Games 50-52
Southeast Missouri (26-23, 13-8 OVC) at Western Illinois (12-32, 7-14 OVC)
 
Game Information:
Dates: Friday, May 10 – Sunday, May 12
Times: 2 p.m. | 1 p.m. | 12 p.m.
Location: Macomb, Ill. 
Venue: Alfred D. Boyer Stadium
Series: SEMO leads 11-5
 
Head Coaches: SEMO: Andy Sawyers (207-193, 108-81 OVC, Eighth Season); WIU: Terry Davis (12-32, 7-14 OVC, First Season)
 
Follow the Redhawks: 
X: @SEMOBaseball
Live Stats: SideArm Sports
Watch: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Listen: SEMO ESPN 93.5 FM or 1220 AM (Erik Sean)
 
Game Notes (PDF)
 
Redhawks Make Final Road Trip to Western Illinois This Weekend
Southeast Missouri Baseball (26-23, 13-8 OVC) will make thier final regular season road trip to Macomb, Ill. for a three-game set with Western Illinois (12-32, 7-14 OVC). First pitch is slated for 2 p.m. on Friday, 1 p.m. on Saturday, and 12 p.m. on Sunday from Alfred D. Boyer Stadium. 
 
Series History
The weekend series will mark the first time the two schools have faced off as conference mates. Western Illinois joined the Ohio Valley Conference in 2023 after coming to Cape Girardeau as a non-conference foe a season ago. SEMO swept the Leathernecks at Capaha Field and lead the overall series, 11-5.
 
Last Time Out
An interesting night at the ballpark on Tuesday night as the Redhawks took down in-state rival, Missouri State, by a final score of 5-3 in a rain prolonged evening. 
 
Defensive miscues early on grew SEMO's lead in the second inning as a wild pitch with the bases loaded by MSU allowed Caleb Corbin to score for the game's first run. The throw back on the wild pitch got by MSU's pitcher covering home plate which allowed Josh Cameron to score on the play as well to make it 2-0 SEMO in the second inning. 
 
MSU's Cody Kelly hit a solo home run in the top of the third inning to make it 2-1. The game would then be delayed for one hour and 12 minutes due to storms in the Cape Girardeau area. 
 
When play resumed, the Redhawks would get a run in the seventh inning on an RBI base hit by second baseman Brooks Kettering to make the score 3-1 SEMO. Later in the inning, center fielder Michael Mugan hit a two-RBI single up the middle with the bases loaded to score the fourth and fifth run of the night for the Redhawks. 
 
MSU's Kelly would hit his second home run of the night, this one a two-run shot, in the eighth inning to make the score 5-3. 
 
RHP Kyle Miller, who made his 79th appearance in a SEMO uniform, came on in the ninth and after a leadoff single he struck out the next three Bears he faced. 
 
Miller recorded his sixth save of the season and is now one appearance shy of tying the all-time appearances record in SEMO history. 
 
Every Day
Center fielder Michael Mugan and short stop Ben Palmer are the only Redhawks who have started and played all 49 games entering the weekend. The duo are hitting .333 and .287, respectively. Mugan leads the team in hits while Palmer leads the team in home runs. In the field, Mugan is fielding his position at a .986 mark, as Palmer is fielding .934 at short. 
 
Last Season vs. WIU
The Redhawks last faced the Leathernecks in 2023 as SEMO picked up a weekend sweep with scores of 10-3, 4-0, and an 8-7 clincher to down WIU at Capaha Field. In the series, SEMO recorded 22 runs, on 29 hits, as both RHP Payton Lawrence and LHP Ethan Osborne each picked up victories in that series on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. 
 
On the Base Path
Center fielder Michael Mugan leads the club with 108 total bases on the season. Mugan is one-of-two Redhawks with 100+ total bases on the season as short stop Ben Palmer (101) is second on the team. Outfielders Josh Cameron & Ty Stauss follow behind with 93 and 92, respectively. 
 
Scoring Runs
Through the first 49 games of the season, SEMO has outscored their opponents by a 364-295 advantage. The +69-run differential has helped the Redhawks move three games above .500 entering the final two weekends of the season. The Redhawks' biggest advantage(s) come in the first inning and the seventh inning. SEMO is outscoring opponents 53-29 in the opening frame (+24) and 42-23 in the seventh (+19). 
 
Leading After
The Redhawks have impressive records when leading after the final three innings of games in 2024. Leading after the sixth inning, SEMO holds a 20-1 record. After the seventh, SEMO is 17-2 with a lead. After the eighth, the Redhawks are an impressive 15-1 with a lead. 
 
Appearances
RHP Kyle Miller made his 79th appearance as a Redhawk on Tuesday night as he made his sixth save of the season. Miller, the all-time saves leader, is nearing the all-time appearances record of 80. The record was set by former Redhawk, Alex Siddle, who played from 2013-2016. 
 
Standings
SEMO enters the week with a 13-8 record in Ohio Valley Conference play after sweeping Lindenwood. After the sweep, the Redhawks move into a first-place tie with Little Rock. SEMO is a game ahead of Morehead State and Tennessee Tech who are each 12-9 in league play. 
 
About Western Illinois
The Leathernecks are led by first year head coach, Terry Davis, and come into the weekend series with a 12-32 overall record and are tied for last place in the conference at 7-14 with Lindenwood. Most recently, WIU dropped two-out-of-three to co-leader Little Rock in Macomb last weekend. Offensively, WIU is led by J.R. Heavilin who leads the team in batting average at .304. He leads WIU in slugging-percentage (.466), hits (45), home runs (5), and total bases (69). Liam Bushy provides the RBIs for the Leathernecks as he leads the team with 28 on the season. He is second on the team in hits (42), home runs (4), doubles (11), and leads in runs scored (31). On the mound, Tyler Kapraun has the best ERA on the staff with a 7.09 mark. He is 4-3 on the season with 52 strikeouts to his name. He has pitched 64.0 innings over 13 starts for WIU in 2024.