Morehead State (2-21, 0-4 OVC) vs. Southeast Missouri (25-8, 3-1 OVC)

Date: Friday, March 29, 2019
First Pitch: 1 p.m., CT (DH)
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Facility: Southeast Softball Complex (600)
Series History: SEMO leads, 59-22
Watch: ESPN+ Game 1 | Game 2
Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2
Twitter: @SEMOsoftball
Southeast Missouri Notes (PDF)

Eastern Kentucky (16-11, 3-1 OVC) vs. Southeast Missouri (25-8, 3-1 OVC)

Date: Sunday, March 31, 2019
First Pitch: 1 p.m., CT (DH)
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Facility: Southeast Softball Complex (600)
Series History: SEMO leads, 37-35
Watch: ESPN+ Game 1 | Game 2
Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2
Twitter: @SEMOsoftball
Southeast Missouri Notes (PDF)

Redhawks Continue OVC Play
Southeast Missouri (25-8, 3-1) resumes Ohio Valley Conference play when it hosts Morehead State (2-21, 0-4) Friday and defending OVC regular-season champion Eastern Kentucky (16-11, 3-1) Sunday. A 1 p.m., CT, doubleheader is scheduled for both days at the Southeast Softball Complex.

Follow the Redhawks
Watch both doubleheaders this weekend live on ESPN+. Live stats are available at GoSoutheast.com. Twitter updates provided @SEMOsoftball.

FREE Tailgate Sunday
There will be a FREE tailgate for fans at Sunday's softball doubleheader against Eastern Kentucky. Kohlfeld Distributing and Cape Trails Apartments is sponsoring the event.

OVC Home-Openers
Southeast Missouri owns a 17-10 record in Ohio Valley Conference home-openers. The Redhawks are 2-2 in such games under head coach Mark Redburn. 

Hot Redhawks
The Redhawks are a scorching 16-2 this month. Southeast Missouri recently saw a season-long 13-game winning streak end with a 7-0 loss to Belmont (Mar. 24). It was SEMO's first loss since Mar. 2. The Redhawks were on a 10-game winning streak for the first time in 10 years. SEMO has won 18 of its last 21 contests.

OVC Play Underway
Southeast Missouri opened Ohio Valley Conference play with a 3-1 record after sweeping Tennessee State (Mar. 23) and splitting with Belmont (Mar. 24) in doubleheaders last week. SEMO, Jacksonville State, UT Martin and Eastern Kentucky all posted 3-1 marks in during the first weekend of league play.

Redhawks Rank 61 in RPI
The Redhawks are ranked 61st in this week's NCAA Softball RPI. Southeast Missouri is rated higher than any school in the Ohio Valley Conference. Eastern Kentucky follows at 83. SEMO has two wins against Top-50 RPI teams this year -- vs. Arkansas (27th) and Missouri State (50th).

25 or More Wins
Southeast Missouri is one of 17 teams in the nation with 25 or more wins this season. The Redhawks rank 25th in the country with a .758 winning percentage at 25-8 overall. Here are the 17 teams with 25 or more victories in NCAA Division I softball this year:
Alabama    33-1 (.971)
UCLA    27-1 (.964)
Oklahoma    29-2 (.935)
Florida State    32-3 (.914)
Virginia Tech    27-4 (.871)
Louisiana    26-4 (.867)
Auburn    28-5 (.848)
Texas Tech    27-5 (.844)
Tennessee    26-5 (.839)
Texas    29-6 (.829)
LSU    28-6 (.824)
Florida    27-6 (.818)
Southeast Missouri    25-8 (.758)
Arizona State    25-8 (.758)
Georgia    25-9 (.735)
Indiana    25-9 (.735)
Ball State    25-10 (.714)

OVC Openers
With its 8-0 victory over Tennessee State (Mar. 23), Southeast Missouri improved to 18-10 all-time in Ohio Valley Conference openers. SEMO started league play with a win for the seventh time in nine years.

Series History
Southeast Missouri is 59-22 all-time against Morehead State and holds a 37-35 advantage in its series against Eastern Kentucky. SEMO won three of its last four meetings with MSU. The Redhawks are looking to snap a three-game losing skid in their series against EKU.

Thogmartin Reaches 10 Wins
Haley Thogmartin (10-3) won her 10th game in the circle this season when she beat Tennessee State (Mar. 23). Thogmartin tossed five scoreless innings and recorded six strikeouts in that game. She became the third Ohio Valley Conference pitcher to get 10 or more wins this year joining Jacksonville State's Faith Sims (12) and Austin Peay's Morgan Rackel (12). This year marks the second-straight where Thogmartin has recorded 10 victories. She has won in each of her last four starts.

Anderson Surpasses 100 Runs
Rachel Anderson achieved another milestone in her career when she scored her 100th career run at Tennessee State (Mar. 23). Anderson accumulated over 100 runs (101), 150 hits (166) and 130 starts (136) in her career to date. She is seven RBI away from getting 100 in that category as well.

