Southeast Missouri (17-11, 13-2 OVC) at SIUE (7-17, 7-10 OVC)

Game Information
Dates: April 10-11, 2021
Series Schedule: Apr. 10, 1 p.m., CT; Apr. 11, 1 p.m., CT (DH)
Location: Edwardsville, Ill.
Facility: Cougar Field
Series History: SEMO leads, 38-26
Last Meeting: SIUE 4, SEMO 3 (Apr. 6, 2019 | Edwardsville, Ill.)
Head Coaches: Mark Redburn (380-390 overall; 166-141 at SEMO; 75-57 OVC). Jessica Jones (36-50 overall; 36-50 at SIUE).

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

Redhawks Head to SIUE
Ohio Valley Conference leader Southeast Missouri (17-11, 13-2) travels to SIU Edwardsville (7-17, 7-10) for a three-game series this weekend. The Redhawks and Cougars play a single game at 1 p.m. Saturday and a doubleheader at 1 p.m., CT Sunday. 

Follow the Redhawks
All three games of the series at SIUE will air live on ESPN+. Live stats will be available at SIUECougars.com. Twitter updates provided @SEMOsoftball.

Series History
Saturday marks the 65th meeting between Southeast Missouri and SIU Edwardsville. SIUE leads the all-time series, 38-26. SEMO won four of its last six matchups with the Cougars and split a doubleheader with SIUE the last time it made the trip to Edwardsville, Illinois on Apr. 6, 2019. Twelve of the Redhawks wins in the series have come in Edwardsville.

Hot Redhawks
Since the start of March, the Redhawks have won 15 of 18 contests. Southeast Missouri swept Tennessee Tech, Belmont and Morehead State, and posted series wins against every Ohio Valley Conference team 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.

Conference Win Streak Ends at 12 Games
Southeast Missouri's Ohio Valley Conference best 12-game winning streak in league games came to an end when the Redhawks dropped their series finale against Eastern Illinois (Apr. 3). The conference winning streak was SEMO's longest since the Redhawks won 13-straight in 2009.

Kansas City Doubleheader Canceled
The Redhawks were initially scheduled to play a doubleheader at Kansas City on Apr. 7, but that matchup was canceled due to inclement weather. Southeast Missouri is 2-1 in midweek action this year with a 6-2 loss at Southern Illinois (Mar. 16), 6-1 win at Saint Louis (Mar. 24) and a 5-0 victory over SIU (Mar. 31). 

Shut Them Out
Southeast Missouri has been involved in 10 shutouts this season and are 8-2 in those contests. SEMO blanked its opponent in five of the last seven games alone outscoring opponents by a combined 33-0 in those victories. 

League Play
Southeast Missouri leads the league in batting average (.348) and ERA (1.48) in Ohio Valley Conference games this season. Ashley Ellis has an OVC best nine home runs, 24 RBI and 1.075 slugging percentage through 15 conference games. Rachel Rook paves the way with 64 strikeouts (8.4 per game), eight wins, four shutouts and a .145 opposing batting average against league foes.

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 45 home runs. She needs four more to surpass Michelle Summers (48, 2005-08) for the all-time mark. 

Home Run Power
Ashley Ellis homered six times in her last seven games. Ellis hit two home runs vs. Morehead State (Mar. 27) and Eastern Illinois (Apr. 2) during that stretch. Eleven of her 21 hits this season have come on the long ball for 52.3 percent of her total hit output. Ellis is tied for second in the Ohio Valley Conference with 11 home runs.

Holman Sparkles
Paytience Holman threw a two-hit shutout with six strikeouts to lead Southeast Missouri to a 3-0 win over Eastern Illinois (Apr. 3). Holman no-hit EIU for six innings as the Panthers had their only hits in the third, only one of which left the infield. It was her third shutout and fourth complete game of the season. 

Another Big Week for Rook
Rachel Rook had yet another big week, this time going 2-1 with a 0.71 ERA and a pair of complete game shutouts. Rook pitched a two-hit shutout with nine strikeouts against Southern Illinois (Mar. 31). Two days later, she struck out seven and scattered four hits in a 3-0 complete game victory over Eastern Illinois (Apr. 2). Rook then struck out 10 in 5.2 innings against the Panthers on Apr. 3.

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 27th in the nation with 112 strikeouts. She is one of two OVC pitchers with over 100 Ks this year. Murray State's Hannah James (102) is the other.

