UT Martin (18-27, 9-15 OVC) vs. Southeast Missouri (25-18, 15-9 OVC)

Series Information
Dates: May 20-21, 2021
Schedule: May 20 - 5 p.m.; May 21 - 1 p.m., CT (DH)
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo,
Facility: Capaha Field (2,000)
Series: SEMO leads, 82-26-1
Last Meeting: SEMO 8, UTM 1 (Apr. 13, 2021 | Martin, Tenn.)
Head Coaches: Andy Sawyers (200-141 overall; 113-114 at SEMO; 63-54 OVC). Ryan Jenkins (59-109 overall, 59-109 at UTM).

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

Probable Starting Pitchers
Game 1 - Dylan Dodd, LHP (SEMO) / Eric Steensma, RHP (UTM)
Game 2 - Bryce Grossius, RHP (SEMO) / Winston Cannon, RHP (UTM)
Game 3 - TBA (SEMO) / Sam Folks, LHP (UTM)

Redhawks Host UT Martin
Southeast Missouri (25-18, 15-9) plays host to last place UT Martin (18-27, 9-15) in its regular-season finale on May 20-21. The Redhawks and Skyhawks will play a single game at 5 p.m. Thursday and a doubleheader at 1 p.m., CT Friday.

Follow the Redhawks
Fans can listen to all three games of Southeast Missouri's series against UT Martin at ESPN 93.5 FM and 1220 AM. Erik Sean will call the action. Live stats can be accessed at GoSoutheast.com. Twitter updates provided @SEMObaseball.

Series History
Southeast Missouri holds an 82-26-1 lead in its all-time series against UT Martin. SEMO has won 23 of the last 28 games in the series. The Redhawks posted a 2-1 series victory in their only Ohio Valley Conference series at UT Martin before the 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19. SEMO beat the Skyhawks, 8-1, on Apr. 13 in Martin, Tennessee. That game does not count in the OVC standings.

One Win Away
The Redhawks will officially clinch a spot in the 2021 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament with one win against UT Martin. Currently, Murray State is the only team that has secured a spot in this year's four-team tournament. Morehead State, Jacksonville State, Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois, SIU Edwardsville and Belmont are also in the hunt for a tournament berth. Meanwhile, Eastern Kentucky, UT Martin and Tennessee Tech have been eliminated. SEMO can also clinch a spot with a Jacksonville State or Austin Peay loss,

OVC Title Picture
Southeast Missouri (15-9, .625) enters its final series of the season at second in the Ohio Valley Conference standings just percentage points behind Murray State (17-10, .630). SEMO will win the OVC regular-season title in the following scenarios:
-    If SEMO and Murray State both sweep, the Redhawks and Racers are Co-Champions. SEMO would get the #1 seed in the OVC Tournament because it won two of three games against the Racers.
-    If SEMO goes 2-1 vs. UT Martin and Murray State goes 1-2 or is swept against Austin Peay.
-    If SEMO goes 1-2, Murray State is swept and Morehead State does not go 3-0.

Senior Recognition
Redhawk seniors Danny Wright, Dylan Dodd, Connor Basler, Austin Blazevic and Tyler Wilber will be honored prior to first pitch of Thursday's game against UT Martin. Outfielder/pitcher Keegan Meyn (2019-20) and equipment manager Armon Cannon will also be recognized from the 2020 team.

Series Wins
Southeast Missouri recorded 10 series wins this season, seven of which came in Ohio Valley Conference play. The Redhawks beat South Alabama (2-1), Illinois State (3-1), Lipscomb (2-1), SIU Edwardsville (2-1), Austin Peay (2-1), Jacksonville State (2-1), Murray State (2-1),  Tennessee Tech (2-1), Belmont (2-1) and Eastern Kentucky (2-1) for those victories. SIUE, JSU and MSU were ahead of SEMO in the OVC standings when the Redhawks faced them. The 10 series wins are the most in a season under Head Coach Andy Sawyers.

