Southern Illinois (23-9) vs. Southeast Missouri (23-7)

Date: Tuesday, April 12, 2022
First Pitch: 6 p.m., CT
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Facility: Capaha Field (2,000)
Series History: SIU leads, 59-30-1
Last Meeting: SIU 21, SEMO 4 (Mar. 24, 2021 | Cape Girardeau, Mo.)
Head Coaches: Andy Sawyers (228-152 overall; 141-125 at SEMO; 72-57 OVC). Lance Rhodes (75-35 overall; 75-35 at SIU).

Follow the Redhawks
Radio: ESPN 93.5 FM & 1220 AM (Erik Sean)
Live Stats: SEMORedhawks.com
Twitter: @SEMObaseball
Series Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF)

Probable Starting Pitchers
Tuesday - Jake Combs, RHP (SIU) / Bryce Grossius, RHP (SEMO) 

Redhawks Host Southern Illinois  
Southeast Missouri (23-7) hosts longtime rival Southern Illinois (23-9) in midweek action Tuesday. First pitch is set for 6 p.m., CT at Capaha Field.

Follow the Redhawks 
Listen live on the radio at ESPN 93.5 FM and 1220 AM. Erik Sean will call the action. Live stats can be accessed at SEMORedhawks.com. Twitter updates available @SEMOBaseball.

Series History
Longtime rivals Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois meet on the diamond for the 91st time this week. SIU holds a 59-30-1 lead in the all-time series. The Salukis won nine of the last 10 meetings between the teams. 

23 Wins
Southeast Missouri leads the Ohio Valley Conference with 23 wins this season. SEMO is one of three teams in the league with over 20 victories. Eastern Illinois (21-8) and Belmont (21-11) are the others. The Redhawks seven losses are fewest in the OVC, as well. SEMO is 13th in the nation with a .767 winning percentage.

Strong Midweek Matchup
Southeast Missouri (23-7) and Southern Illinois (23-9) are a combined 46-16 this season. Both rank among the top-25 teams in the nation in winning percentage with the Redhawks rating 13th and Salukis ranking 25th. SEMO is on a five-game winning streak, its second-longest of the season.

That Was Fast
With its win over Arkansas State on Apr. 5, Southeast Missouri reached 20 wins in a season quicker than it has ever done under Head Coach Andy Sawyers. The Redhawks 20th win came 25 days sooner than it did a year ago (Apr. 30, 2021). SEMO is one of 35 NCAA Division I teams with 20 or more victories this year. 

Second in the OVC
The Redhawks are tied for second in the Ohio Valley Conference standings with Belmont. Both teams are 7-2 in conference play thus far. The seven league victories lead the OVC.

Perfect at Home
Southeast Missouri is undefeated at home with a staggering 17-0 record this season. The Redhawks won 19 of their last 20 matchups at Capaha Field dating back to the 2021 campaign. SEMO is 88-41 at home under Head Coach Andy Sawyers. One more win will match the most home victories by a Sawyers coached team (18 in both 2017 and 2018).

Program Record Home Win Streak
The Redhawks 17-game home winning streak is its longest in program history. Southeast Missouri also went undefeated through its first 17 home games of a season for the first time. Prior to this year, SEMO began the 2000 campaign at 13-0 at home. The Redhawks have the most home victories in the Ohio Valley Conference and are one of only three teams in the country unbeaten with a minimum of 12 home victories in 2022. Tennessee (23-0) and Creighton (12-0) are the others.

Redhawks Have Second-Longest Home Winning Streak
Southeast Missouri's 17-game home winning streak is currently second-longest in the nation this season. #1 Tennessee (29 games) is the only team ahead of SEMO. Creighton (12 games) follows with the third-longest home winning streak in NCAA Division I baseball.

