Southeast Missouri (2-1) at #2 Arkansas (3-0)

Series Information
Dates: Thursday-Sunday, February 25-28, 2021
Schedule: Thursday, 3 p.m., CT / Friday, 3 p.m., CT / Saturday, 3 p.m., CT / Sunday, 1 p.m., CT
Location: Fayetteville, Ark.
Facility:  Baum-Walker Stadium (11,129)
Series: Arkansas leads, 6-5
Last Meeting: SEMO 12, Arkansas 11 (Mar. 18, 2015 | Fayetteville, Ark.)
Head Coaches: Andy Sawyers (177-124 overall; 90-97 at SEMO; 48-45 OVC). Dave Van Horn (1,287-629 overall; 702-389 at UA).

Follow the Redhawks
Radio: SEMO ESPN 93.5 FM & 1220 AM (Erik Sean)
Video: SEC Network+ | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4
Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4
Twitter: @SEMObaseball
Southeast Missouri Baseball Notes (PDF)

Probable Starting Pitchers
Thursday - Dylan Dodd (1-0) (LHP, SEMO) / Caleb Bolden (0-0) (RHP, UA)
Friday - Noah Niznik (0-0) (LHP, SEMO) / Zebulon Vermillion (0-0) (RHP, UA)
Saturday - Ryan Vogt (0-0) (RHP, SEMO) / Peyton Pallette (0-0) (RHP, UA)
Sunday - TBA (SEMO) / Lael Lockhart (0-0) (LHP, UA)

Redhawks Head to #2 Arkansas 
Southeast Missouri (2-1) travels to #2 Arkansas (2-0) for a four-game series this week. The Redhawks and Razorbacks play Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 3 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m., CT.

Follow the Redhawks
Fans can listen to all four games of Southeast Missouri's series with Arkansas at SEMO ESPN 93.5 FM and 1220 AM. Erik Sean will call the action. Watch all games of the series on SEC Network+. Live stats are available at ArkansasRazorbacks.com. Twitter updates provided @SEMObaseball.

Against Ranked Teams
Arkansas is ranked No. 2 in this week's D1Baseball Poll. The Razorbacks are also ranked fifth in the Collegiate Baseball and sixth in the Baseball America polls. Arkansas is the first top-five opponent Southeast Missouri faces since playing at #1 Vanderbilt on Feb. 26, 2019. The Redhawks are 3-8 in their last 11 meetings with ranked opponents. That record includes a 0-2 mark against teams ranked in the top five. SEMO last beat a ranked team on Apr. 29, 2018 (10-6, vs. #20 Tennessee Tech). The Redhawks last knocked off a ranked Southeastern Conference team on Mar. 28, 2017 (6-5, at #23 Missouri). Here are SEMO's results in its last 11 meetings with ranked teams:
3/25/14    at #13 Mississippi State    L, 2-3
5/13/14    at #9 Vanderbilt    L, 4-10
4/7/15    at #20 Missouri State    L, 1-2
5/5/15    at #21 Missouri    W, 8-5
3/8/16    at #13 Ole Miss    L, 2-10
3/9/16    at #13 Ole Miss    L, 4-6
6/3/16    at #4 Mississippi State @    L, 5-9
3/28/17    at #23 Missouri    W, 6-5
4/29/18    vs. #20 Tennessee Tech    W, 10-6
2/26/19    at #1 Vanderbilt    L, 3-11
5/1/19    at #24 Missouri    L, 6-21
@ - NCAA Regional

Series History
Southeast Missouri and Arkansas meet for the 12th time when they open their series Thursday. The Razorbacks hold a slight 6-5 lead in the series which dates back to 1995. All 11 games of the series were played in Fayetteville. SEMO last faced Arkansas on Mar. 17-18, 2015. The Redhawks split two games with the Razorbacks winning, 4-3, on Mar. 17 that year.

Sawyers vs. Ranked Opponents
Andy Sawyers is 2-2 all-time against ranked opponents as Southeast Missouri's head coach. SEMO upended #23 Missouri, 6-5, on Mar. 28, 2017 (Columbia, Mo.) and took down #20 Tennessee Tech, 10-6, on Apr. 29, 2018 (Cape Girardeau). The Redhawks ended TTU's 28-game winning streak, the longest in the nation at the time. SEMO's other two meetings with ranked teams under Sawyers were at #1 Vanderbilt (L, 11-3, Feb. 26, 2019) and at #24 Missouri (L, 21-6, May 1, 2019). 

