Murray State (19-26, 16-12 OVC) vs. Southeast Missouri (21-14, 16-5 OVC)

Game Information
Dates: May 1-2, 2021
Schedule: May 1, 2 p.m., CT (DH); May 2, 1 p.m., CT
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Facility: Southeast Softball Complex (600)
Series History: MSU leads, 16-10
Last Meeting: SEMO 9, MSU 1 (5) (Apr. 15, 2019 | Cape Girardeau, Mo.)
Head Coaches: Mark Redburn (384-393 overall; 170-144 at SEMO; 78-60 OVC). Kara Amundson (228-220 overall; 228-220 at MSU).

Follow the Redhawks
Watch: ESPN+ Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Twitter: @SEMOsoftball
Notes: Southeast Missouri

Redhawks Host Murray State
Southeast Missouri (21-14, 16-5) hosts Murray State (19-26, 16-12) in Ohio Valley Conference action this weekend. The Redhawks and Racers play a 2 p.m. doubleheader Saturday, followed by a single game at 1 p.m., CT Sunday.

Follow the Redhawks
All three games of this weekend's series will air live on ESPN+. Live stats will be available at GoSoutheast.com. Twitter updates provided @SEMOsoftball.

Series History
Saturday marks the 27th meeting between Southeast Missouri and Murray State. MSU holds a 16-10 lead in the all-time series. The Redhawks won three of the last four matchups between these teams.

Hot Redhawks
Since the start of March, the Redhawks have gone 19-6. Southeast Missouri swept Tennessee Tech, Belmont and Morehead State, and posted series wins against six of the seven Ohio Valley Conference teams it has faced thus far. The Redhawks won 12-straight conference games before their 5-1 loss to Eastern Illinois (Apr. 3). That OVC winning streak is the longest in the league to date. SEMO's 13-1 OVC start marked its best with Mark Redburn at the helm.

Ellis Close to Home Run Record
Ashley Ellis, who broke Southeast Missouri's single-season home run record with 17 bombs in 2019, is chasing the school's all-time career home run record. Ellis currently ranks second with 47 home runs. She needs two more to surpass Michelle Summers (48, 2005-08) for the all-time mark. Ellis ranks 18th in the nation in home runs this year.

Anderson Gets Another Record
Rachel Anderson broke her sixth different Southeast Missouri career record this season when she passed Sarah Messex (216, 2016-19) for the all-time mark in games started. Anderson has never missed a start in her 219 career games and established the new record against Eastern Kentucky on Apr. 17. She is the school's all-time career leader in triples (30), batting average (.415), slugging percentage (.704), on-base percentage (.507), hits (265), walks (104), RBI (154), total bases (449) and runs scored (167). Anderson also claimed SEMO's career records in hits, walks, RBI, total bases and runs scored in 2021.

OVC Standings
Southeast Missouri (16-5) is in second place in the Ohio Valley Conference standings behind Eastern Kentucky (21-5). The Redhawks have just one series loss in OVC play and that came against the league-leading Colonels on Apr. 17-18. Murray State (16-12) is fifth in the right behind Jacksonville State (17-11). 

Senior Day
Southeast Missouri will honor its seniors prior to first pitch of Saturday's 2 p.m., CT doubleheader. Student manager Jessica Gilbert, center fielder Rachel Anderson, oufielder Danina Marton, third baseman Austine Pauley and first baseman Ashley Ellis will be recognized during a special presentation.

Tennessee State Series Canceled
The Redhawks series at Tennessee State, scheduled for Apr. 25-26, was canceled. Southeast Missouri and TSU were scheduled to play in Nashville, but the series was not contested due to COVID protocols in the Tigers program. The games will not be made up and go as no contest in the Ohio Valley Conference standings. 

20-Game Winners
The Redhawks picked up their 20th win of the season when they beat Saint Louis, 2-0, on Apr. 14. Southeast Missouri (21-14) is one of five teams in the Ohio Valley Conference with 20 or more wins this season along with Eastern Kentucky (31-11), Austin Peay (23-13), UT Martin (24-14) and Eastern Illinois (21-17). 

Shut Them Out
Southeast Missouri has been involved in 12 shutouts this season and is 10-2 in those contests. SEMO blanked its opponent in seven of the last 14 games outscoring opponents by a combined 43-0 in those victories. 

RPI Update 
The Redhawks are ranked 66th in NCAA Division I Softball RPI (through games Apr. 25). Southeast Missouri has the highest RPI of any softball team in the Ohio Valley Conference. Eastern Kentucky (68) and Austin Peay (108) are the next closest OVC schools. The Redhawks have one win over a team ahead of them in the RPI rankings. SEMO beat Southern Illinois (46) on Mar. 31. 