Get Out the Brooms!
Southeast Missouri has swept seven opponents this season. SEMO swept five of its first seven weekend series and two home-and-home series (vs. Saint Louis; vs. Arkansas State). The Redhawks completed three-game sweeps vs. Bellarmine (Feb. 26-27), Bradley (Mar. 4-5), Valparaiso (Mar. 12-13), SIU Edwardsville (Mar. 25-27) and Murray State (Apr. 8-10). The seven series sweeps are the most in a season with Andy Sawyers at the helm. In all, the Redhawks have 15 series sweeps under Sawyers. Interestingly enough, SEMO did not sweep any opponent during its entire 2021 campaign.

Midweek Games
The Redhawks scored in every inning en route to blowing out Saint Louis, 16-5, in their first midweek game of the season on Mar. 1. SEMO established season-highs in runs (16) and hits (16) against the Billikens. SEMO also beat Arkansas State twice (Mar. 8, Apr. 5) and Saint Louis (Mar. 29) again. The Redhawks are 4-2 in midweek action this year. 

Weekend Rewind
Southeast Missouri swept Murray State (Apr. 8-10) with 11-2, 8-5 and 11-10 victories. SEMO fell behind early in all three games before pulling off comeback wins. The Redhawks broke a 5-5 tie by scoring three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning during game two. A leadoff solo home run by Tyler Wilber sparked the rally in the eighth. In the series finale, SEMO trailed, 10-9, before scoring twice in the bottom of the ninth by way of a game-tying home run from Wilber and walk-off single by Brett Graber.

Comeback Kids
The Redhawks have 17 come-from-behind victories this season, including nine after they trailed in the first inning. Southeast Missouri came back to win six of its first nine Ohio Valley Conference games this year.

Wilber is On Fire
Shortstop Tyler Wilber took over as Southeast Missouri's top hitter following four multiple-hit performances last week. For the week, Wilber hit .722 (13-for-18) with eight runs scored, a pair of doubles, two home runs, six RBI, a 1.167 slugging percentage and .722 on-base percentage. He hit the go-ahead home run during game two vs. Murray State (Apr. 9) and the tying home run against the Racers on Apr. 10. For the Murray State series alone, Wilber had back-to-back four-hit games and one three-hit contest. He hit .786 with 11 hits in 14 at-bats and boasted a 1.286 slugging percentage in that series. Wilber raised his batting average 63 points from .304 to .367 during that four-game stretch. He was named Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week on Apr. 11.

Mr. Clutch
Center fielder Brett Graber hit a two-out bases clearing triple to lift Southeast Missouri to its 8-5 midweek win over Arkansas State (Apr. 5). SEMO held a 5-0 lead, but ASU scored four times in the sixth and added another run to tie the game in the top of the seventh. The Redhawks, however, kept their poise and quickly responded during their turn in the seventh. Jevon Mason reached on a one-out error and moved into scoring position on a two-out single by Tyler Wilber. After Mason and Wilber advanced on a wild pitch, Andrew Keck walked to load the bases. Graber, behind 1-2 in the count, then tripled to right to clear the bases and put SEMO ahead. It was the second triple of Graber's career. Five days later, Graber delivered the RBI-single in the bottom of the ninth to send SEMO to an 11-10 walk-off victory over Murray State (Apr. 10).

Redhawks at Capaha
Just how good is Southeast Missouri at home? SEMO is hitting .316 and outscoring opponents by a staggering +84 margin (167-83). The Redhawks hit 36 home runs at Capaha Field for a little over two (2.1) per home contest. Additionally, SEMO has scored 10 or more runs 10 times and collected over 10 hits a total of 10 times on its home field. Individually, Tyler Wilber boasts a .500 batting average with 26 runs, five doubles, nine home runs and 30 RBI, while Brett Graber and Andrew Keck follow hitting .424 and .412 at home, respectively.