Ezell Revisits Razorback Country
First-year Southeast Missouri Director of Offensive Player Development and former Arkansas Razorback Trevor Ezell returns to his old stomping grounds in Fayetteville this week. A native of Bryant, Arkansas, Ezell is back in Cape Girardeau following a two-year stint in Minor League Baseball. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Rays during the summer of 2019 after making a trip to the College World Series at Arkansas. In his final college season at Arkansas, Ezell hit .329 with a team-high 25 doubles and 72 runs scored en route to Second-Team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive Team accolades that year. His 72 runs also ranked fourth in the SEC and 11th in the nation. Additionally, Ezell was the Razorbacks top hitter in the 2019 NCAA Tournament hitting .459 with 17 hits, six doubles, two home runs and eight RBI in eight contests. Prior to that, Ezell spent four years at SEMO. He earned both First-Team and Second-Team All-Ohio Valley Conference honors. Ezell started 181 games and accumulated 251 hits, 194 runs, 128 RBI, 48 stolen bases and 45 doubles in his career. He also hit .336, boasted a .495 slugging percentage and held a .967 fielding percentage during his time as a Redhawk.

Season-Opening Series Win
The Redhawks opened their 2021 campaign with a 2-1 series win on the road at Sun Belt Conference member South Alabama (Feb. 19-21). Southeast Missouri beat the Jaguars, 4-2, on Feb. 19 and, 8-6, in 10 innings on Feb. 21 to claim its second season-opening series win under Head Coach Andy Sawyers. With its win on Feb. 19, SEMO also improved to 12-18 all-time in season-opening games during its NCAA Division I era (since 1992) and 3-2 in such games under Sawyers.

On the Road in February
A schedule adjustment early on put Southeast Missouri on the road for its first month of the baseball season. The Redhawks wound up beginning their 2021 campaign with a three-game series at South Alabama (Feb. 19-21). SEMO was originally supposed to host Milwaukee in a four-game series on opening weekend, but large amounts of snow and ice covered the Cape Girardeau area forcing unplayable conditions. Southeast Missouri State University's main campus was closed due to the heavy winter weather on Feb. 15 and Feb. 16.

Against the SEC
Southeast Missouri has faced eight of the 14 teams out of the Southeastern Conference in its baseball history. The Redhawks are 24-63 all-time against SEC foes. SEMO played Alabama (4-7), Arkansas (5-6), Auburn (1-2), Kentucky (0-1), Ole Miss (2-16), Mississippi State (0-6), Missouri (11-23) and Vanderbilt (1-2). Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, LSU and Texas A&M are the SEC teams the Redhawks have never faced.

Basler Now Fifth in Career Stolen Bases 
Connor Basler stole at least one base in each of the first three games of the 2021 campaign. As a result, Basler moved into a three-way tie for fifth among Southeast Missouri's all-time career stolen base leaders. He, Kerry Robinson (1993-95) and Kenton Parmley (2009-12) share the fifth-place spot with 46 stolen bases. Denver Stuckey (2000-03) currently holds the record with 52. Basler stole a base in each of his first three games of a season for the first time in his Redhawk career.

Andrews Off to Good Start 
Freshman Lincoln Andrews was one of three Redhawks to hit over .330 during Southeast Missouri's series at South Alabama (Feb. 19-21). Andrews hit .385 with a run scored, five hits and three RBI. He led the Redhawks in hits and RBI during opening weekend. Andrews hit safely in all three games and had the first runs batted in of his career against the Jaguars.

Division I Debuts 
Seven players made their NCAA Division I baseball debuts at South Alabama (Feb. 19-21) last weekend. Freshmen Noah Jacobsen made his first career starts in right field, freshman Ty Stauss made his first start in left field and right-hander Ryan Vogt recorded his first start on the mound. Four others, including freshmen Kyle Miller and sophomores Connery O'Donnell, Austin Williams and Hunter Ralls made their first relief appearances with the Redhawks.

Miller Shines 
Freshman right-hander Kyle Miller recorded a six-out save in his first Southeast Missouri appearance at South Alabama (Feb. 19). Miller entered the game in the eighth inning and struck out four, walked none and gave up two hits in 2.1 innings of work. 

Double-Digit Hits 
Southeast Missouri registered 10 or more hits in nine of its last 10 games dating back to 2020. SEMO outhit South Alabama, 28-19, in three games a week ago. The Redhawks finished the series with 10 hits in game two and 11 in game three. SEMO leads the Ohio Valley Conference in hits, total bases (39) and stolen bases (7) through its first three games of 2021.

Stauss Brothers 
Brothers Wade and Tyler Stauss were in Southeast Missouri's lineup together for the first time in the series finale at South Alabama (Feb. 21). Wade started at catcher and his younger brother, Ty, was in left field for that contest. 