What a Month
The Redhawks finished March with a 13-2 record, their second-best March record under Head Coach Mark Redburn. Redburn's best record in that month came during the 2019 campaign (16-2).  In the last four years, Southeast Missouri went a combined 44-14 in March. 

Anderson Breaks Two More Career Records
Rachel Anderson has broken five of Southeast Missouri's all-time career records this season. Anderson, who broke program records in hits (258), walks (100) and RBI (148) earlier in the year, recently established new career marks in runs scored (162) and total bases (438). She got the total bases record vs. Morehead State (Mar. 26) and the runs record vs. Southern Illinois (Mar. 31). Anderson surpassed Michelle Summers (423 total bases, 161 runs, 2005-08) for both of those records. 

Putting Up the Runs
Southeast Missouri has scored 96 runs for an average of 6.4 per game in 15 Ohio Valley Conference contests this season. The Redhawks are outscoring its opponents by a +70 (96-26) margin in league play. SEMO also hit 23 home runs during that span which tie for first in OVC games.

Over .400
Freshman Katie Dreiling and senior Rachel Anderson are among the Ohio Valley Conference's top four leaders in batting average. Dreiling ranks second hitting .418 and Anderson is fourth with a .400 clip. Dreiling also tops the Redhawks in slugging percentage (.657), while Anderson leads the team in hits (32) and on-base percentage (.510).

Rook Clears 300 Strikeouts
Rachel Rook, who ranks seventh among Southeast Missouri's all-time career strikeout leaders, went over 300 against Eastern Illinois (Apr. 2). Rook now has 316 career strikeouts, including 112 this season. 

Wrigley Hitting Streak
Freshman Kynzie Wrigley carries a 10-game hitting streak into this weekend's series at SIU Edwardsville. Wrigley's streak began at Belmont on Mar. 20. She is the third Redhawk on a 10-game hitting streak this season. Jillian Anderson (Mar. 6-24) and Kaylee Anderson (Feb. 26-Mar. 12) were the others.

Rook Gets 10th Win
Rachel Rook picked up her 10th win of the season when she tossed her two-hit shutout vs. Southern Illinois (Mar. 31). Rook, who holds a record of 11-6, leads the Ohio Valley Conference in wins. She has also thrown seven complete games and five shutouts this season. Rook is also 8-1 in Ohio Valley Conference play and ranks seventh in the nation in shutouts and 23rd in wins.

Ellis Passes 200 Career Starts
Ashley Ellis recently joined Rachel Anderson with over 200 career starts in a Redhawk uniform. Ellis has 209 starts to date. She carries a streak of 192 consecutive starts into this weekend's series at SIU Edwardsville. Ellis is fourth all-time in career starts at Southeast Missouri.

Davis Saves the Day
Left-hander Marisa Davis is second in the Ohio Valley Conference and ranks 10th in the nation in saves. Davis has three saves thus far. Prior to this year, 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 13 of its last 16 contests. The Redhawks had multiple home runs a total of 12 times this year. Nine different players have homered for SEMO this season. The Redhawks rank second in the Ohio Valley Conference with 32 home runs through 28 games. They are one of three OVC teams with 25 or more home runs this season. Eastern Illinois (39) and Eastern Kentucky (26) are the others.

Celebrating 200 Starts
Rachel Anderson's 200th career start in center field came on Mar. 13, the day Southeast Missouri completed its sweep of Tennessee Tech. Anderson, who has never missed a start in her career, has a total of 212. She became the sixth player in program history to start over 200 career games. Anderson ranks third among the school's all-time career leaders in games started.

10 or More Hits
Southeast Missouri pounded out 10 or more hits a total of 10 times this season and is 8-2 in those contests. The Redhawks finished with a season-high 14 hits at Belmont (Mar. 21) and have collected double-digit hits in seven of their last 11 contests.

Career Record Watch
Rachel Anderson, Southeast Missouri's all-time career leader in triples (30), batting average (.419), slugging percentage (.711), on-base percentage (.509), hits (258), walks (100), RBI (148), total bases (438) and runs scored (162), is looking to do more damage on the record books this year. Anderson is also second in stolen bases (66), behind Lisa Thornton (82, 1987-90) and third in games started (212) behind Sarah Messex (216, 2016-19) and Renee Kertz (214, 2009-12).

On Deck
Southeast Missouri will play nine of its next 12 games at home. The Redhawks first open a four-game home stand when they host Saint Louis on Apr. 14. First pitch is set for 3 p.m., CT at the Southeast Softball Complex.