Single-Season Home Run Marks
With its 51 home runs this season, Southeast Missouri passed its total of 37 homers in 52 games a year ago. The single-season school record during the Redhawks NCAA Division I era is 92 home runs set by the 2000 club. The most home runs hit in a season under Head Coach Andy Sawyers stand at 54 by his first SEMO team in 2017. Here are the Redhawks top-five single-season home run marks since they turned Division I in 1991-92.
92 home runs -- 2000
90 home runs -- 1998
76 home runs -- 2010
71 home runs -- 2009
70 home runs -- 2003

Nine of Eleven
Southeast Missouri has won nine of its last 11 games and is currently on a five-game winning streak. SEMO won four in a row during that stretch with a series sweep of SIU Edwardsville (Mar. 25-27) and midweek wins over Saint Louis (Mar. 30) and Arkansas State (Apr. 5). The Redhawks also dropped two of three at Austin Peay (Apr. 1-3) before winning each of its last five contests. SEMO's longest winning streak of the season stands at 11 (Feb. 26-Mar. 13). 

Five-Game Homestand
The Redhawks wrap up their second-longest homestand of the season when Southern Illinois comes to town Tuesday. Southeast Missouri beat Arkansas State (Apr. 5) and swept Murray State (Apr. 8-10) to go 4-0 during the current stretch.

Up Next
Southeast Missouri travels to Tennessee Tech (Apr. 14-16) for a three-game series before the Easter holiday. After that, the Redhawks travel to SEC member Ole Miss (Apr. 19) for a midweek tilt.

Marching On
Southeast Missouri finished with a 13-4 record in March, its best in that month under Head Coach Andy Sawyers. In its 17 March contests, SEMO outscored its opponents by a +42 margin (136-94) and hit 28 home runs.

Andrews Notches Career-High in Home Runs 
First baseman Lincoln Andrews went 3-for-4 with a career-high three home runs at Austin Peay (Apr. 2). Andrews homered in each of his first three at-bats of the game with a solo bomb in each of the second and sixth innings, and a two-run shot in the fourth. He became the first Redhawk to hit three home runs in a game since fellow first baseman Matt Tellor accomplished the feat at UT Martin (Mar. 30. 2014).

Best Start in Division I Era
The Redhawks began the 2022 season at 13-1, their best start in their NCAA Division I era. Southeast Missouri moved to the D-I ranks in 1992. SEMO's 13-1 start tied with the 1973 team which also won 13 of its first 14 contests.

RPI Update
Southeast Missouri begins the week with a RPI rating of 45. SEMO currently holds the highest RPI of any team in the Ohio Valley Conference. This year is the highest SEMO has ranked in RPI under Head Coach Andy Sawyers. The Redhawks other RPI rankings with Sawyers at the helm include 87th (2021), 136th (2017), 200th (2018, 2020) and 259th (2019).

Keck Triples and Scores
After Tyler Wilber's game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth inning vs. Murray State (Apr. 10), Andrew Keck tripled and later scored the winning run in Southeast Missouri's 11-10 victory. The triple was Keck's first of the season. For the year, he ranks second on the team with a .345 batting average. Keck is also second in hits (40) and RBI (33), and leads the Redhawks with 10 doubles. Additionally, he has six home runs and seven stolen bases, both of which rank third.

OVC Slate
The 24-game Ohio Valley Conference slate for the reigning OVC Champion and preseason favorite Southeast Missouri baseball team started with a series sweep of SIU Edwardsville (Mar. 25-27). The rest of the league schedule includes home series with Murray State (Apr. 8-10), Morehead State (Apr. 22-24) and UT Martin (May 13-15). SEMO's OVC road schedule consists of Austin Peay (Apr. 1-3), Tennessee Tech (Apr. 14-16), Belmont (Apr. 29-May 1) and Eastern Illinois (May 19-21).

Yard Work
Southeast Missouri has homered in 22 of its 30 games and hit a series-best 10 round-trippers vs. Valparaiso (Mar. 12-13). SEMO finished with a season-high five home runs in two games -- vs. Bradley (Mar. 4); vs. Valparaiso (Mar. 13). Twenty-four of the Redhawks home runs have come against Missouri Valley Conference teams. SEMO has 51 home runs and ranks second in the Ohio Valley Conference behind Tennessee Tech (53) in that category.

Series Wins
The Redhawks claimed wins in 21 of their last 25 series dating back to their COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. At one time, Southeast Missouri posted 11-consecutive series wins during that stretch.

