Southeast Missouri (4-9, 2-1 OVC) at Tennessee Tech (8-7, 3-0 OVC)

Game Information
Dates: March 12-13, 2021
Series Schedule: Mar. 12 - 12 p.m., CT (DH); Mar. 13 - 1 p.m., CT
Location: Cookeville, Tenn.
Facility: Tech Softball Field
Series History: TTU leads, 48-45
Last Meeting: SEMO 6, TTU 5 (Apr. 26, 2019 | Cookeville, Tenn.)
Head Coaches: Mark Redburn (367-388 overall; 153-139 at SEMO; 64-56 OVC). Michelle DePolo (272-200-1 overall; 18-17 at TTU).

Follow the Redhawks
Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Twitter: @SEMOsoftball
Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF)

Redhawks Resume OVC Play
Southeast Missouri (4-9, 2-1) continues Ohio Valley Conference action when it travels to Tennessee Tech (8-7, 3-0) for a three-game series this weekend. The Redhawks and Golden Eagles play a doubleheader at 12 p.m. Friday followed by a single game at 1 p.m., CT Saturday. 

Follow the Redhawks
Live stats for all games of the Tennessee Tech series are available online at TTUSports.com. Twitter updates provided @SEMOsoftball.

Series Schedule Adjusted
The three-game series between Southeast Missouri and Tennessee Tech has been shifted to Friday and Saturday this weekend. SEMO and TTU were initially supposed to contest their series on Saturday and Sunday. The Redhawks and Golden Eagles play a doubleheader Friday (12 p.m.) and single game Saturday (1 p.m.).

Series History
Friday marks the 94th meeting between Southeast Missouri and Tennessee Tech. TTU holds a 48-45 lead in the all-time series. The Redhawks won each of the last five matchups with the Golden Eagles, sweeping TTU in 2018 (2-0) and 2019 (2-0). SEMO's other victory over TTU in that stretch was a 7-3 win at the 2018 Memphis Tiger Classic. 

March 12
Friday marks exactly one year from the time a global COVID-19 pandemic brought college athletics to an abrupt halt. On Mar. 12, 2020, the NCAA canceled its men's and women's basketball tournaments and conferences across the country changed plans for games in the months ahead. That decision affected championships in all winter and spring sports, including softball. Southeast Missouri's flight was on its descent to the Tampa International Airport for a tournament hosted by the University of South Florida the day the Redhawks learned their 2020 season was canceled.

OVC Opening Series Win
The Redhawks opened Ohio Valley Conference play with a 2-1 series win over Austin Peay (Mar. 5-6) last weekend in Cape Girardeau. Southeast Missouri won games one (6-5) and three (8-0). With its victory on Mar. 5, the Redhawks improved to 19-10 all-time in OVC openers and opened league play with a win for the eighth time in 11 seasons. SEMO did not play any conference games in 2020 due to COVID-19.

That's Four for Redburn
For the fourth time in his career as Southeast Missouri's head coach, Mark Redburn started Ohio Valley Conference play with a series win. Redburn's teams did just that in 2016 (2-1 vs. Murray State), 2018 (2-0, vs. Tennessee Tech), 2019 (2-0, vs. Tennessee State) and 2021 (2-1, vs. Austin Peay).

About Tennessee Tech
Tennessee Tech is one of three Ohio Valley Conference teams which swept its league-opening series last weekend. TTU, under second-year Head Coach Michelle DePolo, is currently 8-7 overall and 3-0 in conference play. Golden Eagle pitching leads the OVC in opposing batting average limiting opponents to a .228 clip this season. TTU also tops the league in batters struck out looking (23). Defensively, the Golden Eagles are second in fielding percentage at .972. Sydney Love-Baker (.356), Mackenzie Fitzgerald (.321) and Nicolle Nysted (.300) are hitting .300 or better for TTU this season. 

Eight-Game Hitting Streak 
Right fielder Kaylee Anderson carries a team-best eight-game hitting streak into this weekend's series at Tennessee Tech. Anderson hit .556 (5-for-9) with three runs scored, a pair of home runs and three RBI during Southeast Missouri's series win over Austin Peay (Mar. 5-6). She boasted a 1.222 slugging percentage and .636 on base percentage, as well. It is the longest hitting streak of any Redhawk since teammate Rachel Anderson hit safely in nine-straight games in 2019. 

Rook Tosses Gem 
Rachel Rook pitched a one-hit complete game shutout with six strikeouts in Southeast Missouri's series-clinching 8-0 win over Austin Peay (Mar. 6). Rook put together a masterful performance retiring the first eight hitters she faced. Only three Governors reached base against her. Rook no-hit APSU for 4.2 innings and retired 18 of the 21 hitters she faced. She also retired the Governors in order during four of her six innings. It was the ninth complete game and sixth shutout of Rook's career.

Tucker Homers for First Career Hit 
Shortstop Alyson Tucker's first career hit was the Redhawks decisive home run in their 6-5 game one victory over Austin Peay (Mar. 5). Southeast Missouri trailed, 5-4, when Tucker hit a two-run home run to left field with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Redhawks the lead. She had a hit in all three games of SEMO's series against the Governors.

Home Run Count 
Six different Redhawks have hit a home run through 13 games this year. Kaylee Anderson leads the way with four, Ashley Ellis has two and Rachel Anderson, Ashley Emert, Alyson Tucker and Austine Pauley have one apiece. K. Anderson, who is tied for fifth among Ohio Valley Conference leaders in home runs, has homered in three of her last five contests. 

