Southeast Missouri (14-9, 7-1 OVC) at Tennessee Tech (3-26, 0-6 OVC)

Game Information
Dates: Saturday-Sunday, April 1-2, 2023
Series Schedule: Sat. - 1 p.m. (DH); Sun. - 12 p.m., CT
Location: Cookeville, Tenn.
Facility: Tech Softball Field
Series: TTU leads, 51-49
Head Coaches: Mark Redburn (437-429 overall; 223-180 at SEMO; 108-72 OVC). Danielle Penner (406-235 overall; 3-26 at TTU; 0-6 OVC).

Follow the Redhawks
Video: ESPN+ Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Twitter: @SEMOSoftball
Series Notes: Southeast Missouri 

Redhawks Head to Tennessee Tech 
Southeast Missouri (14-9, 7-1) travels to Tennessee Tech (3-26, 0-6) for a three- game Ohio Valley Conference series this weekend. The Redhawks and Golden Eagles play a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday followed by a 12 p.m., CT matchup Sunday.

Follow the Redhawks
Video for all three games of this weekend's series is available live on ESPN+. Live stats can be accessed at TTUSports.com. Twitter updates will be provided @SEMOsoftball.

Series History
Tennessee Tech holds a slight 51-49 edge in its all-time series against Southeast Missouri. TTU swept SEMO in Cookeville during the regular season a year ago, but the Redhawks eliminated the Golden Eagles from the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. SEMO won nine of the last 12 matchups between the teams.

Second in the OVC
Southeast Missouri is currently second in the Ohio Valley Conference standings behind Eastern Illinois (5-0). SEMO is 7-1 in league play after sweeping both SIU Edwardsville (Mar. 10-11) and Southern Indiana (Mar. 25-26), and splitting two games with Tennessee State (Mar. 18). The Redhawks' seven conference wins are most in the OVC.

OVC Winning Streak
The Redhawks carry a four-game Ohio Valley Conference winning streak into this weekend's series at Tennessee Tech. Southeast Missouri's only conference loss came at Tennessee State in the first game of a doubleheader on Mar. 18. Since then, SEMO beat the Tigers in the nightcap and swept Southern Indiana (Mar. 25-26) in three games.

One-Two Punch
Pitchers Marisa Davis and Delaney Kell are complementing each other well inside the circle this season. In Ohio Valley Conference play alone, Maris Davis leads the league with a 1.53 ERA. Meanwhile, Kell is limiting opponents to a conference- best .186 batting average in OVC contests.

Another Sweep
The Redhawks claimed their second series sweep of the season when they took all three games from Southern Indiana (Mar. 25-26). Southeast Missouri won in walk-off fashion twice in that series. Alyson Tucker hit a walk-off grand slam to give SEMO a 11-0 five-inning win in game two and Abigail Rickermann delivered a two-out game-winning single in the bottom of the seventh inning for a 5-4 victory in game three. The Redhawks swept two of their first three opponents in conference play.

Home Winning Streak
Southeast Missouri has won 23 in a row at home. For the first time in program history, SEMO went undefeated at home when it finished the 2022 season at 14-0. The Redhawks were the only Ohio Valley Conference team unbeaten on their home diamond a year ago. SEMO also won its final three home games of the 2021 campaign and is presently 6-0 at home this year.

Midweek Games
The Redhawks dropped their second midweek game of the season when they came up on the short end of a 7-6 loss to longtime rival Southern Illinois (Mar. 28). Southeast Missouri had a three-run lead going into the bottom of the seventh inning before SIU scored four runs and won the game on a walk-off double. SEMO is 0-2 in midweek action this season.

What a Series for Tucker
Shortstop Alyson Tucker had a massive weekend leading Southeast Missouri to its series sweep of Southern Indiana (Mar. 25-26). Tucker hit .600 (6-for-10) with three runs scored, a double, grand slam, 11 RBI and one stolen base for the series. She hit her first career grand slam in the bottom of the fifth inning to give SEMO an 11-0 walk-off win in game two. Tucker went 3-for-3 with two runs and seven RBI in that game alone. She then had a two-RBI game-tying single in the bottom of the seventh inning during the series finale right before the Redhawks won that game in walk-off fashion. Tucker also boasted a .636 on-base percentage and 1.000 slugging percentage for the weekend.

