Southeast Missouri (19-15, 11-7 OVC) at Belmont (19-19, 11-10 OVC)
Series Information
Dates: April 30-May 1, 2021
Schedule: Apr. 30 - 4 p.m., CT; May 1 - 1 p.m., CT (DH)
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Facility: E.S. Rose Park
Series: SEMO leads, 20-13
Last Meeting: SEMO 3, BU 1 (May 5, 2019 | Nashville, Tenn.)
Head Coaches: Andy Sawyers (194-138 overall; 107-111 at SEMO; 59-52 OVC). Dave Jarvis (993-766-2 overall; 668-614-2 at BU).
Follow the Redhawks
Watch: ESPN+
Friday Only
Radio: SEMO ESPN 93.5 FM & 1220 AM (Erik Sean)
Live Stats: Game 1 |
Game 2 |
Game 3
Twitter: @SEMObaseball
Notes: Southeast Missouri
Probable Starting Pitchers
Game 1 -
Dylan Dodd, LHP (SEMO) / Joshua South, RHP (BU)
Game 2 -
Noah Niznik, LHP (SEMO) / Andy Bean, LHP (BU)
Game 3 - TBA (SEMO) / TBA (BU)
Redhawks Face Belmont
Southeast Missouri (19-15, 11-7) travels to the Music City for a three-game series with Belmont (19-19, 11-10) this weekend. The Redhawks and Bruins play a single game at 4 p.m. Friday and a 1 p.m., CT doubleheader Saturday. SEMO won eight of its last 11 contests.
Follow the Redhawks
Friday's series opener will air live on ESPN+.Fans can listen to all three games at ESPN 93.5 FM and 1220 AM. Erik Sean will call the action. Live stats can be accessed at BelmontBruins.com. Twitter updates provided @SEMObaseball.
Series History
Southeast Missouri holds a 20-13 lead in its all-time series against Belmont. The Redhawks claimed series wins each of the last two times they faced the Bruins (2018, 2019). SEMO won two of three games over Belmont during its previous trip to Nashville in 2019.
Midweek Recap
Tyler Wilber and Lincoln Andrews combined for eight hits, four runs and five RBI as Southeast Missouri blew out Austin Peay, 16-3, in midweek action Wednesday. The game was called in the seventh inning due to severe weather in the Clarksville area. After falling behind, 2-0, in the first inning, SEMO scored four runs in the second and six more in each of the third and fifth innings to storm past the Governors. The Redhawks went 3-1 against APSU this season.
Series Wins
Southeast Missouri recorded seven series wins this season, five of which came in Ohio Valley Conference play. The Redhawks beat South Alabama (2-1), Illinois State (3-1), SIU Edwardsville (2-1), Austin Peay (2-1), Jacksonville State (2-1), Murray State (2-1) and Tennessee Tech (2-1) for those victories. SIUE, JSU and MSU were ahead of SEMO in the OVC standings when the Redhawks faced them.
Overpowering Performance
Following an 11-day layoff, Southeast Missouri erupted for a season-high 16 runs and 19 hits in its 16-3 victory over Austin Peay (Apr. 28). The win is currently SEMO's largest of the season. Five players finished with multiple runs and multiple hits in the Redhawks dominating effort. SEMO also scored seven of its runs with two outs against the Governors.
First Multi-Home Run Game
Andrew Keck posted the first multi-home run game of his career when he homered twice against Austin Peay (Apr. 28). Keck led off the third inning with a solo home run to left center and then homered again when he launched a two-run shot to left in the fifth. He finished at 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBI. Keck is tied for second on the team with five home runs this year.
Wilber and Andrews Lead the Way
Tyler Wilber and Lincoln Andrews each had a career-high four hits in Southeast Missouri's win over Austin Peay (Apr. 28). Wilber went 4-for-5 with two runs scored, a home run and a game-high five RBI. He hit safely in each of his first four at-bats of the contest. It was the sixth four-hit game of Wilber's career. Andrews was a perfect 4-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in the first four-hit game of his career.
Grossius Sets the Tone
Bryce Grossius recorded a career-high six strikeouts in four strong innings to get the win against Austin Peay on Apr. 28. Grossius allowed two runs on four hits and walked none. Grossius improved to 3-1 in 12 appearances and three starts this season.
Eleven OVC Wins
Southeast Missouri (11-7) is tied for second with Murray State (11-7) in the Ohio Valley Conference standings. Morehead State (10-5) currently holds the top spot. SEMO (11-7), Murray State, Belmont (11-10) and Austin Peay (11-10) each have 11 conference wins. The Redhawks already played three teams in the top six spots of the conference standings, including SIUE (sixth), Murray State (tied for second) and Austin Peay (tied for third).
One More Series Win
One more series win will give Andy Sawyers his most series victories in a season as Southeast Missouri's head coach. The Redhawks claimed seven series wins three times during Sawyers' career (2017, 2018, 2021).
Career Stolen Bases Record in Sight
Connor Basler is second on the team with eight stolen bases this season. Basler ranks third all-time among Southeast Missouri's all-time career stolen base leaders with 50. He needs three more to break the school's all-time career record. Denver Stuckey (2000-03) currently holds the record with 52 stolen bases.
About Belmont
Belmont, tabbed this year's Ohio Valley Conference Preseason favorite, enters the weekend in a third-place tie with Austin Peay in the league standings. The Bruins won seven of their last 11 games and posted back-to-back series wins (vs. Murray State; at Tennessee Tech) during that stretch. Belmont is tied for first in the OVC in fielding percentage (.974) and leads the conference in on-base percentage (.384). Junior Joshua South was voted OVC Preseason Pitcher of the Year for the second-straight season and is 4-3 with a 4.04 ERA in a league-high 10 starts this season. South also has 47 strikeouts which rank 10th among OVC leaders.
