Southeast Missouri (27-8, 5-1 OVC) at SIU Edwardsville (9-14, 1-3 OVC)

Date: Saturday, April 6, 2019
First Pitch: 1 p.m., CT (DH)
Location: Edwardsville, Ill.
Facility: Cougar Field
Series History: SIUE leads, 37-25
Last Meeting: SIUE 5, SEMO 4 (May 9, 2018 / Oxford, Ala.)
Watch: ESPN+ Game 1 | Game 2
Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2
Twitter: @SEMOsoftball
Southeast Missouri Notes (PDF)

Redhawks Hit the Road
Southeast Missouri (27-8, 5-1) travels to SIU Edwardsville (9-14, 1-3) for a doubleheader Saturday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m., CT, at Cougar Field.

Follow the Redhawks
Watch Saturday's twin bill live on ESPN+. Live stats are available at SIUECougars.com. Twitter updates provided @SEMOsoftball.

Hot Redhawks
The Redhawks have won 19 of their last 21 games and are off to a 5-1 start in Ohio Valley Conference play after splitting a doubleheader with Belmont (Mar. 24) and sweeping Eastern Kentucky (Apr. 1). Southeast Missouri also had a season-long 13-game winning streak from Mar. 8-24.

50 Conference Wins
Mark Redburn picked up his 50th career Ohio Valley Conference win when Southeast Missouri beat Eastern Kentucky on Apr. 1. It was SEMO's 14th doubleheader sweep in OVC play with Redburn at the helm.

Redhawks Sweep Eastern Kentucky
The Redhawks began the week with a 4-1, 9-7 doubleheader sweep of Eastern Kentucky Monday. Southeast Missouri and EKU were initially scheduled to meet Sunday, but played a day later due to rain in Cape Girardeau. It was SEMO's second sweep in Ohio Valley Conference play this year.

27 or More Wins
Southeast Missouri is one of 20 teams in the nation with 27 or more wins this season. The Redhawks rank 24th in the country with a .771 winning percentage at 27-8 overall. Here is the list of teams with 27 or more victories in NCAA Division I softball this year:
UCLA    32-1 (.970)
Alabama    36-2 (.947)
Oklahoma    32-2 (.941)
Florida State    35-3 (.921)
Louisiana    29-4 (.879)
Colorado State    27-4 (.871)
Virginia Tech    30-5 (.857)
Wisconsin    27-5 (.844)
Texas Tech    29-6 (.829)
Washington    29-6 (.829)
UC Davis    27-6 (.818)
Tennessee    27-6 (.818)
LSU    31-7 (.816)
Auburn    30-7 (.811)
Texas    31-8 (.795)
Arizona    27-7 (.794)
Florida    29-8 (.784)
Southeast Missouri    27-8 (.771)
Georgia    28-10 (.737)
Indiana    28-10 (.737)

Series History
SIU Edwardsville holds a 37-25 lead in its all-time series against Southeast Missouri. The Redhawks won three of the previous four meetings between the teams and swept SIUE in a doubleheader last season. If SEMO takes two from the Cougars this weekend, it will mark the first time the Redhawks completed a sweep of SIUE in back-to-back seasons.

Anderson Raises Batting Average to .500
Center fielder Rachel Anderson is hitting .500 through 35 games this season. Anderson recently went a perfect 5-for-5 with two home runs, a double, four runs scored, four RBI, three walks and two stolen bases in a doubleheader against Eastern Kentucky (Apr. 1). She ranks fourth in the nation in batting average as one of only four players hitting .500 or better. The others are UMass Lowell's Courtney Cashman (.592), UCLA's Kelli Godin (.515) and LSU's Amanda Sanchez (.505).

First to 50 Hits
Rachel Anderson became the first Ohio Valley Conference player to reach 50 hits this season with her strong performance against Eastern Kentucky (Apr. 1). Anderson officially collected her 50th hit on a double in the sixth inning in game one of the doubleheader. She has 52 hits for an average of 1.48 per contest. Anderson has a total of 171 hits in her career.

Thogmartin Sets New Career-High
Pitcher Haley Thogmartin recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts in a complete game victory over Eastern Kentucky (Apr. 1). Thogmartin became the first Southeast Missouri pitcher to strike out 10 or more in a game since Keaira Schilling fanned 11 vs. Grambling State on Feb. 16, 2014. She leads the Redhawks with 86 strikeouts this season and 223 in her career.

On the Road
Southeast Missouri owns a 9-3 record in true road games this season. The Redhawks have the best road record of any team in the Ohio Valley Conference. Saturday's visit to SIU Edwardsville marks SEMO's third twin bill on the road in league action.

OVC Home-Openers
With its 4-1 game one win over Eastern Kentucky (Apr. 1), Southeast Missouri improved to 18-10 all-time in Ohio Valley Conference home-openers. The Redhawks are now 3-2 in such games under head coach Mark Redburn. SEMO also started league play with a win for the seventh time in nine years.

