Tennessee State (8-12) vs. Southeast Missouri (11-10)

Dates: Saturday-Sunday, March 19-20, 2022
Series Schedule: 
Saturday - 3 p.m., CT
Sunday - 11 a.m., CT (DH)
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Facility: Southeast Softball Complex (600)
Series History: SEMO leads, 62-10
Last Meeting: SEMO 11, TSU 1 (6 innings) (Mar. 23, 2019 | Nashville, Tenn.(
Head Coaches: Mark Redburn (397-395 overall; 190-157 at SEMO; 85-61 OVC). Genee McRath (17-45 overall; 17-45 at TSU).

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

Redhawks Host Tennessee State 
Southeast Missouri (11-10) opens Ohio Valley Conference play when it hosts Tennessee State (8-12) in a three-game series this weekend. The Redhawks and Tigers play a single game at 3 p.m., CT Saturday followed by a 11 a.m. doubleheader Sunday.

Follow the Redhawks
Watch all three games of this weekend's series live on ESPN+. Live stats are available at SEMORedhawks.com. Twitter updates provided @SEMOsoftball.

Strikeout Record in Reach
Rachel Rook is 13 strikeouts away from becoming Southeast Missouri's all-time career strikeout leader. Rook enters the weekend with 489 strikeouts. Eighty-nine of those Ks have come this season. She is currently second behind Elaine Fischer (501, 2005-08) on that list.

Home Opener
Southeast Missouri plays at home for the first time this season this weekend. SEMO played its first 21 games of the 2022 campaign outside of Cape Girardeau. 

OVC Openers
Preseason Ohio Valley Conference favorite Southeast Missouri is 19-10 in league-opening games. The Redhawks started OVC action with a win in eight of the last 11 seasons. SEMO is the reigning back-to-back OVC Champion.

Series Record
The Redhawks are 62-10 all-time against Tennessee State. Southeast Missouri and TSU meet for the first time since 2019. The teams did not play last year because the series in Nashville was canceled due to weather. In 2020, no conference games were played due to COVID-19. SEMO holds an 11-game winning streak in the series and is 19-2 in its last 21 games against TSU.

Spring Break
This weekend's series against Tennessee State marks the end of Southeast Missouri's spring break. SEMO beat both Kansas City (7-1) and Iowa (4-3) in midweek action earlier this week on Mar. 15. 

Redhawks Upend Iowa
Down 3-2 in the top of the seventh inning, Kynzie Wrigley hit a leadoff double to rally Southeast Missouri to its come-from-behind win over Big Ten Conference member Iowa (Mar. 15). After Kaylee Anderson walked, Tori Bradley doubled down the left field line and Wrigley scored the tying run. After a pitching change, Anderson touched home on a wild pitch for the winning run. SEMO beat a Big Ten opponent for the first time in 21 years. Its last win over a Big Ten school was in 2001 (vs. Indiana).

Grand Slam for Halliwill
Center fielder Paige Halliwill hit her first career grand slam vs. Missouri State (Mar. 13). Halliwill's first career home run was part of a six-run first inning for the Redhawks in that game. It marked the eighth game this season where Southeast Missouri hit a home run.

Three More To Go
Mark Redburn is three wins away from reaching 400 as a head coach. Redburn is in his 18th year as a head coach and his career includes 13 years at the NCAA Division I level (5 at Evansville; 8 at SEMO). Overall, Redburn is 397-395. That record includes a 190-157 mark in eight seasons with the Redhawks.

800th NCAA Division I Win
Southeast Missouri picked up its 800th win as an NCAA Division I program when it beat Kansas City, 7-1, on Mar. 15.. SEMO first moved to the Division I ranks in 1991-92. The Redhawks are 801-780-2 all-time as an NCAA Division I program.

Anderson Heating Up
Kaylee Anderson carries a five-game hitting streak into this weekend's series against Tennessee State. Anderson hit safely in 10 of her last 11 starts. She reached base in all four of her plate appearances against Iowa (Mar. 15) going 3-for-3 with two runs scored, a double, home run, walk and two RBI. Anderson leads the team with a .456 batting average, 20 runs scored, 26 hits, six doubles, three home runs, a .719 slugging percentage and .551 on-base percentage through 21 games.

Every Game Starters
Kaylee Anderson, Alyson Tucker and Paige Halliwill have started all 21 games for Southeast Missouri this season. Anderson made 20 starts in right field and one as designated hitter. Halliwill started every game in center field. And, Tucker made all of her starts at shortstop.

62-Straight
Alyson Tucker made 62 consecutive starts at shortstop. Tucker is hitting .306 as Southeast Missouri's fourth-leading hitter this year.

Program Record
In Ohio Valley Conference play last season, Southeast Missouri collected a program record 23 wins. SEMO finished with a 23-6 record against league foes. The Redhawks posted eight series wins in OVC action during the 2021 campaign.

Redhawks Win Purple & Gold Challenge
Southeast Missouri won the Lipscomb Purple & Gold Challenge with a 4-1 record last week. Southeast Missouri beat Charleston, 5-4, 3-2, defeated tournament host Lipscomb, 7-1, and took care of Dayton, 10-6. It was SEMO's first tournament win of the season. 