Road Stretch
Southeast Missouri closes out a four-game road trip when it visits Belmont this weekend. The Redhawks are 10-9 on the road this season and have won four of their last five contests outside of Cape Girardeau.
Countdown to 200
Andy Sawyers is six wins away from reaching 200 in his career as a collegiate head coach. Sawyers is 194-138 between head coaching stints at Hutchinson Community College (87-27) and Southeast Missouri (107-111).
Double-Digit Game Hitting Streaks
Tyler Wilber is on a 12-game hitting streak and Andrew Keck has hit safely in 11-straight contests, marking the first time this season where two Redhawks have double-digit game hitting streaks intact. The 12-game stretch is the second-longest of Wilber's career, while the 11-game streak is the longest of Keck's career.
OVC Active Hitting Streaks
Tyler Wilber (12 games) and Andrew Keck (11 game) are among six Ohio Valley Conference players with active 10 or more game hitting streaks. Daniel Harris (18 games, Eastern Illinois), Jackson Feltner (12 games, Morehead State), Logan Eickhoff (11 games, Eastern Illinois) and Brett Roberts (10 games, Tennessee Tech) are the others.
Getting on Base
Andrew Keck has also reached base in 23-consecutive games for the longest such streak of any Redhawk this season. Jevon Mason, Wade Stauss and Tyler Wilber reached base safely in their last 18, 13 and 12 games, respectively.
Top Threats
Tyler Wilber and Jevon Mason lead Southeast Missouri in batting average hitting .407 and .375, respectively. Mason also tops the Redhawks with a .481 on-base percentage, while Wilber is also first on the team in hits (55), RBI (37) and slugging percentage (.607). Both Wilber and Mason lead the team with eight doubles, as well.
Wilber Named to Brooks Wallace Award Watch List
Southeast Missouri shortstop Tyler Wilber was named to the 2021 Brooks Wallace Award watch list on Apr. 13. A group of 100 of the most talented athletes in Division I college baseball headline the 2021 Brooks Wallace Award watch list, announced by the College Baseball Foundation. The watch list features some of the most recognizable names in college baseball who either have paced perennial powers or led some relative newcomers to new heights. The award, sponsored by Mizuno, honors the nation's top shortstop and will be presented this summer by the College Baseball Foundation. It is named for former Texas Tech shortstop Brooks Wallace, who played for the Red Raiders from 1977 to 1980. Wallace died of leukemia at the age of 27. The award rewards outstanding defensive play as much as it does production at the plate, which opens the watch list to all kinds of players at the position. Wilber is one of five Ohio Valley Conference players on the list joining Trey Sweeney (Eastern Illinois), Casey Harford (UT Martin), Ed Johnson (Tennessee Tech) and Cole Frederick (Jacksonville State).
NCAA Top-25 Rankings
Tyler Wilber ranks 16th in the nation in batting average (.407) and 10th in hits per game (1.6). Peyton Leeper rates 16th in sacrifice bunts (7) and 25th in sacrifice bunts per game (0.21).
Among OVC Leaders
Southeast Missouri leads the Ohio Valley Conference in sacrifice bunts (22), ranks second in stolen bases (48) and third in wins (19). Individually, Peyton Leeper is tied for second in triples (3), Dylan Dodd is second in strikeouts (71) and earned run average (3.20), and fifth in both innings pitched (56.1) and opposing batting average (.233). Wade Stauss is tied for first in fielding percentage (1.000) ranks 10th in slugging percentage (.565), and Andrew Keck is tied for third in stolen bases (14). Additionally, Tyler Wilber is third in batting average (.407), seventh in slugging percentage (.607), fifth in on-base percentage (.471), tied for second in hits (55) and sixth in RBI (37).
Wilber Third in the OVC in Batting Average
Shortstop Tyler Wilber ranks third in the Ohio Valley Conference with a .407 batting average. Wilber, who also ranks 16th in the nation in batting average, is one of three players hitting over .400 in the league this year. Eastern Illinois' Trey Sweeney (.415) and Morehead State's Jackson Feltner (.409) are the others.
16 and Counting
Tyler Wilber leads Southeast Missouri and is tied for first in the Ohio Valley Conference with 16 multiple-hit games this season. Wilber collected multiple hits a total of 52 times during his SEMO career.
Over 150 Starts
Two Redhawks have made over 150 starts in their careers. Second baseman Connor Basler tallied a team-high 207 career starts and mainstay center fielder Danny Wright has accumulated 194. Both Basler and Wright are fifth-year seniors after joining Southeast Missouri's baseball program in 2017.
Double-Digit Hits
Southeast Missouri registered 10 or more hits a total of 15 times this season. SEMO collected a season-best 19 hits against Austin Peay (Apr. 28). The Redhawks are 9-6 in games where they put up double-digit hits. SEMO finished with over 10 hits in nine of its last 14 contests.
Seven With Home Runs
Seven different Southeast Missouri players have homered this season. Wade Stauss leads the way with nine home runs, while Tyler Wilber and Andrew Keck follow with five each. Austin Blazevic, Lincoln Andrews, Connor Basler and Danny Wright also homered. SEMO has 24 home runs this season.
Career Rankings
Tyler Wilber presently ranks third all-time among Southeast Missouri's career leaders with a .395 batting average. Wilber has the highest career batting average of any player during SEMO's NCAA Division I era (since 1992). Danny Wright is third in hit by pitch (35) and Connor Basler rates fourth in hit by pitch (29) and tied for second in stolen bases (50). Dylan Dodd ranks fifth all-time in strikeouts/9 innings (10.4) and sixth in walks allowed/9 innings (2.3).
On Deck
Southeast Missouri hosts Eastern Kentucky in a three-game series on May 7-8.
