Southeast Missouri (1-3) at Abilene Christian (4-1)

Dates: Friday-Sunday, February 24-26, 2023
Series Schedule: Fri. - 4:05 p.m.; Sat. - 1:05 p.m. (DH); Sun. - 1:05 p.m., CT
Location: Abilene, Texas
Facility: Crutcher Scott Field
Series: First Meeting
Head Coaches: Andy Sawyers (243-170 overall; 156-143 at SEMO; 81-63 OVC). Rick McCarty (103-85 overall; 103-85 at ACU; 53-48 WAC).

Follow the Redhawks
Radio: ESPN 93.5 FM & 1220 AM (Erik Sean)
Video: Game 1 (ESPN+) | Game 4 (WAC International)
Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4
Twitter: @SEMObaseball
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF)

Southeast Missouri Probable Starting Pitcher
Friday - Noah Niznik, LHP
Saturday - Collin Wilma, RHP
Saturday - Haden Dow, LHP
Sunday - TBA

Redhawks Travel to Abilene Christian 
Southeast Missouri (1-3) travels to Western Athletic Conference member Abilene Christian (4-1) for a four-game series this weekend. SEMO and ACU will open the series Friday at 4:05 p.m., CT.

Follow the Redhawks
Listen live on the radio at ESPN 1220 AM and 93.5 FM. Erik Sean will call the action Video can be accessed at ESPN+ for game one and WAC International for game four of the series. Live stats are available at ACUSports.com. Twitter updates will be provided @SEMObaseball.

Series History
This year marks Southeast Missouri's first meeting with Abilene Christian. ACU is a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

Midweek Action
The Redhawks fell to former Ohio Valley Conference member Middle Tennessee in their first midweek matchup of the season Tuesday. Southeast Missouri five hits with two coming from Josh Cameron in its 8-3 defeat.

Stauss and Cameron Homer
Wade Stauss and Josh Cameron became the first Redhawks to get a home run this season. Stauss hit a leadoff solo home run in the top of the eighth inning. Cameron then hit his first career home run at SEMO for a two-run blast in the ninth.

Redhawks Dominate Season-Opener 
Southeast Missouri pounded out 13 hits in a dominating 11-3 season-opening win over Central Arkansas (Feb. 17). SEMO scored its most runs in a season-opener in 13 years when the Redhawks began the 2010 campaign with a 13-8 victory over SEC member Auburn. SEMO posted its fourth-straight season-opening win under Head Coach Andy Sawyers. The Redhawks also improved to 14-18 all-time in season-opening games during their NCAA Division I era (since 1992).

Redhawk Debuts
Twelve players made their Southeast Missouri debuts during opening weekend at Central Arkansas (Feb. 17-19). Josh Cameron, Carlos Aranda, Chance Resetich, Caleb Rodgers, Gunnar Doyle, Yanluis Ortiz, Nolan Ackerman, Haden Dow, Logan Katen, Jonah Sarabia, Michael Laudando and Esteban Hernandez all saw action for the first time in a Redhawk uniform.

100 Starts
Jevon Mason made his 100th career start at Central Arkansas (Feb. 17). Mason (103) is now the third active player on this year's roster with over 100 career starts joining Peyton Leeper (114) and Lincoln Andrews (109).

108 and Counting
Jevon Mason has started 108 consecutive games dating back to the 2021 season. That streak began with his start vs. Austin Peay on Mar. 20, 2021. Mason was one of three players to start all 59 games for the Redhawks in 2022.

Getting on Base
Lincoln Andrews and Jevon Mason reached base in each of Southeast Missouri's first four games of the 2023 campaign. Andrews is tied for first on the team with five hits.

About Abilene Christian
Abilene Christian is in its fifth year under Head Coach Rick McCarty. McCarty was an assistant coach at Southeast Missouri for two seasons in 2009-10. He also coached at Campbell, Louisiana Tech, Delta State and Dallas Baptist prior to taking over the Wildcats program. ACU is tied for second in the Western Athletic Conference with a .306 batting average. Logan Britt is the Wildcats' top hitter. Britt is this week's WAC Player of the Week after hitting .588 with two extra-base hits, three RBI, three stolen bases and two runs scored in a series win against Nevada. ACU is 4-1 this young season after most recently beating Oklahoma.

