Games 4-6
Northern Illinois (1-2) vs. Southeast Missouri (1-2)
 
Game Information: 
Dates: Friday, February 21 – Sunday, February 23
Times: Friday: 4 p.m., CT. | Saturday: 4 p.m., CT. | Sunday: TBD
Location: Oxford, Alabama
Venue: Choccolocco Park
Sawyers vs. NIU: 1-3
 
Head Coaches:
SEMO: Andy Sawyers (218-199 | Ninth Season)
NIU: Ryan Copeland (22-35 | Second Season)
 
Follow the Redhawks: 
X: @SEMOBaseball 
Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Listen: SEMO ESPN 93.5 FM or 1220 AM (Erik Sean)
 
Game Notes (PDF) 
Media Guide (PDF)
 
Baseball Plays Northern Illinois, Series Location Changed Due to Weather 
Southeast Missouri Baseball (1-2) will travel to Oxford, Alabama for a weekend series against Mid-American Conference (MAC) member Northern Illinois (1-2) Friday through Sunday. The Redhawks and Huskies will play a three-game set beginning on Friday at 4 p.m., continued Saturday at 4 p.m., with the finale on Sunday with a 'To Be Determined' start time. First pitch will be on Friday afternoon from Choccolocco Park. 
 
Series History
The weekend matchup will be the 12^th, 13^th, and 14^th matchup between the two schools on the diamond with the Redahwks holding a 7-4 record against NIU. The two last met back during the 2020 season in the only meeting under Andy Sawyers. The Huskies took three-of-four from the Redhawks in Cape Girardeau making Sawyers 1-3 all-time against NIU. 
 
Last Time Out
SEMO Baseball opened the 2025 campaign at Memphis for a three-game set in Memphis, Tennessee last Friday before wrapping up the series finale on Monday afternoon from FedExPark. The Redhawks dropped the series, 2-1, winning Friday's second game of a doubleheader by a final score of 7-3. Centerfielder Michael Mugan recorded the Redhawks' first home run of the season with a grand slam in the third inning to make it 6-0 Redhawks. As an offense, SEMO totaled 23 hits over the three-game series but could only muster eight runs as the Tigers won game one, 4-1, before clinching the series with a 2-0 victory on Monday. 
 
Strong Starting Pitching
The starting pitching trio of RHP Brian Strange, RHP Sam Heyman, and LHP Haden Dow picked up where they left off a season ago as the trio combined for 15.2 innings pitched over the three games, surrendering just three earned runs. All three pitchers punched out multiple hitters, combining for 12 strikeouts in the opening series. 
 
Pitcher of the Week 
RHP Sam Heyman (1-0) was voted the Ohio Valley Conference Co-Pitcher of the Week for his start against Memphis in Friday's second game. Heyman, a junior from Lafayette, California, hurled 6.0 innings of scoreless baseball leading to his first victory of the season. He surrendered just two hits against Memphis while recording his new SEMO career-high eight strikeouts over 22 batters faced. In just 79 pitches, Heyman allowed just two walks. 
 
Career-High
Outfielder Michael Mugan set a new career-high for RBIs in a game in Friday's second game of the doubleheader. Mugan came to the plate in the second inning with a runner on third base and executed the squeeze bunt play to perfection for the game's first run. An inning later, Mugan came back to the plate and blasted his first home run of the season, a grand slam, to bust the game open. Mugan finished with five RBIs in the contest surpassing his previous single-game high of four RBIs. 
 
Debutants
Nine newcomers made their Southeast Missouri debut over the weekend at Memphis including three pitchers and six position players. Infielders Mikey Rocha and Andrew Ramirez made all three starts of the series on the left side of the infield at third base and short stop, respectively. Catcher Liam Forsyth, outfielder Caleb Champion, DH Carson Schrack, and outfielder Demitri Shakotko all started at least a game against Memphis. 
 
From the 'Pen
The three pitchers who made their SEMO debut all came out of the bullpen for the Redhawks this past weekend in RHPs Nathan Mertens, Matthew Lorenzano, and LHP Jackson Kranawetter. Mertens had the best appearance of the three pitching 2.1 innings of scoreless baseball while allowing just three hits. Kranawetter had the longest outing going 3.0 innings in relief of Brian Strange in the season opener. He surrendered just one run and punched out five Tigers. 
 
First Career Hit
Freshman outfielder Caleb Champion made his first start of his collegiate baseball career on Monday afternoon in center field. In the third inning, Champion came to the plate with one out in the inning as he laid down a perfect bunt for his first hit as a Redhawk. 
 
Familiar Faces
First baseman Bryce Cannon and left fielder Ty Stauss picked up where they left off in 2024 over the opening weekend to the tune of eight hits combined between the two of them. Both players recorded four hits apiece including a double from each of them. Cannon finished the weekend with a .444 batting average and a .556 slugging-percentage over nine at-bats. Stauss came around to score two runs which tied him for the team-high in runs scored with Michael Mugan (2). 
 
Walk Machine
Second baseman Brooks Kettering, who led the Redhawks in walks a season ago with 46, drew four base-on-balls over the opening series. In 11 at-bats, Kettering drew four walks and recorded three hits in his season debut. The sophomore finished the weekend with a team-high .467 on-base percentage. 
 
Welcome Back, Gavin Johnston
RHP Gavin Johnston had a strong start to the 2025 season in his first appearance out of the Redhawk bullpen in Monday afternoon's contest. Johnston, who's season was cut short in 2024 due to injury, pitched an inning in Monday's game and did not allow a hit, run, or baserunner in the outing. He recorded one strikeout in the outing. 
 
Starting Short Stop
Short stop Andrew Ramirez started all three games of the opening weekend at short stop for the Redhawks, replacing Ben Palmer who started all 63 games for SEMO in 2024. Ramirez had a great weekend defensively accounting for six putouts and four assists while fielding his position with a perfect 1.000-percentage. At the plate, Ramirez recorded his first hit as a Redhawk in Friday's doubleheader.