Nice Work
Southeast Missouri swept Eastern Kentucky in a doubleheader for the first time since 2009 when it beat the Colonels, 4-1, 9-7, on Apr. 1. The Redhawks ended the Colonels three-game winning streak. EKU was second in the Ohio Valley Conference standings at the time.

OVC Picture
The Redhawks enter the weekend in a three-way tie for second in the Ohio Valley Conference standings. Southeast Missouri, Austin Peay and Murray State all have identical 5-1 records through the first two weeks of league play. Jacksonville State holds the top spot with a 7-1 mark. UT Martin (5-3), Eastern Kentucky (5-3), Tennessee Tech (5-3), Belmont (2-6), SIUE (1-3), Tennessee State (1-7), Eastern Illinois (1-7) and Morehead State (0-6) complete the standings.

Strong Conference Start
Southeast Missouri's 5-1 Ohio Valley Conference start is its best under head coach Mark Redburn. Overall, it is SEMO's best OVC start since the Redhawks went 13-1 to open league play in 2006.

Closing in On 30 Wins
The Redhawks are on pace to do something they haven't done in nearly two decades -- win 30 games in back-to-back seasons. At 27-8 overall, Southeast Missouri is just three victories away from that mark. SEMO finished at 33-20 in 2018 and earned its 30th win on Apr. 28 (16-8 vs. Tennessee State) of that season. The last time the Redhawks won 30 games in consecutive seasons was 1999 (31-17) and 2000 (31-24). SEMO has a total of sixteen 30-win seasons in program history.

Thogmartin Reaches 10 Wins
Haley Thogmartin (11-3) 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 (15) and Austin Peay's Morgan Rackel (14). This year is the second-straight where Thogmartin has recorded 10 victories. She has won in each of her last five starts.

Speaking of Wins
If Haley Thogmartin gets a win at SIU Edwardsville Saturday, she will match her career-high of victories in a season. Thogmartin, currently 11-3 in 24 appearances and 14 starts this year, was 12-7 in the circle in 2018. She has accumulated a total of 33 victories in her career.

Moving On Up
Haley Thogmartin moved to eighth on Southeast Missouri's all-time career strikeouts list. Thogmartin presently has 223 strikeouts and surpassed Amy Johnannsen (221, 1992-95) for that spot. She also moved into a three-way tie for 10th in games started with Alora Marble (2011-12) and Amy Fahnestock (2004-05) following her 55th start vs. Eastern Kentucky (Apr. 1).

Gallo On a Roll
Left fielder Claudia Gallo hit safely in five of her last six starts. Gallo recorded multiple-hits  on two occasions and scored two or more runs three times during that stretch. Most recently, she hit .800 (4-for-5) with four runs scored, a double, home run, one RBI and was hit by pitch three times in a doubleheader against Eastern Kentucky (Apr. 1). Gallo boasted a 1.600 slugging percentage and .875 on-base percentage in the twin bill as well.

Career Snapshot
Rachel Anderson ranks among Southeast Missouri's top 10 career leaders in a number of different categories. Anderson currently rates first in triples (21), batting average (.420) and slugging percentage (.717); fourth in stolen bases (44) and total bases (292); fifth in walks (66); sixth in runs scored (105) and home runs (17); and ninth in hits (171). She also has 51 multiple-hit games and 26 multiple-RBI performances in three years as a Redhawk.

Hurts So Good
Claudia Gallo has been hit by pitch an Ohio Valley Conference high 11 times this season. Southeast Missouri hitters have been plunked on 25 occasions through 35 games, most in the conference in 2019. Gallo is currently second in hit by pitch in a single-season (11) and fourth in hit by pitch for a career (21) at SEMO. Brooke Nett  (14 in 2001; 35 from 2000-03) presently holds both of those records.

Three RBI Away
Rachel Anderson needs three more RBI to get 100 in her Southeast Missouri career. If Anderson accomplishes that feat, it will mark the fourth different statistical category where she has reached 100. She also accumulated over 100 runs (105), 150 hits (171) and 130 starts (138) in a Redhawk uniform.

Awesome Defense
Defensively, Southeast Missouri has gone 15 games without committing an error this season. Overall, SEMO is 23-2 in games where it has one or no errors. In the last 16 games alone, the Redhawks committed only five errors. SEMO also went error free in 12 contests during that span. 

Top-30 in the Nation
Southeast Missouri ranks among the top 30 NCAA Division I teams in six different categories. Entering this weekend, the Redhawks are fifth in triples per game (0.46), 22nd in batting average (.319), 23rd in slugging percentage (.522), 23rd in win-loss percentage (.771), 24th in scoring (6.2 runs per game) and 27th in stolen bases per game (1.83).

