Southeast Missouri (9-7) at Southern Illinois (10-6)
Date: Wednesday, Mar. 11, 2020
Time: 6 p.m., CT
Location: Carbondale, Ill.
Ballpark: Itchy Jones Stadium
Series: SEMO leads, 26-25
Last Meeting: SIU 4, SEMO 1 l Mar. 13, 2019 | Carbondale, Ill.
Head Coaches:
Andy Sawyers (175-122 overall; 88-95 at SEMO; 48-45 OVC)
Lance Rhodes (10-6; First Season)
Media:
Radio: SEMO ESPN 93.5 FM &1220 AM (Erik Sean)
Live Stats: Live Stats
Follow the Redhawks
Fans can listen to Wednesday's game on the radio at SEMO ESPN 93.5 FM and 1220 AM with Erik Sean calling the action. Live stats are available at SIUSalukis.com. Twitter updates provided @SEMObaseball.
Series History
The Redhawks lead the all-time series against the Salukis, 26-25. Last season, the Redhawks split two midweek games with SIU. SEMO won, 11-9, at Capaha Field on March 6, 2019 and lost, 4-1, in Carbondale on Mar. 13, 2019. The win against the Salukis last season was the first win for SEMO over SIU since Apr. 14, 2015 when the Redhawks won 7-4. This was also the first win over the Salukis under head coach Andy Sawyers.
Scouting the Salukis
Southern Illinois will travel to Arkansas State before hosting SEMO Wednesday. SIU recently swept Northern Illinois in a three-game series last weekend. SIU is 3-3 against Ohio Valley Conference teams this season. The Salukis faced Belmont (L, 3-4), Murray State (W, 2-1) and Austin Peay (L, 1-4). SIU also traveled to Morehead State where it won a three-game series, 2-1. Senior Ian Walters leads the Salukis with a .413 batting average in 16 starts. Walters has 26 hits, 11 runs, and eight extra base hits. The Paducah, Kentucky native has been walked 12 times and has seven stolen bases in nine attempts. Sophomore RHP Matthew Steidl owns a 1.45 ERA in nine appearances. The Gallatin, Tennessee native has thrown 18.2 nnings and has allowed just three hits with nine strikeouts. Lance Rhodes is in his first year as head coach at SIU. Rhodes was a pitcher at SEMO from 2007-08 and worked as an assistant coach with the Redhawks from 2013-16.
Redhawks Nationally Ranked
The Redhawks are ranked among the top 10 nationally in hits (3rd, 178), triples (4th, 9), slugging percentage (8th, .515), stolen bases (8th, 35), home runs (10th, 21), and triples per game (10th, .56). In addition, SEMO is ranked in batting average (12th, .316), stolen bases per game (13th, 2.19), home runs per game (15th, 1.31), runs (17th, 125), on base percentage (19th, .411), scoring (26th, 7.8), hit by pitch (27th, 26), shutouts (31st, 2) and doubles (39th, 31). Individually, Dylan Dodd and Noah Niznik are tied in complete games (4th, 1) and games started (15th, 4). Wade Stauss is ranked in hit by pitch (29th, 6). Caleb Feuerstake is ranked in triples (8th, 3) and triples per game (12th, .21). He tops the OVC in both categories. Danny Wright (7th, 27) and Andrew Keck (12th, 26) are both ranked in hits.
Dirden and Wilber Among National Leaders
Redshirt-Senior Justin Dirden ranks in the top 10 nationally in various categories including total bases (2nd, 61), home runs (2nd, 9), hits (2nd, 28), slugging percentage (5th, .910), home runs per game (5th, .56) and RBI (5th, 24). In addition, Dirden is ranked in stolen bases (15th, 9), sacrifice flies (13th, 3), RBI per game (13th, 1.5), runs (13th, 20) and hits per game (16th, 1.75). He leads the OVC in hits (26), home runs (9), home runs per game (0.56), RBI (24), sacrifice flies (3), stolen bases (9) and total bases (61). Junior Tyler Wilber is ranked among the nation's top 10 leaders in runs (3rd, 24), doubles (4th, 9), runs per game (5th, 1.50), total bases (7th, 47), hits (7th, 27) and doubles per game (14th, .56). He leads the OVC in runs per game (1.50), runs (24) and doubles (9).