Sixth Shutout 
Rachel Rook tossed her Ohio Valley Conference leading sixth shutout of the season vs. Eastern Kentucky (Apr. 17). Rook was strong out of the gate retiring the first 11 hitters she faced. She struck out seven, walked none and allowed just three hits in five innings. Rook currently ranks ninth among Southeast Missouri's all-time career leaders with 11 shutouts. 

Rickermann Delivers
Freshman Abigail Rickermann broke a scoreless drought when she delivered a pinch-hit RBI-single in the bottom of the sixth inning to help send Southeast Missouri to a 2-0 victory over Saint Louis (Apr. 14). With a runner on second base, Rickermann came to the plate and singled to center to score Rachel Anderson. She then later scored on an error. Rickermann singled in five of her last seven games. Four of those singles came when she pinch hit. 

League Play
Southeast Missouri leads the league in batting average (.348) and ERA (1.78) in Ohio Valley Conference games this season. Ashley Ellis is second with 11 home runs and third in slugging percentage (.952) through 21 conference games. Rachel Rook paves the way with 90 strikeouts (8.3 per game) and five shutouts. Jillian Anderson is tied for second in doubles (9) and Rook tops the conference with a .173 opposing batting average in league games.

All 35 Games
Three players, including Rachel Anderson, Ashley Ellis and Kaylee Anderson have started all 35 games this season. R. Anderson is second on the team in batting average (.382) and leads the Redhawks in hits (39), runs (24) and on-base percentage (.496). Ellis tops the team with 13 home runs, 35 RBI and a .727 slugging percentage. K. Anderson is second on the team in runs scored (23) and home runs (8).

Over .300
Six of Southeast Missouri's starters are hitting over .300 this season and three of them are freshmen. Katie Dreiling (.393) leads the Redhawks, while fellow rookies Kynzie Wrigley (.360) and Jillian Anderson (.323) are third and fifth, respectively. Senior Rachel Anderson (.382) is second on the team, sophomore Alyson Tucker (.333) is fourth and senior Ashley Ellis (.303) rounds out that group.

Home Run Power
Ashley Ellis homered eight times in her last 14 games. Ellis hit two home runs vs. Morehead State (Mar. 27) and Eastern Illinois (Apr. 2) during that stretch. Thirteen of her 30 hits this season have come on the long ball. Ellis is third in the Ohio Valley Conference with 13 home runs. 

First to 100 Strikeouts
Rachel Rook became the first pitcher in the Ohio Valley Conference to get to 100 strikeouts this season. Rook leads the league and ranks 33rd in the nation with 142 strikeouts. She is one of three OVC pitchers with over 100 Ks this year. Murray State's Hannah James (123) and Jacksonville State's Reagan Watkins (104) are the others.

Putting Up the Runs
Southeast Missouri has scored 127 runs for an average of six per game in 21 Ohio Valley Conference contests this season. The Redhawks 127 runs in league games are second in the OVC behind Austin Peay (139). SEMO is outscoring its opponents by a +81 (127-46) margin. SEMO also hit 27 home runs during that span which rank second in OVC games.

Rook Clears 300 Strikeouts
Rachel Rook went over 300 against Eastern Illinois (Apr. 2). Rook now has 346 career strikeouts, including 142 this season. She ranks fifth all-time among SEMO's career strikeout leaders.

Davis Saves the Day
Left-hander Marisa Davis is second in the Ohio Valley Conference and ranks 18th in the nation in saves. Davis has three saves this year. Prior to 2021, she had no saves in 20 relief appearances during her first two seasons as a Redhawk.

Home Run Fun
Southeast Missouri hit a home run in eight of its last 15 contests. The Redhawks had multiple home runs a total of 13 times this year. Nine different players have homered for SEMO this season. The Redhawks rank third in the Ohio Valley Conference with 36 home runs through 35 games. They are one of three OVC teams with over 30 home runs this season. Eastern Illinois (47) and Eastern Kentucky (38) are the others.

10 or More Hits
Southeast Missouri pounded out 10 or more hits a total of 14 times this season and is 11-3 in those contests. The Redhawks finished with a season-high 15 hits at SIU Edwardsville (Apr. 10) and have collected double-digit hits in 11 of their last 18 contests.

Career Record Watch
Rachel Anderson, Southeast Missouri's all-time career leader in triples (30), batting average (.415), slugging percentage (.704), on-base percentage (.507), hits (265), walks (104), RBI (154), total bases (449), runs scored (167) and games started (219), is looking to do more damage on the record books this year. Anderson is also second in stolen bases (68),  behind Lisa Thornton (82, 1987-90).