Atop the OVC
As a team, Southeast Missouri leads the Ohio Valley Conference in wins (23), runs (238) and RBI (226). Individually, Tyler Wilber leads the league in RBI (45) and Jevon Mason is first among league leaders in runs (40). Jason Rackers is tied for first in strikeouts looking (15) and Kyle Miller is tied for first in wins (5).

They Did That Twice?
In each of the final two games of its series against Valparaiso (Mar. 13), Southeast Missouri homered three times and scored six runs in an inning. SEMO trailed, 6-3, in game one before Peyton Leeper, Tyler Wilber and Lincoln Andrews homered in the bottom of the fourth. That six-run inning lifted the Redhawks to a 16-6 win as SEMO scored the final 13 runs of the game. In game two, the Redhawks were down, 3-0, when Jevon Mason, Wilber and Brett Graber homered as part of a six-run third inning. SEMO later won that contest by a score of 10-8. The Redhawks fell behind in the first inning during every game against Valparaiso before sweeping the series with three come-from-behind victories.

Seeing Double
The Redhawks scored double-digit runs 11 times this season. Southeast Missouri scored 10 or more runs in seven consecutive games for the first time in program history from Feb. 27-Mar. 8. The Redhawks lead the  Ohio Valley Conference with 238 runs.

Power Outage
Nine different players have homered for Southeast Missouri this season. Tyler Wilber leads the Redhawks with 11 home runs, while Jevon Mason follows with seven. Peyton Leeper, Lincoln Andrews and Andrew Keck each have six, and Ty Stauss has five. Brett Graber, Joel Vaske and Ben Palmer all have three.

Leeper Tabbed OVC Player of the Week
Southeast Missouri utility player Peyton Leeper won Southeast Missouri's first Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week honor of the 2022 season on Mar. 14. A native of Mokane, Missouri, Leeper homered in all four of his starts last week helping the Redhawks extend their winning streak to 11 games. He broke SEMO's series-opener against Valparaiso (Mar. 12) open with a grand slam, the first of his career. Leeper then homered in both games of the series-ending doubleheader against the Beacons the following day. His second round-tripper that day was a game-winning two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning during the nightcap. Leeper's other home run for the week came in a midweek matchup at Arkansas State (Mar. 8). In the Valparaiso series alone, Leeper finished with three home runs, six runs scored and nine RBI. For the week, he hit .353 with four of his six hits coming via the long ball. He scored nine times, had 10 RBI, boasted a 1.059 slugging percentage, recorded a .500 on-base percentage and was a perfect 3-of-3 in stolen bases. Leeper carries a six-game hitting streak into this week's action. Leeper won the award for the first time in his career. UT Martin right-hander Rhett Fetner (Pitcher of the Week) rounded out the week's honorees.

Wilber Clears 200 Hits
Tyler Wilber went over 200 career hits in the Redhawks series sweep of Valparaiso (Mar. 12-13). Wilber hit a team-high .500 in the series. He had four runs, six hits, three home runs, seven RBI and a 1.250 slugging percentage against the Beacons. Wilber got his 200th career hit on a two-out single in the bottom of the eighth inning during game two of the series. He now has 228 hits in his career.

Over 150
Andrew Keck (168) surpassed 150 hits in his career against Valparaiso (Mar. 12-13). Keck hit .357 with a run scored, home run and two RBI against the Beacons. He is the second player on this year's team to reach 150 or more hits joining Tyler Wilber (215).

NCAA Division I Rankings (Top-25)
As of games through Apr. 10, the Redhawks rank among the top 25 NCAA Division I teams home runs per game (17th, 1.7), home runs (17th, 51) and win-loss percentage (13th, .767). Individually, Noah Niznik is 19th in games started (8), Jevon Mason is 23rd in runs (40) and 14th in runs per game (1.3), Kyle Miller is 23rd in saves (6) and Tyler Wilber is eighth in RBI (45) and ninth in RBI per game (1.5).

Stealing the Show
Andrew Keck is 7-of-10 on the basepaths this season. Keck has 41 stolen bases and is now ninth on Southeast Missouri's all-time career stolen base list. Jevon Mason leads SEMO in stolen bases with 12 in 14 attempts.

