SIUE (13-6, 0-0 OVC) vs. Southeast Missouri (10-13, 0-0 OVC)
 
Dates: Friday, March 24 | Saturday, March 25 | Sunday, March 26
Times: 5 p.m., CT. | 1 p.m., CT. | 1 p.m., CT. 
Location: Edwardsville, Ill. 
Facility: Roy E. Lee Field
Series: SEMO leads 25-9
Head Coaches: Andy Sawyers (252-180 overall; 165-153 at SEMO; 81-63 OVC). | Sean Lyons (128-166 overall; Same at SIUE; 56-91 OVC) 
 
Follow the Redhawks
Radio: ESPN 93.5 FM & 1220 AM (Erik Sean)
Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Twitter: @SEMObaseball
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF)
 
 
Redhawks Open Ohio Valley Conference Play at SIUE Over the Weekend
Southeast Missouri (10-13) will begin the 2023 Ohio Valley Conference season on the road against first-place SIUE (13-6) March 24-26 in Edwardsville, Ill. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m., CT. on Friday, 1 p.m., Saturday, and 1 p.m., Sunday. 
 
Follow The Redhawks
Listen live on the radio at ESPN 1220 AM and 93.5 FM. Erik Sean will call the action. Live stats are available at SEMORedhawks.com. Twitter updates will be provided @SEMObaseball. 
 
Series History
The Redhawks and Cougars have faced off 34 times prior to the weekend series as SEMO holds a 25-9 all-time series lead. 
 
The last meeting between the two came last season on March 27, 2022 resulting in a SEMO victory by a final score of 5-2 in Cape Girardeau. The Redhawks swept the season series with the Cougars in 2022 making it six in a row against SIUE. 
 
SIUE last won on March 12, 2021 in a 6-2 contest. 
 
Midweek Action
Southeast Missouri fell in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Tuesday, March 21, by a final score of 12-2 in seven innings to #5 Arkansas. 
 
The Razorbacks used a 10-run sixth inning to end SEMO's three-game winning streak, following a series sweep of Western Illinois over the weekend (Mar. 17-19).
 
 Josh Cameron hit his fourth home run of the season off of Arkansas starter RHP Ben Bybee for the Redhawks first run of the game, tying it at 1-1 in the fourth inning.
 
Defensive miscues led to Arkansas putting up 10-runs in the home sixth to sink the Redhawks, as Arkansas extended their winning streak to 14 games. 
 
About Last Weekend
The Redhawks picked up three wins over Western Illinois last weekend beginning on Friday night as LHP Noah Niznik picked up his second win of the 2023 campaign going 6.2 innings, seven strikeouts, and only two earned runs in a 10-3 drubbing. 
 
Saturday, the Redhawks turned to RHP Payton Lawrence who had a career outing. Lawrence, a junior from Dixon, Ill., pitched 8.1 scoreless innings on a chilly afternoon, recording seven strikeouts as the Redhawks took game two of the series, 4-0. 
 
Sunday's contest was an extra innings affair as the Redhawks and Leathernecks played to the 14th inning. 
 
Trailing 7-6 in the bottom half, short stop Peyton Leeper singled into right field with one out. 
 
Leeper swiped the second base bag during the at-bat of right fielder Carlos Aranda. Aranda roped a doulbe into the left-center field gap to plate Leeper, tying the game at seven. 
 
Third baseman Chance Resetich singled up the middle to plate Aranda and complete the series sweep, 8-7, over Western Illinois. 
 
First Double, A BIG One
Carlos Aranda hit his first double of the season on Sunday against Western Illinois. The double plated Peyton Leeper in the bottom of the 14th inning to tie the score with one out. Aranda now has 14 RBI on the season.
 
Getting On Base
SEMO has been getting on base a lot so far through the first 23 games of the season. Peyton Leeper now leads the team with 17 walks, as Carlos Aranda (16) falls back to second on the club following Tuesday's game. 
 
Against Arkansas, Gunnar Doyle and Nolan Ackerman extended their reached base streak(s) to 10 games. Jevon Mason is on an eight-game streak and also leads the team in stolen bases with seven. 
 
Pitchers Dialing In
Over the weekend, the Redhawks pitching staff accumulated a 1.85 earned run average as Saturday's starter Payton Lawrence tossed 8.1 innings of scoreless baseball. LHP Noah Niznik (2.54) and Lawrence (3.54) now lead the pitching staff in ERA. Opposing hitters are hitting just .231 off of Niznik so far. 
 
About SIUE
The Courgars come in sporting a 13-6 overall record and sit atop the conference standings as OVC play begins. 
 
Most recently, SIUE fell to Missouri Valley-member Evansville by a final score of 11-7. The loss was the Cougars' first home loss of the season. 
 
Brady Bunten leads SIUE with a .348 batting average this season. Bunten is also the team-leader in slugging percentage with a .638. Bunten has 24 hits, 27 RBIs, 11 doubles, and is tied for a team-high three home runs on the season. 
 
Tyler DeLong is the Cougars' ace with a 2.53 earned run average, including just a .167 opposing batting average. 
 
Jake Bockenstedt has the most innings pitched on the campaign (27.2) while posting the second-best ERA on the team (3.58). He leads the team with 32 strikeouts in five games started.