Dodd is Rolling
Dylan Dodd threw seven shutout innings for the third-straight start when he beat Lipscomb (May 13). Dodd allowed only four hits, struck out eight and walked none en route to his seventh win of the season. He has pitched 25 consecutive scoreless innings. The last run Dodd allowed was in the top of the third inning vs. Tennessee Tech (Apr. 16). 

Closing in on 100 Strikeouts
Dylan Dodd is five strikeouts away from reaching 100 in a season for the first time in his career. Dodd leads the Ohio Valley Conference and ranks 32nd in the nation in strikeouts. Joey Lucchesi was the last Redhawk pitcher to get 100 or more strikeouts in a season when he recorded 149 in 2016.

Morehead State Series Canceled
Southeast Missouri was originally supposed to play a three-game series at Morehead State on May 14-15, but those games were canceled due to COVID-19 protocols in the Eagles program. As a result, Morehead State did not have the requisite number of student-athletes available to compete in the series. The series will not be rescheduled and the games will be considered no contest in the Ohio Valley Conference standings. 

Redhawks Down Lipscomb
After Southeast Missouri's series at Morehead State was canceled, the Redhawks scheduled a three-game set at Lipscomb (May 13-15). SEMO won two of three against the ASUN Conference member Bisons. The Redhawks won game one by a score of 3-2 and game three, 8-4, to clinch their series victory. SEMO finished with a 10-9 record in non-conference action this season.

Sawyers Notches 200th Career Win
Andy Sawyers picked up his 200th career win as a collegiate head coach when Southeast Missouri beat Lipscomb, 8-4, on May 15. Sawyers is 200-141 between head coaching stints at Hutchinson Community College (87-27) and Southeast Missouri (113-114).

Mason Homers
Jevon Mason hit the first home run of his career at Lipscomb on May 15. Mason hit a two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning against the Bisons. He went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, two RBI, a walk, one home run and a double in that game. Mason became the eighth Redhawk to hit a home run this season.

Ralls Makes First Weekend Start
Right-hander Hunter Ralls made his first career weekend start on the mound against Lipscomb (May 15). Ralls allowed one run and two hits, while striking out three in four innings. He improved to 3-1 this season in his third start, the longest outing of his career. 

About UT Martin
UT Martin is last in the Ohio Valley Conference with an overall record of 18-27 and 9-15 in conference play. UTM has won three of its last four games and recently upset #11 Ole Miss, 9-7, on May 18. Blake Daniels leads the Skyhawks with a .303 batting average and 12 doubles. As a team, UTM is third in the OVC with 55 home runs.

Wilber Leads OVC in Batting Average
Tyler Wilber leads the Ohio Valley Conference and ranks 15th in the nation with a .408 batting average. Wilber also leads the league and stands 22nd nationally in hits (69). He is also among the OVC's top 10 leaders in slugging percentage (4th, .598), on-base percentage (2nd, .474), RBI (7th, 43) and total bases (t7th, 101).

Wilber's Career Long Hitting Streak Ends at 15 Games 
Tyler Wilber's career long hitting streak ended at 15 games against Eastern Kentucky (May 7). Wilber collected multiple hits 10 times during that stretch. It was the longest hitting streak of any Redhawk since Trevor Ezell hit safely in 18-straight games during the 2016 season.

First Shutout
Southeast Missouri recorded its first shutout of the season with a 12-0 win at Belmont (Apr. 30). Dylan Dodd allowed just two hits and struck out eight in seven innings to key the win. He retired 20 of the 22 hitters he faced and no-hit the Bruins for five innings. SEMO blanked an Ohio Valley Conference opponent on the road for the first time in six years. Interestingly enough, Belmont was also on the losing end of that contest by an identical score of 12-0 on May 14, 2015. The Redhawks ended up shutting out the Bruins twice in their series win.

Dodd Reaches 200 Career Strikeouts
Dylan Dodd reached 200 career strikeouts against Eastern Kentucky (May 7). Dodd threw seven shutout innings with eight strikeouts on his way to that milestone. He has 208 strikeouts in 180 innings over 30 career starts on the mound. Dodd struck out eight or more in 11 of his 12 starts this year. He ranks fifth among the school's all-time career strikeout leaders and is fifth in strikeouts per nine innings (10.4).