Double-Digit Hits
Southeast Missouri registered double-digit hits in 15 games. SEMO is 14-1 in games when it gets 10 or more hits. It finished with a season-high 16 hits vs. Saint Louis (Mar. 1) and Valparaiso (Mar. 13).

RBI Guys
Tyler Wilber and Andrew Keck are first and fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference with 45 and 33 RBI, respectively. Wilber (14) and Keck (10) have combined for 24 multiple-RBI games this season.

Career Day for Keck
Catcher Andrew Keck went 4-for-5 with a grand slam, double, two singles, four runs scored, two stolen bases and seven RBI to lead Southeast Missouri to its win over Saint Louis (Mar. 1). Keck hit safely in each of his first three at-bats. His four runs and seven RBI are new career-highs, while his four hits match a career-best. Keck leads the team with a .412 batting average.

Grand Slamming
Andrew Keck hit his second grand slam in three days against Saint Louis (Mar. 1). Keck launched his team-high third home run of the season over the left field wall in the bottom of the sixth inning. He smashed his first career grand slam to help send Southeast Missouri to a 10-2 win over Bellarmine (Feb. 27). That round-tripper came in the bottom of the first inning against the Knights.

Mason Plays Strong
Leadoff man Jevon Mason is Southeast Missouri's fourth-leading hitter with a .306 batting average. Mason ranks first on the team in runs (40), third in doubles (7) and second in home runs (7). He is also third on the team in slugging percentage (.581) and on-base percentage (.405) through 30 starts.

Walk-Off Wins
First baseman Lincoln Andrews snapped a 7-7 tie with a leadoff walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to give Southeast Missouri an 8-7 come-from-behind win in its series-opener vs. Bellarmine (Feb. 26). The walk-off hit marked the first of Andrews' career. Brett Graber then delivered a RBI-single with no outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to give SEMO an 11-10 win over Murray State (Apr. 10).

Over .300
Southeast Missouri has four players hitting over .300 through 30 games this season. Tyler Wilber leads the team with a .367 clip, while Andrew Keck (.345), Brett Graber (.327) and Jevon Mason (.306) follow. Those four players have accounted for 122 RBI, as well.

Walk This Way
Southeast Missouri players hold three of the first six spots among Ohio Valley Conference leaders in walks. Peyton Leeper (t2nd, 22), Jevon Mason (t2nd, 22) and Brett Graber (t6th, 20) occupy those places. Those three are responsible for 64 of SEMO's 149 bases on balls, second-most in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Early and Often
Southeast Missouri has jumped on opponents early through its first 30 games this season. In the first four innings alone, SEMO has scored a combined 114 runs, including 29 in the first, 19 in the second, 46 in the third and 20 in the fourth. Forty-eight percent of the Redhawks runs have come in the first four innings of play. SEMO is outscoring opponents 114-94 in that span. 

Six-Inning Starts
Left-hander Noah Niznik and right-hander Jason Rackers have combined for five six-inning starts this season. Niznik went six innings to beat Bellarmine for his first win on Feb. 27 allowing just one run on five hits. He also struck out two and walked one in his longest start since pitching seven innings in a no-decision vs. Austin Peay (Mar. 20, 2021). Rackers picked up his second victory of the year after scattering four hits, giving up three runs and striking out four in six innings at Missouri State (Mar. 19). He then collected six strikeouts when he worked six innings in a no-decision vs. SIU Edwardsville (Mar. 25). Niznik worked six innings with seven strikeouts in a no-decision at Austin Peay (Apr. 2). Most recently, Rackers had a season-high seven strikeouts in a win over Murray State (Apr. 8).

Miller Named OVC Pitcher of the Week
Southeast Missouri sophomore right-hander Kyle Miller won the first Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week award of the 2022 season on Feb. 21.  Miller picked up his first win of the season at #22 Dallas Baptist on Feb. 18. He came out of the bullpen to toss six scoreless innings to help lead the Redhawks to a 12-inning one-run upset of the nationally-ranked Patriots. Miller struck out four, walked two and allowed only three hits in his first appearance of the year as SEMO posted a series win against a ranked opponent for only the second time in program history.