Tournament Play Wrap
The Redhawks went 9-9 in tournament play this season. Southeast Missouri went 0-3 at the Jayhawk Invitational (Mar. 13-14), 3-2 at the Lion Classic (Feb. 11-13) in Hammond, Louisiana, 2-3 at the Hilltopper Classic (Feb. 18-20) in Bowling Green, Kentucky and 4-1 at the Purple & Gold Challenge (Mar. 4-6) in Nashville, Tennessee. SEMO won the Purple & Gold Challenge.

Touch 'Em All Wrigley
Kynzie Wrigley became the fifth Redhawk to hit a home run this season when she smashed her first round-tripper at Kansas City (Mar. 15). The homer marked the third of Wrigley's career. Kaylee Anderson, Aubrie Shore, Alyson Tucker and Paige Halliwill also homered for Southeast Missouri this year.

Holman Returns
Right-hander Paytience Holman returned from injury at the Purple & Gold Challenge (Mar. 4-6). Holman went 1-1 with a 1.05 ERA and one save in three appearances and two starts. She struck out nine in 13.1 innings, allowing just two earned runs. Holman threw a complete game victory with four strikeouts in her first start of the season at Lipscomb (Mar. 4).

Rook Throws No-Hitter
Rachel Rook threw a no-hitter and struck out 12 to lead Southeast Missouri to a 6-0 win over Central Michigan (Feb. 18). At the time, Rook tossed the ninth non-combined no-hitter in NCAA Division I softball this season. She retired 20-straight prior to Shannon Stein's two-out walk in the top of the seventh inning. Stein was CMU's only baserunner of the game as Rook was perfect through 6.2 frames. She recorded the second-no-hitter of her career and first seven-inning no-hitter as a Redhawk.

OVC Pitcher of the Week
Rachel Rook was voted Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 21. A native of Republic, Missouri, Rook threw a no-hitter with 12 strikeouts in Southeast Missouri's win over Central Michigan (Feb. 18). She tossed two complete games and struck out 25 in 19 innings en route to going 2-1 at the Western Kentucky Hilltopper Classic (Feb. 18-20).

Marshall Transfer Tandem
Outfielder Paige Halliwill and catcher Kat Sackett were teammates at Marshall University as freshmen in 2021 before joining the Redhawks this year. Halliwill has started all 21 games and Sackett started 20 in their first seasons at Southeast Missouri. Halliwill has been in the lineup every game in center field.

Over 10 Strikeouts
Rachel Rook registered over 10 strikeouts in three of her first four starts in the circle this season. Rook struck out 12 in a season-opening complete game shutout against Alabama A&M (Feb. 11) and matched a career-high 15 strikeouts in a seven-inning one-hitter vs. Nicholls (Feb. 13). She then opened the Hilltopper Classic with 12 strikeouts in a complete game no-hitter vs. Central Michigan (Feb. 18). She leads the Ohio Valley Conference and ranks 29th in the nation with 89 strikeouts. In addition, Rook has pitched six complete games and two shutouts in 15 appearances and 12 starts this year.

Rook Joins SEMO's Top-10 in Wins
Rachel Rook, who is presently 7-4 in 15 appearances and 12 starts this season, joined Southeast Missouri's all-time career list in wins. Rook is 47-24 in a Redhawk uniform and is ninth on that list. 

First Inning Fun
Southeast Missouri is outscoring opponents 39-11 in the first inning through 21 games this season. SEMO put up seven or more runs in the first inning on three occasions.

OVC Preseason-Favorite
The reigning back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference Champion softball team is the preseason favorite in the 2022 Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Poll. SEMO garnered 16 of the possible 20 first-place votes and accumulated 157 points in the overall voting by OVC Head Coaches and Communication Directors. Austin Peay (140 pts.), Murray State (121 pts.), Eastern Illinois (107 pts.) and UT Martin (107 pts.) rounded out the top five. SIU Edwardsville (82 pts.), Tennessee Tech (69 pts.), Belmont (63 pts.), Tennessee State (33 pts.) and Morehead State (21 pts.). SEMO is coming off a season where it went 30-17 overall en route to winning its second-straight and seventh overall OVC regular-season title. The Redhawks finished with a 23-6 record in league play with their 23 conference victories marking the most in program history. In the last two-plus seasons, SEMO put together an overall record of 121-60 and 55-18 mark in OVC play. Mark Redburn picked up his second OVC Coach of the Year accolade and Rachel Rook became only the second SEMO player in program history to win the league's coveted Pitcher of the Year honor. Rook returns for her final season in a Redhawk uniform after leading the OVC in wins (20), innings (163), strikeouts (196), shutouts (7) and opposing batting average (.191).

Team 46
The 2022 campaign is the 46th season of Southeast Missouri softball. SEMO's softball program has an all-time record of 1,161-850-3. The Redhawks are 801-780-2 all-time since moving to the NCAA Division I ranks in 1992. SEMO has accumulated eighteen 30-win seasons, two 40-win campaigns, seven Ohio Valley Conference regular-season titles, six OVC Tournament crowns and two NCAA Tournament berths in its program history.