Miller Named to NCBWA Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List 
Right-hander Kyle Miller was one of four Ohio Valley Conference players named to the 2023 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List. Miller joined Morehead State's John Bakke and Jarrett Miller, and Eastern Illinois' Zane Robbins on the list. Miller, a Preseason All- Ohio Valley Conference selection, went 8-4 with a 3.35 ERA in 24 relief appearances last season. He picked up six saves and led the Redhawks in wins. Miller struck out 47 and walked 14 in 45.2 innings.

Season 65
The 2023 campaign marks Southeast Missouri's 65th of college baseball. The Redhawks are in their 32nd season as an NCAA Division I program. SEMO is 1,432-1,164 all-time and 898-777-1 at the NCAA Division I level since the inception of its baseball program. The Redhawks have a 442-301-1 record in Ohio Valley Conference play. SEMO won five OVC regular-season titles (2002, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2021), five OVC Tournament crowns (1998, 2002, 2016, 2021, 2022) and made five NCAA Tournament appearances (1998, 2002, 2016, 2021, 2022) in program history.

Redhawks Picked to Win OVC
For the second-straight year, Southeast Missouri (128 pts.) was picked first in the Ohio Valley Preseason Poll selected by the league's Head Coaches and Communications Directors. SEMO received 16 of the 18 possible first-place votes. Morehead State, which earned the other two first-place nods, was picked second with 100 points. Eastern Illinois (89 pts.), Little Rock (86 pts.) and Tennessee Tech (78 pts.) rounded out the top five. SIU Edwardsville (76 pts.), UT Martin (41 pts.), Southern Indiana (26 pts.) and Lindenwood (24 pts.) complete this year's predicted order of finish.

Let's Do it Again
Southeast Missouri enters the 2023 season fresh off back-to-back 30-win campaigns. SEMO went 30-22 overall and swept the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles in 2021. A year later, the Redhawks compiled a 37-22 record and win their second OVC Tournament crown in a row. The 37 wins in 2022 are currently the most in a season with Andy Sawyers at the helm. Another 30-win season in 2023 will make Sawyers the third head coach in program history to record three-consecutive 30-win campaigns.

Amazing Run
The Redhawks were nearly unbeatable on their home diamond (Capaha Field) in 2022. Southeast Missouri led the nation with a 23-2 home record. The home record was the best in SEMO baseball history. The Redhawks won their first 14 home games a year ago.

More Program Firsts
Along with its staggering home record, Southeast Missouri won back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference Tournament titles and made the NCAA Tournament two years in a row for the first time in program history. SEMO won three-straight elimination games to claim its OVC Tournament crown in 2022. The Redhawks advanced to the NCAA Regional in Louisville, Kentucky in 2022 and NCAA Regional in Oxford, Mississippi in 2021.

Preseason All-OVC
Outfielders Jevon Mason and Brett Grabe, and right-handed pitcher Kyle Miller represented Southeast Missouri on this year's Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Team. Mason, who hails from West Des Moines, Iowa, garnered OVC All-Tournament Team accolades in 2022. He ranked fourth on the team with a .317 batting average in 59 starts, including 57 in left field. Mason tied for second on the team with 73 hits, ranked tied for third in doubles (14) and third in home runs (14). His 72 runs scored led the conference and rated 23rd in the nation. A native of Sacramento, California, Graber landed was a Second-Team All-OVC pick last season. He finished third on the team with a .321 batting average as one of four players who hit over .300. He posted 10 home runs, 42 runs scored, 70 hits, three triples and 46 RBI. Graber collected multiple hits in 22 of his starts, as well. Miller, who is from Eureka, Missouri, joined Graber as a Second-Team All-OVC selection. He was SEMO's closer who went 8-4 with a 3.35 ERA in 24 relief appearances. Miller picked up six saves and led the Redhawks in wins. He struck out 47 and walked 14 in 45.2 innings.

Home Run Record
Southeast Missouri broke a program record with 97 home runs in 2022. Five players hit 10 or more home runs for the Redhawks that year. Three of those five in Lincoln Andrews (15), Jevon Mason (14) and Brett Graber (10) are back this season. That trio accounted for over 40 percent of the team's home run output. SEMO's 97 home runs ranked third in the Ohio Valley Conference behind Tennessee Tech (114) and SIU Edwardsville (99).