Games 53-55
UT Martin (20-31, 12-12 OVC) vs. Southeast Missouri (28-24, 15-9 OVC)
 
Game Information
Dates: Thursday, May 16 – Saturday, May 18
Times: 3 p.m. | 6 p.m. | 2 p.m.
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Venue: Capaha Field
Series: SEMO leads 84-28-1
 
Head Coaches: SEMO: Andy Sawyers (209-194 overall, 110-82 OVC, Eighth Season); UTM: Ryan Jenkins (113-209, Seventh Season)
 
Follow the Redhawks
X: @SEMOBaseball
Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Watch (ESPN+): Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Listen: SEMO ESPN 93.5 FM or 1220 AM (Erik Sean)
 
Game Notes (PDF)
 
Redhawks Conclude 2024 Regular Season with UT Martin in Cape
Southeast Missouri Baseball (28-24, 15-9 OVC) will conclude the 2024 regular season with a three-game set against longtime rival, UT Martin (20-31, 12-12 OVC) beginning on Thursday, May 16, at 3 p.m. The series will continue Friday, May 17 at the same time and will conclude on Saturday, May 18 at 2 p.m. from Capaha Field.  
 
Series History
Two familiar foes, UT Martin and SEMO are two of the longest tenured Ohio Valley Conference members as the two have faced each other 113 times dating back to 1975. SEMO holds an 84-28-1 all-time series record over UTM, but the Skyhawks swept the season-series a year ago in Martin, Tenn. 
 
Last Time Out
SEMO Baseball picked up a big series win this past weekend in Macomb, Ill., taking two-out-of-three from Western Illinois after dropping the first game of the series. The Redhawks fell 7-5 on Friday afternoon from Alfred D. Boyer Stadium. WIU jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a first inning solo home run, but SEMO would tie it in the second with an RBI sacrifice fly by first baseman Bryce Cannon to make it 1-1 after the top of the second inning. 
 
WIU would add four more in the home half and took a 5-1 lead into the fourth inning. Cannon's fourth RBI of the day came with one swing of his bat as he blasted a three-run shot in the fourth to make it 5-4. Second baseman Brooks Kettering hit his fifth home run of the season in the same inning, a solo shot, to tie it at five. 
 
But a WIU run in the fourth and the fifth was all they needed to hold on for the 7-5 victory. 
 
An extra inning slugfest on Saturday afternoon, SEMO won game two by a final score of 15-11 in 11 innings. WIU plated three, first inning runs off RHP Sam Heyman to make it 3-0 Leathernecks heading into the third inning. A three-run top-of-the-third inning for SEMO sparked by an RBI single by Kettering would make it 3-1. A two-RBI double by Michael Mugan would tie it at three, two batters later. A throwing error allowed Mugan to score and the Redhawks led 4-3 after the third inning. 
 
Trailing 10-8 in the ninth inning, Mugan extended the game with a two-RBI single that scored Kettering and Keoni Coloma to make it 10-10 as the game turned to extra innings. 
 
In the 10th, Coloma put SEMO in front with an RBI base hit to make it 11-10, but in the home half, a solo home run would tie it once again at 11. 
 
The Redhawks scored four runs in the 11th via a double from Josh Cameron (2 RBIs), a sacrifice fly by Shea McGahan, and an RBI single by Coloma to give SEMO a 15-11 victory. 
 
Sunday's contest was all Redhawks as they exploded for 17 runs to take the series finale, 17-8, winning the series. 
 
Senior Weekend
This weekend marks the final regular season series for 13 SEMO Baseball seniors as Peyton Leeper, Fischer Rausch, Esteban Hernandez, Logan Katen, Ian Riley, Collin Wilma, Nolan Ackerman, Chance Resetich, Josh Cameron, Ben Palmer, Tommy Windt, Kyle Miller, and Payton Lawrence will take part in their final game(s) at Capaha Field. Team manager Connor Rooney will also take part in senior day festivities. 
 
Every Day
Center fielder Michael Mugan and short stop Ben Palmer are the only Redhawks who have started and played all 52 games entering the weekend. The duo are hitting .335 and .294, respectively. Mugan leads the team in hits (73) while Palmer leads the team in home runs (15). In the field, Mugan is fielding his position at a .987 mark, as Palmer is fielding .939 at short. 
 
Top Defense
SEMO has been one of the best defenses in the Ohio Valley Conference this season, leading the conference with a .971 team fielding percentage. Morehead State (.970) and Little Rock (.969) follow behind as the top three defenses in the league. 
 
Haden Dow
LHP Haden Dow has started 14 games on the mound for Southeast this season. Dow ranks first in the OVC and fifth in the nation in starts in 2024. The lefty has a 4-1 record overall with a 4.84 ERA. He has a team-best 54 strikeouts on the season as teams are hitting just .268 against him. 
 
Wear It
The Redhawks have been hit by a pitch more than anyone in the conference with 78 total hit-by-pitches on the season. With 78, SEMO ranks 79th in the nation for DI baseball in the category. 
 
Home vs. Road
SEMO has an interesting road vs. home split in conference play. Coming into the series with UT Martin, SEMO is 5-4 overall in home OVC games. On the road, SEMO holds a 10-5 record overall and are currently one game out of first place in the league. 
 
Appearances
RHP Kyle Miller made his 80th appearance as a Redhawk on Saturday afternoon as he picked up his third win on the year (3-2). Miller, the all-time saves leader, has tied the all-time appearances record in SEMO history with Alex Siddle.
 
Standings
SEMO enters the final week of the regular season with a 15-9 overall record in OVC play. The Redhawks are a game out of first place in the conference table, trailing Little Rock who is 16-8 in league play. SEMO is a game above Morehead State (14-10) and two games in front of Tennessee Tech (13-11). The Skyhawks are sitting tied for fifth at 12-12 with SIUE. 
 
About UT Martin
The Skyhawks are led by seventh year head coach Ryan Jenkins and come to Cape Girardeau with a 20-31 overall record and a 12-12 mark in OVC play. Last weekend, UTM dropped two-of-three to Lindenwood in Martin, Tenn. Andrew Fernandez enters the final week of the regular season as UTM's top hitter with a .338 batting average. He leads the team in hits with 66. Mac Danford provides a big spark for UTM's offense. Danford leads the team in RBIs (54), doubles (14), home runs (14), and total bases (117). On the mound, UTM's top pitcher is Tristan Walton with a 3.24 ERA. He enters the weekend with a 5-4 overall record as opposing hitters are hitting just .241 against Walton. He leads UTM with 82 strikeouts over 77.2 innings pitched in 2024.