Individual Attention
Eight 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 Triples (7)
3rd in Total Bases (100)
3rd in Triples Per Game (0.2)
4th in BAvg (.500)
6th in Hits (52)
6th in OB% (.587)
7th in SLG% (.962)
27th in RBI (38)
Claudia Gallo
16th in HBP Per Game (0.35)

Tops in the OVC
The Redhawks lead the Ohio Valley Conference in batting average (.319), on-base percentage (.397), runs scored (218), hits (303), triples (16), wins (27), total bases (496), walks (103), hit by pitch (25), batters struck out looking (52), saves (7) and fielding double plays (16). Rachel Anderson leads the league in batting average (.500), slugging percentage (.962), on-base percentage (.587), hits (52), triples (7), RBI (38), total bases (100) and walks (21); Ashley Ellis ranks first in fielding double plays (10); Claudia Gallo is first in hit by pitch (11); and Haley Thogmartin leads the league in appearances (24).

Productive March
Southeast Missouri closed out March with a 16-2 record. The Redhawks had a season-long 13-game winning streak and hit .329 with 26 doubles, seven triples, 19 home runs, 100 RBI and 37 stolen bases through 18 games in March. SEMO also outscored its opponents, 122-47 (+75), during that stretch. The Redhawks won four more games in March than they did a year ago (12-7). 

Home Run Total
Southeast Missouri hit a home run in 20 of its 35 games this season. The Redhawks are 18-2 in games where they hit one or more home runs. SEMO's total of 38 round-trippers rank third in the Ohio Valley Conference behind Austin Peay (48) and Jacksonville State (46).

Tough Trio
Pitchers Haley Thogmartin, Alexis Estes and Rachel Rook are all over 100 strikeouts in their respective Southeast Missouri careers. Thogmartin recorded 223, Estes has 109 and Rook has 108. That trio has also combined for 61 wins, including 25 this season alone.

Getting Ahead Early
Southeast Missouri has scored in the first inning in 13 games this season and is 12-1 in those contests. The Redhawks have scored first 21 times this year and are 20-1 in such games. SEMO scored a total of 35 runs in the first inning.

The Chase is On
Two Redhawks are at least halfway to Southeast Missouri's all-time single-season home run record this year. Rachel Anderson leads the team with nine home runs and Ashley Ellis follows close behind with eight. SEMO's single-season record is currently held by Kayla Fortner (16 in 2015).

Bombs Away
Ashley Ellis (17), Rachel Anderson (17), Addison Barnouski (16) and Sarah Messex (15) are Southeast Missouri's active players with 10 or more career home runs. That group has accounted for 27 of Southeast Missouri's 38  round-trippers (72.9 percent) this season. Mykaela Arellanes (9) is next in line to get 10 career home runs.

Over .300
The Redhawks and Jacksonville State (.305)are the only Ohio Valley Conference teams with a batting average above .300 this season. Southeast Missouri is hitting a league-high .319 and ranks 22nd among the nation's NCAA Division I softball teams in batting average. Five of SEMO's starters are hitting .361 or better, including Rachel Anderson (.500), Ashley Ellis (.390), Addison Barnouski (.388), Claudia Gallo (.365) and Mykaela Arellanes (.361).

Extra Base Hits
Southeast Missouri has had multiple extra base hits in 28 of 35 games this season. The Redhawks presently have a total of 101 extra base hits, including 47 doubles, 16 triples and 38 home runs. SEMO's 101 extra base hits are most in the Ohio Valley Conference. Rachel Anderson (23) and Ashley Ellis (14) have combined for 37 extra base hits this season.

Stealing the Show
Rachel Anderson leads the Redhawks with 17-of-20 stolen bases and Mykaela Arellanes is 12-of-13 on the basepaths this season. As a team, Southeast Missouri is 64-of-77 in stolen bases. The Redhawks 64 stolen bases are seven 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 44-of-59 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 (59.4) under head coach Mark Redburn for a total of 297 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 218 runs (6.2 per game) through its first 35 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 35 games this season. Rachel Anderson leads the team with nine round-trippers and Ashley Ellis follows with eight. Addison Barnouski has six, Mykaela Arellanes, Sarah Messex and Claudia Gallo each have four, Anna Griffin has two and Parker Bandy has one. 

Starting Streaks
Two Redhawks have never missed a start in their careers. Senior shortstop Sarah Messex has started 187 consecutive games and junior center fielder Rachel Anderson has made 138 straight starts. Messex is tied for ninth all-time in career games started at Southeast Missouri.

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 135 starts, Bandy started 130 contests, Arellanes has started 127 and Barnouski started 108 games. 

10 or More Hits
The Redhawks registered 10 or more hits in 14 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 24 of 35 games and is 24-0 in those contests. SEMO's total of 303 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 .500 batting average, while Ellis is hitting .390 and Barnouski is hitting .388. The trio has combined for 129 hits, 71 runs, 19 doubles, eight triples, 23 home runs and 100 RBI this season.

On Deck
Southeast Missouri resumes Ohio Valley Conference play when it travels to UT Martin for a doubleheader on Apr. 9. First pitch is set for 4 p.m., CT.