Gallo Has Strong Week
Left fielder Claudia Gallo hit .500 (5-for-10) with five runs scored, a double, home run, two RBI and one stolen base to lead Southeast Missouri to a 3-1 start in Ohio Valley Conference play last week. Gallo had 
multiple hits in two of her four starts. She hit the game-winning home run in the top of the seventh inning to give SEMO a 3-2 win in game one of its doubleheader against Belmont (Mar. 24). Gallo also registered a .900 slugging percentage and .500 on-base percentage for the week.

Awesome Defense
Defensively, Southeast Missouri has gone 14 games without committing an error this season. Overall, SEMO is 22-2 in games where it has one or no errors. In the last 14 games alone, the Redhawks committed only three errors on 383 chances. SEMO also went error free in 11 contests and boasted a .992 fielding percentage during that span. 

Top-30 in the Nation
Southeast Missouri ranks among the top 30 NCAA Division I teams in seven different statistical categories. Entering this week, the Redhawks are fifth in triples per game (0.48), 22nd in batting average (.315), 24th in stolen bases per game (1.85), 25th in win-loss percentage (.758), 27th in slugging percentage (.512), 29th in double plays turned per game (0.48) and 30th in scoring (6.2 runs per game).

Individual Attention
Nine Redhawks currently rank in the national NCAA Division I softball statistics this week. Here is a list of those who rate among the top 30 individuals:
Rachel Anderson    2nd in Triples (7)        
3rd in 3B Per Game (0.21)
6th in Total Bases (88)
7th in hits (47)
11th in BAvg (.475)
15th in OB% (.559)
19th in SLG% (.889)
29th in RBI (34)
Ashley Ellis    
22nd in Sac Flies (3)

Tops in the OVC
The Redhawks lead the Ohio Valley Conference in batting average (.315), on-base percentage (.393), runs scored (205), hits (282), RBI (176), triples (16), wins (25), total bases (458), walks (97), hit by pitch (21), batters struck out looking (50), saves (6) and fielding double plays (16). Rachel Anderson leads the league in batting average (.475), slugging percentage (.889), on-base percentage (.559), hits (47), triples (7) and total bases (88); Mykaela Arellanes is first in runs scored (33) and plate appearances (123); Ashley Ellis ranks first in fielding double plays (10); Claudia Gallo is first in hit by pitch (8); and Haley Thogmartin leads the league in appearances (22).

March Madness
Southeast Missouri closes out March when it hosts Morehead State (Mar. 29) and Eastern Kentucky (Mar. 31) this weekend. SEMO is 16-2  and had a season-long 13-game winning streak this month. The Redhawks are hitting .329 with 26 doubles, seven triples, 19 home runs, 100 RBI and 37 stolen bases through 18 games in March. SEMO is also outscored its opponents, 122-47 (+75), during that stretch. The Redhawks were 12-7 in March a year ago. 

Home Run Total
Southeast Missouri hit a home run in 18 of its 33 games this season. The Redhawks are 16-2 in games where they hit one or more home runs. SEMO's total of 34 round-trippers rank third in the Ohio Valley Conference behind Jacksonville State (41) and Austin Peay (39). The Redhawks are four home runs away from passing their total of 37 round-trippers in 53 games a year ago.

Tough Trio
Pitchers Haley Thogmartin, Alexis Estes and Rachel Rook are all over 100 strikeouts in their respective Southeast Missouri careers. Thogmartin recorded 213, Estes has 108 and Rook has 107. That trio has also combined for 60 wins, including 24 this season alone.

20 Wins
The 2019 club is Southeast Missouri's quickest team to reach 20 wins under head coach Mark Redburn. The earliest the Redhawks picked up 20 wins under Redburn was on Apr. 6, 2018 (11-2, at Austin Peay). SEMO had never won 20 non-conference games in a season with Redburn as its coach until this year. The last time the Redhawks finished with 20 or more non-conference victories was in 1998 (22-11-1).

Getting Ahead Early
Southeast Missouri has scored in the first inning in 11 games this season and is 10-1 in those contests. The Redhawks have scored first 19 times this year and are 18-1 in such games. SEMO has scored 102 of its 205 runs in the first three innings, including 32 in the first, 35 in the second and 35 in the third.

Bombs Away
Ashley Ellis (17), Addison Barnouski (15), Sarah Messex (15) and Rachel Anderson (15) are Southeast Missouri's active players with 10 or more career home runs. That group has accounted for 24 of Southeast Missouri's 34 round-trippers this season. Mykaela Arellanes (9) is next in line to get 10 career home runs.

Over .300
The Redhawks and Jacksonville State (.307)are the only Ohio Valley Conference teams with a batting average above .300 this season. Southeast Missouri is hitting a league-high .315 and ranks 22nd among the nation's NCAA Division I softball teams in batting average. Five of SEMO's starters are hitting .333 or better, including Rachel Anderson (.475), Ashley Ellis (.398), Addison Barnouski (.385), Mykaela Arellanes (.363) and Claudia Gallo (.333).

