Southeast Missouri (24-22, 12-12) at Belmont (24-24, 15-12)
Dates: Friday, May 12-Sunday, May 14, 2017
First Pitch: 5 p.m. / 2 p.m. / 1 p.m.
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Stadium: E.S. Rose Park
Head Coaches:
     Andy Sawyers (24-22, first season)
     Dave Jarvis (560-500-2, 19^th season)
 
Media Information
Radio: SEMO ESPN 92.9 FM / Erik Sean | Listen Live
Live Stats: Game One | Game Two | Game Three
Live Video: OVC Digital Network
Twitter Updates: @SEMObaseball
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri
 
The Matchups
Friday: RHP Justin Murphy (5-3) vs. RHP Tyler Vaughn (3-7)
Saturday: RHP Clay Chandler (7-3) vs. RHP Dylan King (3-4)
Sunday: TBA vs. RHP Casey Queener (2-2)
 
Leading Off
Southeast Missouri baseball (24-22, 12-12) travels to Nashville, Tennessee this weekend for a three-game Ohio Valley Conference matchup with Belmont University (23-24, 15-12). The series kicks off Friday evening at 5 p.m. Game two is set for Saturday at 2 p.m. followed by the finale Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
Follow the Redhawks
• This weekend's series will be broadcast live on SEMO ESPN 92.9 FM. Erik Sean and will be on the call. Fans can download the free SEMO ESPN app to listen to live broadcasts of Redhawks baseball all season long. 
• The Belmont series will be streamed live and for free on the OVC Digital Network. 
• Live stats will be available on BelmontBruins.com. 
• @SEMObaseball, the official Twitter page of the Redhawks, will feature live in-game updates all season long. 
 
A Peek at What's Ahead
The Redhawks will bring the regular season to a close against Eastern Kentucky May 18-20 at Capaha Field next weekend. The three-game set will begin Thursday under the lights. Saturday's finale will feature Senior Day recognition. The Redhawks will use the final two weekends of the regular season to improve their seeding in the OVC Tournament. SEMO is currently in a three-way tie for fourth at 12-12 with Jacksonville State and Murray State. 
 
Next Weekend's Events
Free Tailgates
Thursday: The Bank of Missouri and River Eagle Distributing
Friday: Wings Etc. and Kohlfeld Distributing
Bark in the Park
Thursday, sponsored by Mississippi Mutts
Senior Day
Saturday, honoring 10 seniors who will play their final game at Capaha
 
Series History
The Redhawks lead the all-time series with Belmont, 15-9; however, since the Bruins joined the OVC in 2012-13, Southeast is 10-6 against the Nashville team. The Redhawks fell in the final series of the regular season last year at Capaha. The Redhawks won game one but dropped the next two by one run each. SEMO dropped the regular season series in Nashville in 2015 as well. 
 
Scouting the Bruins
Belmont enters the weekend with a 24-24 overall record and sits third in the OVC with a 15-12 clip. The Bruins will wrap conference play this weekend against the Redhawks as their bye week is the final weekend of the regular season. Catcher Nick Egli is having terrific senior season, hitting .384 and slugging a whopping .780. He leads the team in hits (61), doubles (17), home runs (14), and RBI (46). He has also drawn a team-best 27 walks to contribute to a .487 on-base percentage. On the mound, Dylan King leads the staff with a 3.84 ERA (second in the OVC) in 72.2 innings and 12 starts. His 95 strikeouts leads the OVC, 14 more than his teammate Tyler Vaughn's 81, which is tied for second in the league. Vaughn's 76.2 innings of work leads the conference. The pen is also strong with Dom Veltri's eight saves (second in OVC) and 3.86 ERA. Kyle Klotz's 35 appearances is most in the OVC this season. 
 
Coaching Connection
Southeast Volunteer Assistant Coach Matthew Kinney will return to his undergraduate alma mater this weekend. Kinney played three seasons for the Bruins culminating in a stellar season out of the pen in 2015. Kinney was named Second Team All-OVC as well as earning All-OVC Tournament honors that season. He faced the Redhawks in game two of the regular season series, earning his sixth save pithing three scoreless, hitless innings while striking out four and allowing no base runners. Kinney faced the Redhawks in the OVC Tournament, pitching a trio of innings in two appearances. He finished his career as a student-athlete out of the pen last season at Florida State. 
 
Heating Up Down the Stretch
Justin Murphy will be the Friday night starter this weekend against Belmont. In his last six starts, he has pitched past the seventh in five of them. In those starts, Murphy is 3-1 with a 3.30 ERA. The string also includes a complete-game shutout of Jacksonville State on Apr. 14. When Murhpy takes the mound this season, Southeast is 8-4. 
 
All the Wright Stuff
Freshman second baseman Danny Wright has put together a stellar rookie campaign. His .338 batting average ranks third on the team and 19th in the league while he is tied for third with 11 doubles to slug .490. His .434 on base percentage ranks third on the team. He's made 39 starts, 35 of which coming at second base. The rookie has 16 multi-hit games including five three-hit games. 
 
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 .518 clip. His .494 career on base percentage ranks fourth among active Division I players. His .518 average ranks third nationally this season. He extended his on base streak to 34 games over the weekend at Western Michigan. His 31-game streak is a career long for the senior and is currently the longest active on-base streak in the OVC. His 42 walks this season has cracked the single-season top 10 for the second straight season and ranks 11th in the country. His career 97 walks ranks seventh all-time, tied with teammate Trevor Ezell. 
 
There's No Place Like Home
In 22 games at Capaha Field this season, Southeast is 15-7 including a 7-2 OVC clip. The Redhawks are hitting .315 at Capaha and holding opponents to a .276 average while outscoring them, 179-120. Individually, Dan Holst is hitting .419 while Tristen Gagan has hit eight homers and driven in 33 runs. 
 
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 .608 and his career .670 slugging percentage ranks second among active Division I players. His career .366 batting average ranks seventh in Division I. Osborne recorded three three-hit game against Tennessee Tech.