First Home Runs 
Wade Stauss and Andrew Keck became the first to hit a home run for Southeast Missouri this young season. Stauss homered to right center in the first inning and Keck homered to left center in the third inning of the series finale at South Alabama (Feb. 21). SEMO hit a home run in eight of its last 10 games dating back to last season. 

Redhawks Sweep OVC Honors
Southeast Missouri seniors Austin Blazevic and Dylan Dodd swept the Ohio Valley Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week honors on Feb. 22. A first baseman from Plainfield, Illinois, Blazevic won this year's first OVC Player of the Week accolade, while Dodd, a left-hander from Danville, Illinois, claimed the first OVC Pitcher of the Week award in 2021. Blazevic and Dodd gave SEMO its first sweep of the league's accolades during the opening week of a season in eight years. Jason Blum (Player) and Zack Smith (Pitcher) was the last duo to complete that sweep on Feb. 18, 2013. Blazevic hit .455 with five runs scored, a double, walk and one RBI to lead SEMO to a series victory at South Alabama (Feb. 19-21). He finished the series with multiple hits in back-to-back games. In Sunday's finale, Blazevic rallied the Redhawks in the ninth inning where they scored three runs to get a 6-5 lead. He started the inning with a single and SEMO sent eight hitters to the plate during its big inning. Then, after USA tied things up in the bottom of the ninth, Blazevic ripped a double down the right field line to score Danny Wright for the go-ahead run all the way from first base. Meanwhile, Dodd struck out eight and allowed only one walk in six innings to lead SEMO to a season-opening 4-2 win over USA on Feb. 19. He moved to 2-1 in his career on opening day. Dodd got stronger as the game went along en route to nailing down his first win of 2021. He retired 12 of the last 13 hitters he faced before giving way to Bryce Grossius in the seventh. Dodd pitched back-to-back 1-2-3 innings in the fifth and sixth frames. The OVC Pitcher of the Week honor marks the third of Dodd's career and the OVC Player of the Week laurel is the second of Blazevic's time in a SEMO uniform.

Season 63
The 2021 campaign is Southeast Missouri's 63rd year of college baseball. The Redhawks are in their 30th season as an NCAA Division I program. SEMO is 1,366-1,118-10 all-time and 832-731-1 at the NCAA Division I level since the inception of its baseball program. The Redhawks have a 409-283-1 record in Ohio Valley Conference play. SEMO won four OVC regular-season titles (2002, 2014, 2015, 2016), three OVC Tournament crowns (1998, 2002, 2016) and made three NCAA Tournament appearances (1998, 2002, 2016) in program history.

Sawyers in Fifth Year
Andy Sawyers is in his fifth year as Southeast Missouri's head coach. Sawyers, who has been coaching college baseball for more than two decades, is 177-124 in his career as a head coach. That includes a 90-97 record and 48-45 Ohio Valley Conference mark as SEMO's skipper. He has led the Redhawks to two OVC Tournaments (2017, 2018). SEMO's 29 victories in 2017 are currently the most in a season with Sawyers at the helm. 

Over 150 Starts
Two Redhawks have made over 150 starts in their careers. Second baseman Connor Basler tallied a team-high 181 career starts and mainstay center fielder Danny Wright has accumulated 167. Both Basler and Wright are fifth-year seniors after joining Southeast Missouri's baseball program in 2017.

Pro Prospects Return
Shortstop Tyler Wilber, a First-Team All-Ohio Valley Conference selection in 2019, chose to remain at Southeast Missouri after turning down free agent offers from a couple of different professional teams last summer. Left-handed pitcher Dylan Dodd also decided to return after getting offers to play professionally. 

Career .300 Hitters
Southeast Missouri has three players hitting .300 or better for their careers entering this weekend's season-opening series. Tyler Wilber leads the way with a .386 career batting average followed by Andrew Keck (.304) and Danny Wright (.302). Wilber, Keck and Wright have combined for a total of 301 hits, 175 runs scored, 61 doubles, 10 triples, 14 home runs and 155 RBI in their careers.

Career Rankings
Tyler Wilber presently ranks third all-time among Southeast Missouri's career leaders with a .388 batting average. Danny Wright is third in hit by pitch (30) and Connor Basler rates seventh in hit by pitch (25) and eighth in stolen bases (42). Dylan Dodd ranks eighth all-time in strikeouts/9 innings (9.95) and seventh in walks allowed/9 innings (2.55).

On Deck
Southeast Missouri plays host to Illinois State in its home-opening series on Mar. 5-7. SEMO and ISU will play four games with a nine-inning matchup on Mar. 5 and Mar. 7, and a doubleheader on Mar. 6.