Lion Classic

Tournament Information
Dates: Friday, February 16 - Sunday, February 18, 2024
Participating Teams: Southeastern Louisiana (5-0, host), Southeast Missouri (3-2), Syracuse (3-2), Maryland (2-3)
Location: Hammond, La.
Facility: North Oak Park

Schedule: 
Feb. 16 - SEMO vs. Maryland, 12 p.m., CT
Feb. 17 - SEMO vs. Syracuse, 3 p.m., CT
Feb. 17 - SEMO at Southeastern Louisiana, 5 p.m., CT
Feb. 18 - SEMO vs. Maryland, 10 a.m.

Follow the Redhawks
Live Stats: LionSports.com (All Games)
Twitter: @SEMOSoftball
SEMO Softball Notes: Southeast Missouri

Lion Classic
Southeast Missouri (3-2) plays four games at the Southeastern Louisiana Lion Classic in Hammond, Louisiana this weekend. SEMO faces Big Ten Conference member Maryland (2-3) Friday at 12 p.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m., ACC foe Syracuse (3-2) at 3 p.m. Saturday and tournament host Southeastern Louisiana (5-0) Saturday at 5 p.m., CT.

Follow the Redhawks
Live stats will be available for all games of the Lion Classic online at LionSports.com. There will be no video. Updates will be provided on X (formerly Twitter) @SEMOSoftball.

Series History
Southeast Missouri faces Maryland for the first time in its softball history. SEMO is 2-4 all-time against Southeastern Louisiana and 0-1 vs. Syracuse. The Redhawks lost twice to SELA during the 2022 season. The Redhawks opened that year at the Lion Classic. SEMO's only meeting with Syracuse was at a neutral site on Mar. 25, 2000. The Orange won that game by a score of 3-1.

Tournament Play
The Lion Classic is the second of four tournaments Southeast Missouri will play in ahead of its Ohio Valley Conference schedule. So far, SEMO is 3-2 in tournament play after beating Stony Brook twice and Florida International once at the Felsberg Invitational (Feb. 9-11, Miami, Fla.) during opening weekend.

Season-Openers
Southeast Missouri won its 2024 season- opener with a 7-5 victory over Stony Brook (Feb. 9). SEMO improved to 17-16 in season-opening games during its NCAA Division I era. This year marks SEMO's 33rd as an NCAA Division I program. The Redhawks are 5-5 in season-openers under Head Coach Mark Redburn.

Power Five Schools
The Redhawks face two more Power 5 schools when they face Maryland (Big Ten) and Syracuse (ACC) at the Lion Classic this weekend. Southeast Missouri is presently 0-1 against such teams early on this season after falling to Ohio State (Feb. 10), 13-0. SEMO has a total of six Power 5 teams on its 2024 schedule The Redhawks also meet SEC foes Arkansas, Auburn and Missouri this year.

Success Against Power Five
Southeast Missouri has had its share of success against Power Five teams under Head Coach Mark Redburn. In fact, SEMO has eight Power Five wins with Redburn at the helm. The Redhawks beat Ole Miss (2023), Iowa (2022), Texas Tech (2021), Arkansas (2019), Kansas (2019, two wins), Missouri (2018) and Georgia Tech (2017) during Redburn's career. SEMO has picked up a Power Five win in each of the last three seasons.

First Career Action
Eight different players saw action in their first college games at Southeast Missouri during last weekend's Felsberg Invitational. Freshmen Gracie Luna, Abby Robbins, Sophie Schupp, Brooklyn Saysoff, Tegan Livesay, Willow Van Haren, Maddie Carney and Kinley Wilkins each played in at least one game.

Big Start for Shore
First baseman Aubrie Shore, the reigning Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, hit safely in each of her first five starts this season. Shore hit .438 with seven hits, three doubles, a home run and six RBI at the Felsberg Invitational (Feb. 9-11). She hit a three-run home run which ended up being the decisive hit in SEMO's 5-4 win over Stony Brook (Feb. 11). Shore also boasted a .438 on-base percentage and .813 slugging percentage during opening weekend.

Extra Base Hits
Southeast Missouri registered 11 extra base hits in its first five games this season. SEMO has eight doubles and three home runs thus far. Paige Halliwill leads the team with two home runs and Aubrie Shore has a team-best three doubles.

Freshmen Pitching
True freshmen pitchers Willow Van Haren, Maddie Carney and Tegan Livesay combined for four shutout no-hit innings to nail down the Redhawks 5-4 victory over Stony Brook (Feb. 11). Van Haren threw one scoreless inning before giving way to Carney in the fifth. She pitched perfect innings in the fifth and sixth. Livesay took over in the seventh and tossed a 1-2-3 inning to earn her first career save. Van Haren claimed her first career victory when she beat Florida International (Feb. 9).

Livesay Off to Good Start 
Freshman Tegan Livesay pitched the first complete game of the season when she worked seven innings in a 1-0 loss to Florida International (Feb. 10). Livesay appeared in two games in her Southeast Missouri debut last weekend. She picked up a save and allowed only one run and struck out three in eight innings. Livesay did not allow a walk, as well. She has a team-best 0.88 ERA entering this weekend.

102 and Counting
Paige Halliwill has started every game of her Southeast Missouri career in center field. Halliwill has started 102 consecutive games.

100 Career Starts Approaching
Aubrie Shore is closing in on 100 career starts at Southeast Missouri. Game two of this weekend's Lion Classic will mark the 100th career start for Shore. She has played in 101 games and logged 98 starts to date.

OVC Update
All eight Ohio Valley Conference teams that played during opening weekend picked up at least one win. Eastern Illinois is 5-0 and Tennessee Tech started the 2024 campaign with a 4-0 mark. Southeast Missouri follows with a 3-2 record. TTU led the conference with 44 losses a year ago.

Lion Classic Field
Southeastern Louisiana, which won 47 games last season, shutout its first five opponents en route to a 5-0 start in 2024. SELA outscored its foes by a combined 31-0 in that stretch getting wins over Green Bay, Providence, UT Arlington, Montana and North Dakota. The Lions are picked second in this year's Southland Conference Preseason Poll. SELA had five players earn Preseason All-SLC honors led by catcher Bailey Krolczyk who claimed both the league's Player and Hitter of the Year accolades last season. Maryland and Syracuse come to Hammond, Louisiana with 2-3 and 3-2 records, respectively. Delaney Reefe is hitting .385 as the Terrapins' top offensive threat. Meanwhile, Syracuse was picked to finish 10th in the 2024 ACC Preseason Poll. Angel Jasso is off to a hot start for the Orange, hitting .706 with 12 hits, six runs scored, two doubles, a triple, one home run, 10 RBI and three stolen bases in her first five starts. Jasso also has a 1.118 slugging percentage and .737 on-base percentage for the young season.