That Was Close
Tyler Wilber narrowly missed hitting for the cycle when he went 3-for-4 against Eastern Kentucky (May 8). Wilber fell a triple shy of the cycle. He hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the third inning, singled and doubled to complete his seventh three-hit game of the season.

Redhawks Building Momentum
The Redhawks have won 13 of their last 18 games. Southeast Missouri presently has 25 wins. Its 18 losses are the fewest in a full season (excluding shortened 2020 season due to COVID-19) under Head Coach Andy Sawyers.

Leeper Triples Again 
Peyton Leeper hit his team-high fourth triple of the season against Eastern Kentucky (May 8). Leeper ranks second in the Ohio Valley Conference in that category.

Career Stolen Bases Record in Sight 
Connor Basler is third 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.

Getting on Base
Tyler Wilber has reached base in 21 consecutive games. It is the second-longest reached base streak on the team this season and longest of Wilber's career. Andrew Keck currently holds the longest such streak of any Redhawk so far when he reached base in 25-consecutive games from Mar. 12-May 1.

Top Threats
Tyler Wilber and Jevon Mason lead Southeast Missouri in batting average hitting .408 and .352, respectively. Mason leads the team in doubles (11) and runs (30), and ranks second in slugging percentage (.467) and on-base percentage (.456), while Wilber tops the team in hits (69), RBI (43), slugging percentage (.598) and on-base percentage (.474). 

Wilber Logs 100th Career Start
Tyler Wilber made his 100th career start in game two of Southeast Missouri's doubleheader at Murray State (Apr. 9). Wilber, who has 115 starts as a Redhawk, is the third active player with over 100 starts joining Connor Basler (216) and Danny Wright (203).

200th Career Start
Second baseman Connor Basler made his 200th career start at Murray State (Apr. 9). Basler has played and started more games than any Redhawk on this year's roster. He currently leads the team with 221 games and 216 starts since joining the program in 2017.

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 15th in the nation in batting average (.408), 22nd in hits (69) and 14th in hits per game (1.6). Peyton Leeper rates 11th in sacrifice bunts (9), 20th in triples (4) and 16th in sacrifice bunts per game (0.23). 

OVC Top-Three
Southeast Missouri is tied for first in the Ohio Valley Conference in fielding percentage (.974), ranks second in earned run average (5.11), first in sacrifice bunts (29), third in opposing batting average (.272), second in wins (25) and first in saves (11). Individually, Tyle Wilber leads the league in batting average (.408) and hits (69), and ranks second in on-base percentage (.474). Peyton Leeper is second in triples (4) and first in sacrifice bunts (9), Wade Stauss is second in hit by pitch (13) and Dylan Dodd ranks first in ERA (2.33), strikeouts (95) and innings pitched (77.1), third in opposing bating average (.207) and second in wins (7).

Over .400
Tyler Wilber is one of just two players in the Ohio Valley Conference hitting over .400 this season. Wilber boasts a league-best .408 batting average. Eastern Illinois' Trey Sweeney follows with a .404 clip.

20 and Counting
Tyler Wilber leads Southeast Missouri and is second in the Ohio Valley Conference with 20 multiple-hit games this season. Wilber collected multiple hits a total of 56 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 216 career starts and mainstay center fielder Danny Wright has accumulated 203. 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 19 times this season. SEMO collected a season-best 19 hits against Austin Peay (Apr. 28). The Redhawks are 13-6 in games where they put up double-digit hits. 

Eight With Home Runs 
Eight different Southeast Missouri players have homered this season. Wade Stauss leads the way with 10 home runs, while Tyler Wilber and Andrew Keck follow with six and five, respectively. Danny Wright has two home runs and Austin Blazevic, Lincoln Andrews, Connor Basler and Jevon Mason each have one.

Career Rankings
Tyler Wilber presently ranks third all-time among Southeast Missouri's career leaders with a .397 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 and strikeouts/9 innings (10.4).