Milestones in Sight
Pitcher Rachel Rook is coming up on 250 career strikeouts. Rook is eight strikeouts away from that mark with her mark of 242 Ks. Rachel Anderson and Ashley Ellis are each closing in on 200 career starts. Anderson, who never missed a start in her career, has 197 and Ellis logged 194 during their Southeast Missouri tenures. Anderson (241) is also nine hits away from getting 250 and eight walks (92) away from reaching 100 in her career.

10 or More
Southeast Missouri has hit 10 home runs and is one of three Ohio Valley Conference teams with double-digit home runs this season. SEMO ranks third in the league in that category behind Eastern Illinois (22) and Eastern Kentucky (14). The Redhawks hit two home runs in three of their previous five games.

Great Feeling
When the Redhawks beat Austin Peay, 6-5, on Mar. 5, they celebrated their first Ohio Valley Conference victory in 672 days. Southeast Missouri did not get a chance to play any OVC games in 2020 when its season was shortened due to COVID-19. Prior to last weekend, Morehead State was SEMO's last conference opponent on May 3, 2019. The Redhawks swept the Eagles to claim a share of the 2019 OVC regular-season title in Cape Girardeau that night.

Team 45
The 2021 campaign is the 45th season of Southeast Missouri softball. SEMO's softball program has an all-time record of 1,124-832-3. The Redhawks are 764-709-2 all-time since moving to the NCAA Division I ranks in 1992.

Strikeout Tracker
In eight starts this season, Rachel Rook recorded 38 strikeouts, including a season-high seven at #23 Tennessee (Feb. 20). Rook currently has 242 strikeouts in her Southeast Missouri career. She ranks ninth on the school's all-time career strikeout list.

Career Record Watch
Rachel Anderson, Southeast Missouri's all-time career leader in triples (29), batting average (.422), slugging percentage (.715), on-base percentage (.510), hits (241), walks (92) and RBI (133), is looking to do more damage on the record books this year. Anderson is also second in runs scored (152) behind Michelle Summers (161, 2005-08),  stolen bases (61) behind Lisa Thornton (82, 1987-90) and total bases (408) behind Summers (423).

The Chase is On
Ashley Ellis, who broke Southeast Missouri's single-season home run record with 17 bombs in 2019, is now chasing the school's all-time career home run record. Ellis currently ranks second with 36 home runs. She needs 13 more to surpass Michelle Summers (48, 2005-08) for the new mark. 

OVC Preseason Favorite
Last year, Southeast Missouri was the preseason favorite in the Ohio Valley Conference, but didn't get a chance to play a conference game due to COVID-19. Now, the Redhawks are in that exact same spot going into the 2021 campaign and they are again anxious to defend their OVC regular-season and tournament crowns. SEMO was picked first in the league's 2021 Predicted Order of Finish, tallying 228 points and 13 of the possible 24 first-place votes. The Preseason Poll is selected by OVC Head Coaches and Communications Directors. Eastern Kentucky (224 points), Jacksonville State (211 points), Murray State (167 points) and SIU Edwardsville (151 points) filled out the top five. Austin Peay (143 points), UT Martin (109 points), Tennessee Tech (97 points), Eastern Illinois (92 points), Belmont (88 points), Tennessee State (34 points) and Morehead State (32 points) rounded out the poll.

2021 Redhawks
Southeast Missouri's 2021 roster includes 24 players with three seniors, five juniors, five sophomores and 11 freshmen. All returnees redshirted in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the NCAA Division I Council to allow schools to provide spring-sport athletes an additional season of competition and and extension on their period of eligibility. The Redhawks also bring back five position starters (Rachel Anderson, OF; Austine Pauley, INF; Ashley Ellis, INF; Kaylee Anderson, OF; Ashley Emert, INF) and two starting pitchers (Rachel Rook; Paytience Holman).

All-American Anderson
Southeast Missouri's first All-American in its NCAA Division I era, center fielder Rachel Anderson is returns for her fifth year in 2021. Anderson won the coveted 2019 OVC Player of the Year honor to go along with her Third-Team National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America award. She is also a three-time First-Team All-OVC and NFCA All-Region selection, and claimed First-Team CoSIDA Academic All-America accolades in her phenomenal career.

Elite .400 Club
Rachel Anderson is currently one of 131 NCAA Division I softball hitters with a career batting average of .400 or better. She is hitting .422 for her college career. Anderson was hitting a team-best .480 and led the Redhawks in runs (19), hits (24), triples (5), slugging percentage (.880), on-base percentage (.541) and stolen bases (9) when play was suspended a year ago.  

Ellis Bashes
Slugger Ashley Ellis, like Rachel Anderson, is also back for her fifth year. A native of Arnold, Missouri, Ellis averaged 8.5 home runs per year in her first four seasons as Southeast Missouri's first baseman. She homered eight times and ranked fourth on the team with a .347 batting average last season. Ellis led the Ohio Valley Conference in home runs during the 2020 campaign and hit two round-trippers in a game three times in her career. 

Starting Streaks Intact
Rachel Anderson has never missed a start in her career. Anderson has a streak of 197 straight starts in center field. Ashley Ellis carries a streak of 177 consecutive starts into this weekend. Both Anderson (7th) and Ellis (t8th, 194) rank among Southeast Missouri's career leaders in games started.

On Deck
The Redhawks play host to Missouri State in their first midweek matchup of the season on Wednesday, Mar. 17. First pitch is set for 3 p.m., CT at the Southeast Softball Complex. Southeast Missouri then heads to Belmont for a three-game series on Mar. 20-21.