Southern Illinois (29-7) vs. Southeast Missouri (20-9)

Game Information
Date: Tuesday, April 11, 2023
First Pitch: 3 p.m., CT
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Facility: Southeast Softball Complex
Series: SIU leads, 72-24-1
Head Coaches: Mark Redburn (440-429 overall; 226-180 at SEMO; 111-72 OVC). Megan Griffith (10-16 overall; 10-16 at MSU; 5-4 OVC).

Follow the Redhawks
Video: ESPN+ 
Live Stats: SEMORedhawks.com
Twitter: @SEMOSoftball
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri 

Redhawks Host Southern Illinois 
Southeast Missouri (20-9) hosts longtime rival Southern Illinois (29-7) on the back end of a home-and-home series Tuesday. First pitch is set for 3 p.m., CT at the Southeast Softball Complex.

Follow the Redhawks
Video for Tuesday's game is available live on ESPN+. Live stats can be accessed at SEMORedhawks.com. Twitter updates will be provided @SEMOsoftball.

Series History
Regional rivals Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois meet for the 98th time Tuesday. SIU holds a 72-24-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Salukis came from behind to win the first meeting between the teams this season by a score of 7-6 in Carbondale on Mar. 28.

Redhawks Take Over First in the OVC 
With its series sweep of Morehead State (Apr. 7-8), Southeast Missouri took over sole possession of first place in the Ohio Valley Conference standings. SEMO also received some help to get in that position as Southern Indiana beat then- OVC co-leader Eastern Illinois twice. The Redhawks are 13-1 in conference play. EIU is now second with a 9-2 mark, while UT Martin and USI are tied for third at 8-6.

OVC Winning Streak
The Redhawks are on a 10-game Ohio Valley Conference winning streak. 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), Tennessee Tech (Apr. 1-2) and Morehead State (Apr. 7-8) in three games.

2,000th Win for SEMO Softball
Southeast Missouri picked up its 2,000th win in program history when it beat Morehead State, 1-0, on Apr. 8. SEMO's softball program has an all-time record of 2,000-873. A total of 840 of those wins have come at the NCAA Division I level.

OVC Momentum
Southeast Missouri won 13 of its first 14 Ohio Valley Conference games. SEMO's 13-1 conference start is its best since the Redhawks began the 2021 season at 13-1 against league foes. At one time, SEMO won 12-straight OVC games that year.

Big Advantage
The Redhawks outscored their opponents, 44-3, in their last six games combined. Southeast Missouri outscored Tennessee Tech, 30-1, in three games on Apr. 1-2. A week later, SEMO outscored Morehead State, 14-1, in three contests on Apr. 7-8. The Redhawks also posted three shuouts and allowed just one run in the other three games during that stretch.

Kell Voted OVC Pitcher of the Week 
Delaney Kell was named Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week on Apr. 10. Kell claimed the first OVC Pitcher of the Week accolade of her career. A native of Salem, Illinois, Kell went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and threw 8.1 scoreless innings during SEMO's recent series sweep of Morehead State. She struck out eight and did not allow a walk, while scattering five hits over her two appearances. Kell threw three scoreless innings of relief with five strikeouts to pick up the win over the Eagles on Apr. 7. She then worked 5.1 shutout innings with three strikeouts to get her team-high 10th win of the season.

10-Game Winner
At 10-3 this season, Delaney Kell is the third Ohio Valley Conference pitcher to reach 10 wins this season. Southern Indiana's Josie Newman (12-7) and Tennessee State's Caitlyn Manus (11-12) are the others. Kell's 10 victories are the most in a season during her college career to date.

Another Sweep
The Redhawks claimed their fourth series sweep of the season when they took all three games from Morehead State (Apr. 7-8). Southeast Missouri also swept Southern Indiana (Mar. 25-26) and Tennessee Tech (Apr. 1-2). SEMO collected series sweeps against four of their first five conference opponents.

Home Winning Streak
Southeast Missouri has won 26 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 9-0 at home this year. The Redhawks are the only OVC team currently undefeated at home in 2023.

Redhawks at 20 Wins
Southeast Missouri nailed down its 20th win of the season when it edged Morehead State, 1-0, on Apr. 8. At 20-9 overall and 13-1 in Ohio Valley Conference play, SEMO has the best overall and league records in the conference. Eastern Illinois is the OVC's other 20-win team at 20-15. The rest of the OVC schools all have losing overall records.

Davis is Rolling
Left-hander Marisa Davis is the Ohio Valley Conference's top pitcher in conference games this season. Davis is 5-0 with a staggering 0.53 ERA in nine outings. She is averaging over seven strikeouts per seven innings and has struck out 29 in 26.1 innings against league opponents. Opponents are hitting just .125 against Davis in OVC contests.

Mighty Offensive
Southeast Missouri is hitting a league-best .342 in Ohio Valley Conference play this season. SEMO is first in the OVC in league games in on-base percentage (.445), slugging percentage (.503), runs (89), hits (121), triples (5), RBI (82) and walks (62). The Redhawks hold a +67 advantage (89-22) in scoring through their first 14 OVC contests.

Redhawks Lead OVC in Hitting and Pitching
Southeast Missouri leads the Ohio Valley Conference in batting average and ERA. SEMO is hitting .298 and boasts a 2.33 ERA through 29 games this season. The Redhawks also top the league in on-base percentage (.392), walks (110), stolen bases (39), opposing batting average (.207), wins (20), saves (6), fewest hits allowed (147), fewest runs allowed (79), fewest earned runs allowed (63) and fewest walks allowed (52).

Over .300
Seven Redhawks are hitting over .300 this season. Zoe Schulte leads the team with a .410 batting average, while Alyson Tucker (.343), Paige Halliwill (.326), Kat Sackett (.325), Sydney Dennis (.317), Aubrie Shore (.316) and Abigail Rickermann (.308) follow.

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.