First Pitch: 3 p.m. / 2 p.m. / 1 p.m.
Location: Edwardsville, Ill.
Stadium: Simmons Complex
Head Coaches:
     Andy Sawyers (10-8, first season)
     Sean Lyons ( 11-9, first season)
 
Media Information
Radio: SEMO ESPN 92.9 FM / Erik Sean | Listen Live
Live Stats: Game One | Game Two | Game Three
Twitter Updates: @SEMObaseball
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri
 
The Matchups
Friday: RHP Clay Chandler (3-2) vs. RHP Brock Fulkerson (1-2)
Saturday: RHP Justin Murphy (2-1) vs. RHP Nelson Martz (2-2)
Sunday: LHP Robert Beltran (1-2) vs. Danny Ehrsam (3-0)
 
Leading Off
Southeast Missouri baseball (10-8, 3-3) continues its road swing this weekend with a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series at SIUE (11-9, 2-4). First pitch of the series opener will be Friday at 3 p.m. in Edwardsville. Game two will be Saturday at 2 p.m. followed by the finale at 1 p.m. on Sunday. 
 
Follow the Redhawks
• This weekend's series will be broadcast live on SEMO ESPN 92.9 FM. Erik Sean will be on the call. Fans can download the free SEMO ESPN app to listen to live broadcasts of Redhawks baseball all season long. 
• Live stats will be available on SIUECougars.com. 
• @SEMObaseball, the official Twitter page of the Redhawks, will feature live in-game updates all season long. 
 
Series History
Southeast Missouri holds a 15-4 advantage over SIUE in the all-time series. Since SIUE joined the league in 2012, Southeast has gone 12-3 against the Cougars. The Redhawks have won five-straight and 10 of the last 11 meetings. Southeast swept the series in 2016 and 2014. SEMO dropped game one in 2015 in Edwardsville but rebounded to win the series. 
 
A Peek at What's Ahead
The Redhawks will bring its five-game road swing to a close against in-state rival Missouri next Tuesday, Mar. 28. First pitch from Columbia is set for 3 p.m. Southeast will return home for a three-game conference set against Austin Peay beginning Mar. 31. 
 
Scouting the Cougars
SIUE comes into this weekend's series with an 11-9 overall record and a 2-4 clip in OVC play. The Cougars took two of three at home against Murray State to open league play then went on the road and were swept by Tennessee Tech last weekend. In out-of-conference action, SIUE split four-game series against Seattle and Ohio then swept Northern Illinois in four games. The Cougars have strung together a 7-2 record at Simmons Complex this season. As a team, SIUE leads the conference with a .983 fielding percentage, having committed only 13 errors in 20 games this season. Two weekend starters rank in the league's top 10 in ERA: Nelson Martz (3.13) and Danny Ehrsam (3.76). Closer Mason McReaken is tied for the league lead with five saves and has made 11 appearances on the mound. At the plate, SIUE is hitting .247 as a team. Individually, Alex Skender is one of three everyday players hitting above .300 and leads the squad with a .342 hitting clip. Brock Weimer and Keaton Wright are the team leaders in RBI, combining for 31, and have each hit four home runs. 
 
A Solid Week in the Books
The Redhawks strung together a perfect 4-0 week last week with a win over in-state rival Missouri State and a sweep of UT Martin. SEMO outscored its opponents 37-13, slugged .528 as a team, and stole more bases in four games than it had in the previous 13. The Redhawks raised their batting average four points to above .300 and only committed two errors, putting six points back on to the team fielding percentage (.964). Pitching wise, the team ERA dropped from 5.14 to 4.68. 
 
'Show Me' Baseball
As the 2017 season approaches the end of March, the four Division I baseball teams in the state of Missouri (SEMO, Missouri, Missouri State, Saint Louis) are a combined 59-19 (.756) this season. Under former SEMO head coach Steve Bieser, the Missouri Tigers are sporting a 20-1 record. 
 
Freshmen on Fire
Freshmen Danny Wright and Connor Basler have made their presence known early in their rookie campaigns. The two have combined for eight multi-hit games and are hitting a combined .333 towards the bottom of the lineup. Wright had a hot week last week, hitting .636 (7-of-11), while scoring eight runs, slugging 1.091, drawing five walks, and being on base 75% of his plate appearances. 
 
Wizard of Osborne
Right fielder Chris Osborne is currently riding an 11-game hitting streak and on an 11-game on base streak. In the last 11 games, Osborne is hitting a team-best .477 and has driven in 16 runs. His slugging (.705) and on-base (.529)  percentages are also leading the team. 
 
Go Right Ahead
In 18 games this season, Southeast has scored first in seven. The game against Missouri State (Mar. 15) was the first since Feb. 27 SEMO touched home first. Opponents are outscoring Southeast 14-11 in the first inning this season. SEMO scored in the first all three games against UT Martin. The Redhawks are 4-1 when scoring in the first and 5-2 when scoring before their opponents. 
 
Wade to Save the Day
Closer Matthew Wade has earned a save in three of his seven appearances this season. He picked up a pair of wins as the pitcher of record last week against Missouri State and UT Martin. The righty had four saves as a redshirt-freshman in 2015. His seven career saves ranks tied for seventh on Southeast's career saves list. The career record is 13 (Brad Smith, 2003-05). 
 
But Does He Get on Base?
Senior outfielder Dan Holst led the squad last season with a .475 on base percentage and currently leads this season with a .471 clip. His .474 career on base percentage ranks eighth among active Division I players. 
 
Hang In There, Slugger
Chris Osborne not only finished as the team and conference leader in slugging last season, he was the national slugging champion with a .741 slugging percentage. So far this season, he is slugging .603 but his career .701 slugging percentage leads active Division I players.