Southeast Missouri (15-18, 10-5 OVC) at Jacksonville State (16-13, 6-6 OVC)

Dates: Friday, April 13 - Saturday, April 14, 2018
Series Schedule: Fri.- 1 p.m., CT (DH); Sat.- 2 p.m., CT
Site: Oxford, Ala.
Facility: Choccolocco Park
Series: JSU leads, 29-28
Last Meeting: SEMO 13, JSU 10 (May 24, 2017 / Oxford, Ala.)
Andy Sawyers (131-71 overall; 44-44 at SEMO; 26-19 OVC). Jim Case (531-431 overall; same at JSU).
 
SEMO Probable Starters: 
Game 1: Christian Vick, RHP
Game 2: Logan Spalt, RHP
Game 3: Carlos Vega, RHP
 
Media Coverage: 
Radio: SEMOESPN 92.9FM (Erik Sean)
Live Stats: JSUGamecocksports.com

Series History
Southeast Missouri trails Jacksonville State, 28-29, in its all-time series. The Redhawks, however, have posted five-straight series wins against the Gamecocks. Friday will be the 13th doubleheader in the series. Southeast and JSU last met in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament in 2017 where the Redhawks won, 13-10, in the first round.

Redhawks Win Fourth OVC Series
Southeast is currently 10-5 in the Ohio Valley Conference and has won four of its five conference series this season. The Redhawks presently stand in second place in the league standings behind Tennessee Tech which is 14-1 in the OVC. Jacksonville State is sixth in the league with a 6-6 mark.

Follow the Redhawks
Fans can listen to this weekend's games on the radio at ESPN 92.9 FM. Erik Sean will call the action. Live stats are available at JSUGamecocksports.com. Twitter updates provided @SEMObaseball. 

Go Green Games
In the month of April, Southeast is partnering with Mid-America Transplant to raise awareness about organ, eye and tissue donations. The team will wear special green jerseys for every midweek game in the month of April. The Redhawks will also have another "Green Up" game against Murray State on Apr. 21.  More information can be found at GoSoutheast.com.

Redhawks Win Midweek
Southeast snapped a six-game losing streak in midweek games when it beat Saint Louis, 4-2, on Apr. 4. It was the Redhawks first midweek win of the season. Chase Urhahn had one RBI on three hits, including two doubles. Nathan Bock recorded his first career win on the mound. Southeast continued the trend with a 15-0 win over McKendree (Apr. 10) at Capaha Field. Seven of the Redhawks 14 hits went for extra bases in that game (5 doubles, 2 home runs). Ashton Holyfield recorded his first career win on the mound.

Southeast Ranks Nationally
The Redhawks rank 28^thin the nation with a .296 batting average through 33 games this season. Southeast is in a three-way tie for 26^th nationally with 333 hits on 1126 at-ats. The Redhawks are also tied for 36^thwith 31 home runs and rank 42^nd in home runs per game. Trevor Ezell is in a three-way tie for 14^th in the nation with a total of 52 hits. Chase Urhahn stands sixth with 15 doubles. Justin Dirden and Tristen Gagan are tied for sixth with 41 RBI this season. 

Vega's Consistent Start
Carlos Vega has started game three in every conference series this season and is again expected to start in that spot at Jacksonville State. Vega pitched in Southeast's wins at UT Martin (Mar. 18), vs. SIU Edwardsville (Mar. 25) and at Austin Peay (Mar. 31). He has also pitched out of the bullpen earlier in the weekend series. Vega recorded a season-high 10 strikeouts in his last start at Austin Peay (Mar. 31). He also registered a 0.00 ERA against Eastern Illinois through seven innings. Vega has not given up a home run this year. 

Hot Bats
Southeast has 333 hits and 211 RBI in 2018. The Redhawks average 6.75 runs a game on just over 10 hits. Trevor Ezell leads the team with 52 hits, which rank third in the Ohio Valley Conference. Tristen Gagan and Justin Dirden share first place in the conference with 41 RBI this season. Southeast has 70 doubles and 31 home runs, as well.

Ranked in the OVC
Southeast is tied for second in the Ohio Valley Conference in batting average (.296) with Morehead State. The Redhawks are in second with a 4.88 earned run average and narrowly trail Jacksonville State (.484). Southeast  leads the conference with a .973 fielding percentage on 858 putouts.  

Individuals: Trevor Ezell is in fourth in the conference with a .400 batting average. Ezell leads the OVC with three triples and sits in third with 52 total hits. Tristen Gagan and Justin Dirden share the conference lead with 41 runs batted in. Chase Urhahn ranks second in the conference with 15 doubles, only two behind leader Davis Sims of Murray State. Dirden is fourth in the OVC with a .642 slugging percentage. Peyton Faulkner holds a three-way tie for second in hit by pitch after being hit nine times. Faulkner also leads the conference in sacrifice bunts with six this season. Carlos Vega is second among league leaders with a 2.01 ERA on just 12 runs allowed. Vega ties for the top of the league with zero home runs. Tristen Gagan ranks second in the league with 261 putouts on 281 chances (3rd) and is tied for first with a 1.000 fielding percentage. 

Home Run Count
Southeast has 31 home runs and ranks third in the Ohio Valley Conference in that category this season. The Redhawks hit a home run in 19 games this year. Justin Dirden leads the team with eight round-trippers. The Redhawks had a season-high four home runs at Austin Peay (Mar. 31).  

Leading the OVC
Tristen Gagan leads the Ohio Valley Conference in fielding percentage at 1.000 and is tied with Justin Dirden for 41 RBI. Trevor Ezell leads the conference with three triples.

On Deck
The Redhawks will return to Capaha Field to host Saint Louis for the second time this month. That game, which features a free tailgate sponsored by Bluff City, is scheduled for 6 p.m., CT, on Apr. 17.