Extra Base Hits
Southeast Missouri has had multiple extra base hits in 26 of 33 games this season. The Redhawks presently have a total of 92 extra base hits, including 42 doubles, 16 triples and 34 home runs. SEMO's 92 extra base hits are most in the Ohio Valley Conference. Rachel Anderson (20) and Ashley Ellis (14) have combined for 34 extra base hits this season.

Stealing the Show
Rachel Anderson leads the Redhawks with 15-of-18 stolen bases and Mykaela Arellanes is 12-of-13 on the basepaths this season. As a team, Southeast Missouri is 61-of-74 in stolen bases. The Redhawks 61 stolen bases are 10 away from a new single-season school record. That mark presently stands at 70 done by last year's team (70-of-87).

Top 10 Base Stealers
Rachel Anderson and Mykaela Arellanes are among Southeast Missouri's top 10 career leaders in stolen bases. Anderson ranks fourth with 42-of-57 stolen bases and Arellanes is tied for sixth with 37-of-42. Lisa Thornton (82-of-91, 1987-91) currently holds the record.

On the Run
The Redhawks have averaged nearly 60 stolen bases per season (58.8) under head coach Mark Redburn for a total of 294 over five years. Redburn's 2018 (1st, 70), 2017 (3rd, 65) and 2016 (5th, 58) clubs are among SEMO's top five single-season stolen base leaders in program history.

Scoring Jump
Southeast Missouri scored an Ohio Valley Conference high 205 runs (6.2 per game) through its first 33 contests this season. The Redhawks have scored 10 or more in six games. SEMO scored 258 runs in 53 games a year ago.

Home Run Train
Eight different Redhawks have homered through 33 games this season. Ashley Ellis leads the team with eight round-trippers and Rachel Anderson follows with seven. Addison Barnouski has five, Mykaela Arellanes and Sarah Messex each have four, Claudia Gallo has three, Anna Griffin has two and Parker Bandy has one. 

100th Career Hit
Shortstop Sarah Messex collected the 100th hit of her career with a game-tying double in the bottom of the second inning against IUPUI (Feb. 23). Messex (114) is the third player on this year's team with 100 or more career hits, joining Rachel Anderson (166) and Mykaela Arellanes (134). Ashley Ellis (97) and Addison Barnouski (93) are the next closest to the 100-hit mark.

Starting Streaks
Two Redhawks have never missed a start in their careers. Senior shortstop Sarah Messex has started 185 consecutive games and junior center fielder Rachel Anderson has made 136 straight starts.

More with 100 Starts
In addition to Sarah Messex and Rachel Anderson, junior first baseman Ashley Ellis, senior second baseman Parker Bandy, senior right fielder Mykaela Arellanes and junior third baseman Addison Barnouski have started over 100 games at Southeast Missouri. Ellis logged a total of 133 starts, Bandy started 184 contests, Arellanes has started 125 and Barnouski started 106 games. 

10 or More Hits
The Redhawks registered 10 or more hits in 12 games this season with a season-high 14 vs. Abilene Christian (Feb. 15) and at Central Arkansas (Mar. 1). Southeast Missouri outhit its opponent in 22 of 33 games and is 22-0 in those contests. SEMO's total of 282 hits lead the Ohio Valley Conference.

Triple Threat
Center fielder Rachel Anderson, first baseman Ashley Ellis and third baseman Addison Barnouski have provided Southeast Missouri with a nice one-two-three punch in the top half of its lineup. Anderson leads the team with a .475 batting average, while Ellis is hitting .398 and Arellanes is hitting .385. The trio has combined for 119 hits, 66 runs, 17 doubles, eight triples, 20 home runs and 92 RBI this season.

Getting On Base
Mykaela Arellanes and Sarah Messex are second and third in the Ohio Valley Conference in walks with 18 and 17, respectively, this season. Claudia Gallo also leads the league in hit by pitch after being plunked eight times. As a team, Southeast Missouri hitters have walked 97 times and have been hit by pitch on 21 occasions. Both of those marks are league-highs.

Experienced Infield
First baseman Ashley Ellis (133), second baseman Parker Bandy (128), shortstop Sarah Messex (185) and third baseman Addison Barnouski (106) have combined for 552 career starts on Southeast Missouri's infield. Ellis (.398) and Barnouski (.385) rank second and third on the team in batting average, respectively.

Seven Shutouts
Southeast Missouri has seven shutouts so far this season. The Redhawks blanked Northern Iowa, 16-0, on Feb. 9, Fairleigh Dickinson, 8-0, on Feb. 16, Mississippi Valley State, 7-0, on Feb. 17, UL Monroe, 8-0, on Mar. 1, Kansas, 2-0, on Mar. 8, Detroit Mercy, 9-0, on Mar. 17 and Tennessee State, 8-0, on Mar. 23. SEMO surpassed  its six shutout victories from a year ago.

Every Start
A total of five players have started all 33 games for the Redhawks this season. Rachel Anderson (CF), Ashley Ellis (1B), Addison Barnouski (3B), Mykaela Arellanes (RF) and Sarah Messex (SS) form that group.