Hot Hitting
Justin Dirden has nine home runs through 16 games this season, ranking second in NCAA Division I baseball. Dirden went yard four times against Northern Illinois, including two in the series finale and then had two in the final game of the series against Ohio. The redshirt-senior from O'Fallon, Missouri now has 25 home runs in his career with the Redhawks. Dirden is heading into the week on a 15-game reached base safely streak and has six multiple RBI games this year. He was named Ohio Valley Conference Co-Player of the Week following his big effort against NIU.
Dodd Named College Baseball National Pitcher of the Week and OVC Pitcher of the Week
Southeast Missouri left-handed pitcher Dylan Dodd was named Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week and selected as one of Collegiate Baseball's National Players of the Week Monday. A native of Danville, Illinois, Dodd recorded a career-high 15 strikeouts in a complete game shutout over Ohio University on Feb. 28. He scattered five hits (four singles) and did not allow a walk in his nine-inning masterpiece. Dodd's 15 strikeouts are currently most in a game by any OVC pitcher this season and tie for third-most in a game among all Division I players in 2020.Dodd leads the OVC in innings pitched per game (6.89) and ranks third in strikeouts per game (12.6). He enters the week with a 1-1 record, 2.61 ERA and 29 strikeouts to only five walks in 20.2 innings.
Redhawks Sweep Ohio
SEMO swept Ohio in four games for its first sweep of the season. Tyler Wilber went 6-for-12 (.500) on the weekend with seven runs, three doubles and a home run. Wilber boasted a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .588 on-base percentage in the four-game series. Dylan Dodd and Noah Niznik combined for 16 shutout innings of work and tossed complete games. Dodd struck out 15 batters and allowed no walks. As a pitching staff, SEMO recorded 30 strikeouts and allowed just nine runs.
Niznik & Wilber Earn Preseason All-OVC Honors
Southeast Missouri shortstop Tyler Wilber and pitcher Noah Niznik earned Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference honors for the upcoming 2020 campaign. Both Wilber and Niznik earned All-OVC honors at the conclusion of the 2019 season. Wilber led the OVC in both batting average (.383) and on-base percentage (.480), while accumulating 80 hits, 19 doubles and 40 RBI. Niznik sported a 3.63 ERA which ranked him fourth in the OVC in that category last season. EKU senior Nick Howie was selected as the OVC Preseason Player of the Year and Belmont sophomore Joshua South was tabbed Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
Wilber Named Collegiate Baseball Preseason All-American
Southeast Missouri junior shortstop Tyler Wilber was named a Third-Team Preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball. Last season, Wilber led the Redhawks in batting average (.383), hits (80), doubles (19), triples (3), RBI (40), slugging percentage (.531) and on-base percentage (.480). He was one of two players who started every game in 2019. Wilber posted 27 multiple-hit games, most on the team. Wilber was selected as First-Team All-Ohio Valley Conference at the conclusion of the 2019 campaign. The Rossmoor, California native was one of the league-high 153 SEMO student-athletes selected for the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll.
The 2020 Campaign
The Redhawks are scheduled to play a total of 32 games at Capaha Field this upcoming 2020 season. SEMO will play the first four games on the road before returning to Cape Girardeau for back-to-back four-game series against Northern Illinois (Feb. 21-23) and Ohio (Feb. 28-Mar.1).The Redhawks face two Southeastern Conference foes in Kentucky and Missouri.
Southeast Returnees
The Redhawks have 15 returnees on their 2020 squad. Included in that total are eight seniors, six sophomores and one junior. The seniors include Connor Basler, Keegan Meyn, Danny Wright, Austin Blazevic, Justin Dirden, Dylan Dodd and Nathan Bock. Basler and Wright have spent their entire college careers in a Redhawk uniform.
Redhawks Seventh in OVC Preseason Poll
SEMO, which begins its fourth year under head coach Andy Sawyers, was picked seventh in this year's OVC Predicted Order of Finish. The Redhawks tallied 94 points in the overall voting by OVC Head Coaches and Sports Information Directors. Jacksonville State is this year's preseason-favorite after receiving 19 of 21 first-place votes. Eastern Kentucky, Austin Peay, Belmont, Morehead State and Murray State were also picked ahead of SEMO. Eastern Illinois, Tennessee Tech, UT Martin and SIU Edwardsville completed this year's poll..
Redhawk Baseball
The 2020 campaign is Southeast's 61st season overall and 29th at the NCAA Division I level. SEMO won three Ohio Valley Conference regular-season titles, one OVC Tournament crown and appeared in one NCAA Tournament in the last six years. The Redhawks made the OVC Tournament a league-record 25 years in a row before that streak ended in 2019.
