#5 Southeast Missouri (28-24) vs.  #4 Jacksonville State (30-24)
Date: Wednesday, May 24, 2017
First Pitch: 11 a.m.
Location: Oxford, Ala.
Stadium: Choccolocco Park
Head Coaches:
     Andy Sawyers (28-24, first season)
     Jim Case (515-426, 16^th season)
 
Media Information
Radio: SEMO ESPN 92.9 FM / Erik Sean, Jess Bolen | Listen Live
Live Stats: OVCSports.com
Live Video: OVC Digital Network
Twitter Updates: @SEMObaseball
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri
 
OVC Tournament Central
 
The Matchup
Wednesday: RHP Justin Murphy (7-3) vs. TBA
 
Leading Off
Southeast Missouri baseball (28-24, 16-14) travels to Oxford, Alabama this week to participate in the 2017 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. The fifth-seeded Redhawks will make their 23rd consecutive appearance in the tournament and will look to defend its title from 2016. Southeast opens tournament play Wednesday at 11 a.m. against No. 4 Jacksonville State. 
 
Follow the Redhawks
• The OVC Tournament will be broadcast live on SEMO ESPN 92.9 FM. Erik Sean and Jess Bolen will be on the call. Fans can download the free SEMO ESPN app to listen to live broadcasts of Redhawks baseball all season long. 
• Every game of the OVC Tournament will be streamed live and for free on the OVC Digital Network. 
• Live stats will be available on OVCSports.com and GoSoutheast.com. 
• @SEMObaseball, the official Twitter page of the Redhawks, will feature live in-game updates all season long. 
 
Southeast's Tournament History
The Redhawks will make their 24th overall appearance in the OVC Tournament, 23rd in a row. Southeast's tournament appearance streak is a league record; the second longest is 14 straight. SEMO is 40-42 all time in the OVC tournament but has gone 7-3 the last two years. Last season, the Redhawks clinched their third tournament title and went on to the Starkville Regional.  
 
As the Fifth Seed
Southeast is 3-4 in two tournament appearances as the fifth seed. The Redhawks drew the number five seed in back-to-back years, 2004 and 2005. In 2004, Southeast fell in its first game but worked their way to the championship round but fell to Jacksonville State in the end. The next year, Southeast went two and out.  
 
Against JSU in the Postseason
Southeast has played no other team more in the OVC Tournament than Jacksonville State, squaring off in 13 total games over the years. The Redhawks needed to defeat JSU twice in the championship round a season ago to clinch the title. SEMO is 6-7 against the Gamecocks in its 13 tournament games against them. 
 
This Season Against the Field
SEMO went 10-11 against the seven other teams in the OVC Tournament field this season, winning series over Jacksonville State, Austin Peay, and UT Martin. 
 
Holst Earns OVC Weekly Honor
Dan Holst was named the adidas® Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week for the final week of the regular season. Holst paced the Redhawks this weekend to a sweep of Eastern Kentucky, hitting .429 while driving in nine runs for the Redhawks. He had two hits and scored two runs in all three games. On Thursday, he recorded a career-high six RBI thanks to a grand slam. He homered again in the finale, this time a two-run shot. The senior extended his on-base streak to 40 games over the weekend. He slugged .857 while recording a .500 on-base percentage. This is Holst's first OVC weekly honor of his Redhawk career.
 
Heating Up Down the Stretch
In his last eight starts, Justin Murphy has pitched past the seventh in six of them. In those starts, Murphy is 5-1. The string also includes a complete-game shutout of Jacksonville State on Apr. 14 and a near-complete game at Belmont on May 12. When Murphy takes the mound this season, Southeast is 9-5. He is holding OVC hitters to a .274 batting average. 
 
All the Wright Stuff
Freshman second baseman Danny Wright has put together a stellar rookie campaign. His .365 batting average ranks second on the team and seventh in the league. He's hit 13 doubles, three triples, and three home runs to slug .533. His .460 on base percentage ranks second on the team. He's made 45 starts, 41 of which coming at second base. The rookie has 20 multi-hit games including seven three-hit games. In OVC play, he's hitting a very respectable .408, which ranks fourth in the league while his .508 OVC on-base clip ranks third.
 
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 .520 clip. His .496 career on base percentage ranks fourth among active Division I players. His .520 average ranks third nationally this season. He extended his on base streak to 40 games over the weekend against Eastern Kentucky. His 40-game streak is a career long for the senior and is currently the longest active on-base streak in the OVC. His 48 walks this season has cracked the single-season top 10 for the second straight season and ranks ninth in the country. His career 103 walks ranks sixth all-time at SEMO.
 
There's No Place Like Home
In 25 games at Capaha Field this season, Southeast went 18-7 including an 11-4 OVC clip. The Redhawks hit .324 at Capaha and held opponents to a .281 average while outscoring them, 217-133. Individually, Dan Holst hit .420 while Tristen Gagan has hit 10 homers and drove in 38 runs. 
 
The Friendly Confines of Capaha
20,456 fans attended Southeast Missouri baseball games at Capaha Field this season, averaging 818 a game. Both figures top the OVC. Morehead State drew the second-most in 2017 with a cumulative attendance of 10,079.