Season 64
The 2022 campaign marks Southeast Missouri's 64th year of college baseball. The Redhawks are in their 31st season as an NCAA Division I program. SEMO is 1,417-1,146 all-time and 882-757-1 at the NCAA Division I level since the inception of its baseball program. The Redhawks have a 440-296-1 record in Ohio Valley Conference play. SEMO won five OVC regular-season titles (2002, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2021), four OVC Tournament crowns (1998, 2002, 2016, 2021) and made four NCAA Tournament appearances (1998, 2002, 2016, 2021) in program history.

OVC Preseason Favorite
Southeast Missouri was tabbed the preseason favorite in the 2022 Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Preseason Poll on Feb. 10. The reigning OVC regular-season and tournament champion, SEMO received eight of the possible 18 first-place nods in the overall voting by league Head Coaches and Communication Directors. SEMO accumulated a total of 114 points, while Murray State – which the Redhawks beat to win the OVC Tournament crown in 2021 – was picked second with four first-place votes and 104 points. Morehead State (93 pts.), Austin Peay (87 pts.) and Belmont (86 pts.) round out the top five, while SIU Edwardsville (55 pts.), Eastern Illinois (50 pts.), Tennessee Tech (43 pts.) and UT Martin (16 pts.) complete the nine-team predicted order of finish. 

Wilber Named OVC Preseason Player of the Year
Senior shortstop Tyler Wilber was voted the 2022 Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Player of the Year. A native of Los Alamitos, California, Wilber started all 52 games last season. A Second-Team All-OVC pick, he was Southeast Missouri's leading hitter witha .378 batting average. Wilber also led the Redhawks in RBI (49), total bases (109), slugging percentage (.542), and hits (76). He finished the regular-season with a league-best .400 batting average. Additionally, Wilber was a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award.

Batting Titles
Tyler Wilber won the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season batting title twice in his career to date. Wilber was hitting .400 at the end of regular-season play in 2021 and hit .383 during the 2019 campaign. 

What a Career!
Tyler Wilber is in his fourth-year as Southeast Missouri's starting shortstop. Wilber has a career batting average of .381. His batting average is the second-highest in a career among players in SEMO's NCAA Division I era behind Todd Shylanski (.387, 1991-92). Wilber ranks fourth all-time among the Redhawks career leaders in batting average and sixth in on-base percentage (.467). He has 228 hits, 133 runs, 48 doubles, six triples, 22 home runs and 146 RBI in 154 starts. 

Mason Secures Preseason All-OVC Honors
Left fielder Jevon Mason joined Tyler Wilber on this year's Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Team. Mason, who hails from West Des Moines, Iowa, made the league's All-Tournament Team in his first year as a Redhawk in 2021. He ranked second on the team with a .350 batting average behind Wilber. Mason led Southeast Missouri with 14 doubles and boasted a team-best .447 on-base percentage.  

154 and Counting
Tyler Wilber has never missed a start in his Southeast Missouri career. The shortstop has started 154 consecutive games as the most experienced player on the roster. Wilber committed only nine errors in 52 starts at short in 2021.

From Walk-On to Scholarship
What a rookie season right-hander Kyle Miller had for Southeast Missouri in 2021. Miller, who joined the team as a walk-on, compiled a 4-2 record in 20 appearances and five starts. He rated third on the team with 52 strikeouts in 51.1 innings. Miller picked up his first career save on six outs in the Redhawks season-opening win at South Alabama a year ago and then finished his freshman year by throwing a complete game two-hitter with 10 strikeouts in the Redhawks Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship win over Murray State. Miller begins his 2022 campaign as a scholarship player.

SEMO Spring Fact
Southeast Missouri's baseball (17-0), softball (9-0) and women's tennis (4-0) teams are all undefeated at home this spring. Combined, those teams are 30-0 in Cape Girardeau. All three are reigning Ohio Valley Conference Champions, as well.