Tucker Named OVC Player of the Week 
Alyson Tucker was unanimously voted Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week on Mar. 27. Tucker earned the first OVC Player of the Week honor of her career. She is the second Redhawk to win one of the league's weekly awards this season.

Career-High RBI
Alyson Tucker's seven RBI against Southern Indiana (Mar. 26) marked a new career-high. Her seven RBI were the most in a game since Kaylee Anderson finished with eight on a pair of grand slams vs. Morehead State (Apr. 3, 2022). Tucker's seven RBI tie for most in a game by a player in the Ohio Valley Conference. Eastern Illinois' Lindy Milkowski also had seven RBI vs. Bellarmine this year.

Leading Hitter
Alyson Tucker saw her batting average climb 53 points from .311 to .364 following her huge series against Southern Indiana (Mar. 25-26). Tucker is Southeast Missouri's leading hitter with a .364 batting average. She hit safely in five of her last six games.

Season-High Runs
Southeast Missouri registered a season- high 11 runs in its shutout victory over Southern Indiana (Mar. 26). It marked the second time SEMO scored double-digit runs this year.

Davis is Rolling
Left-hander Marisa Davis had another nice weekend going 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in Southeast Missouri's series against Southern Indiana (Mar. 25-26). Davis pitched her first shutout of the season when she went the distance allowing only two hits to go along with seven strikeouts in five innings. Davis then recorded the final two outs in relief during game three of the series. Davis has won in each of her last four starts in the circle and has a team-best 6-1 record and 1.53 ERA this year.

Tucker Tough
Alyson Tucker has struck out just twice in her first 57 at-bats this season. Tucker has started all 23 games for Southeast Missouri and is currently the toughest player in the Ohio Valley Conference to strike out. She also ranks third in the nation in that category.

Winner, Winner
After Alyson Tucker hit a two-out, two-RBI single to tie the game, Abigail Rickermann delivered a walk-off game-winning infield hit to send Southeast Missouri to its 5-4 comeback win over Southern Indiana (Mar. 26). Pinch-runner Brittany Affolter scored the winning run on a close play at the plate on Rickermann's hit.

Marching On
Southeast Missouri recently wrapped up March with an overall 10-5 record and 7-1 mark in Ohio Valley Conference play. Redhawk pitchers boasted a 2.04 ERA with 29 earned runs allowed in 99.1 innings over those 15 games. SEMO pitchers also combined for three shutouts, three saves and five complete games in March.

Stealing the Show
The Redhawks collected nine stolen bases in their recent series sweep of Southern Indiana (Mar. 25-26). Southeast Missouri went 9-of-11 on the basepaths against the Screaming Eagles. SEMO matched a season-high five stolen bases in game one of the series. The Redhawks lead the Ohio Valley Conference with 34 stolen bases. Sydney Dennis and Paige Halliwill are SEMO's top base stealers with seven and six thefts, respectively.

Redhawks Top OVC in Pitching 
Southeast Missouri leads the Ohio Valley Conference in several pitching categories, including earned run average (2.50), opposing batting average (.215) and saves (5) this season. SEMO has also allowed the fewest hits (121), runs (69), earned runs (53) and walks (39) of any team in the OVC in 2023.

How About Offense?
The Redhawks rank second in the Ohio Valley Conference with a .278 batting average entering this week's games. Southeast Missouri tops the league with a .363 on-base percentage and is third among OVC foes in slugging percentage (.398) and triples (4).

Redhawks 96th in RPI
Southeast Missouri comes in at 96th in the NCAA Division I RPI rankings. SEMO is among the top-third out of 306 Division I schools in RPI.

About Tennessee Tech
Tennessee Tech is last in the Ohio Valley Conference with a 3-26 overall record and 0-5 mark in league play. Two of TTU's wins have come in Cookeville under first-year Head Coach Danielle Penner. Teams have scored double-digit runs against the Golden Eagles a total of 12 times in 2023. TTU is last in the OVC in ERA (8.59) and opposing batting average (.373). The Golden Eagles have also given up a league- high 150 walks for an average of over five per game.