Southeast Missouri (9-9, 2-1 OVC) at Western Illinois (6-14, 2-1 OVC)

Series Information
Dates: Friday-Saturday, March 14-15, 2025
Schedule: Friday, March 14, 12 p.m. (DH); Saturday, 12 p.m., CT
Location: Macomb, Ill.
Facility: Mary Ellen McKee Softball Stadium
Series Record: WIU leads, 4-2-1
Last Meeting: SEMO 8, WIU 1 | 4/27/24 | Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Last Meeting in Macomb: WIU 4, SEMO 0 | 3/25/83

Southeast Missouri Redhawks
Head Coach: Mark Redburn
Record at SEMO: 275-220, 142-82 OVC
Overall Record: 489-469

Western Illinois Leathernecks
Head Coach: Alisa Goler
Record at WIU: 55-153, 7-23 OVC
Overall Record: 55-153

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Live Stats:  Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
X: @SEMOSoftball
Series Notes: Southeast Missouri
Media Guide: Southeast Missouri

Redhawks Head to Western Illinois
•    Southeast Missouri closes out a five-game road trip at Western Illinois this weekend. SEMO and WIU will play a 12 p.m. doubleheader Friday and a single game at 12 p.m., CT Saturday.
•    SEMO travels to WIU for its first road series in Ohio Valley Conference play.
•    The three-game set marks the end of the Redhawks spring break week which also included midweek contests at Central Arkansas (Mar. 11) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Mar. 12).
•    SEMO goes for its second-straight OVC series win after opening conference play winning two of three against UT Martin (Mar. 8-9) at home.
•    The Redhawks posted series wins against five of their last six OVC foes dating back to last season.

Series Notes
•    Southeast Missouri holds a record of 4-2-1 all-time in its series against Western Illinois.
•    SEMO plays WIU in Macomb, Illinois for the first time in 42 years. The Leathernecks won that game, 4-0, on Mar. 25, 1983.
•    The Redhawks won four-straight against WIU, including a series sweep in 2024.

OVC Opening Series Win
•    The Redhawks posted an Ohio Valley Conference opening series win at home against UT Martin (Mar. 8-9). 
•    Southeast Missouri swept the Skyhawks in a doubleheader by scores of 1-0 (10 innings) and 6-1 before coming up short in the series finale, 6-5.
•    SEMO improved to 22-11 all-time in OVC openers.
•    The Redhawks started league action with a win for the 11th time in the last 15 seasons.
•    SEMO won seven of its last eight home-openers and claimed an OVC opening series win for the seventh time under Head Coach Mark Redburn.
•    The Redhawks started OVC play at home for the fifth-straigth year.

OVC Success
•    Since 2019, Southeast Missouri has won three Ohio Valley Conference championships two OVC Tournament titles and made the NCAA Tournament twice.
•    SEMO finished among the top two teams in the OVC during four of the last five years.
•    The Redhawks won the OVC regular-season title in 2019, 2021 and 2023 (all odd years) during that span.
•    In its last five seasons, SEMO finished with 16 or more OVC victories. 
•    The Redhawks were 19-8 in 2024, 20-2 in 2023, 16-10 in 2022, 23-6 in 2021 and 17-5 in 2019.
•    SEMO averaged less than seven (6.5) league losses over the last six seasons. Since 2018, the Redhawks have gone 112-39 against OVC foes.
•    The reigning OVC Tournament Champion Redhawks will vye for their eighth OVC Tournament crown in 2025.
•    Mark Redburn is 142-82 all-time in OVC games. Redburn's 142 conference wins are the most among the league's 10 active head coaches.
•    SEMO had winning OVC records in each of the last six seasons.

OVC's Top Two Hitters Collide This Weekend
•    Western Illinois' Malia Robertson and Southeast Missouri's Sydney Dennis are first and second in the Ohio Valley Conference in batting average.
•    Robertson is hitting .478 and Dennis boasts a .458 batting average thus far.
•    As a team, SEMO leads the conference with a .315 clip.

Kell Gets 100 Career Strikeouts
•    Delaney Kell registered her 100th career strikeout in the top of the sixth inning vs. UT Martin (Mar. 9).
•    Kell recorded three-straight strikeouts in that inning to reach her milestone.
•    She went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two appearances and one start against the Skyhawks. 
•    Kell threw 7.2 scoreless innings with nine strikeouts to just one walk, as well.

14-Game Hitting Streak
•    Sydney Dennis enters the weekend on a career-best 14-game hitting streak.
•    Dennis' current hitting streak hitting streak began vs. IU Indy on Feb. 22.
•    She finished with two or more hits in eight of her last 10 contests.
•    Dennis' hitting streak is the longest by a Southeast Missouri player since Kynzie Wrigley hit safely in 15-straight games during the 2021 campaign.
•    Dennis is hitting .542 with 11 runs scored, five doubles, one triple, eight RBI and three stolen bases during her hitting streak.

First Home Run Goes to Melton
•    Sydney Dennis hit Southeast Missouri's first home run of the 2025 season.
•    Melton hit a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the third inning vs. UT Martin (Mar. 8).
•    She then turned around to hit another solo home run, this time in the top of the fourth inning for the Redhawks only run at Central Arkansas (Mar. 11).
•    SEMO has homered in three-straight games.

Redhawks Smash Arkansas-Pine Bluff
•    Southeast Missouri registered its largest margin of victory this season with a 13-0 five-inning win at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Mar. 12).
•    It marked the second time SEMO won a game by double-digit runs in 2025.
•    The Redhawks went 3-0 against teams from the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
•    SEMO also beat Alabama State twice earlier this year.
•    The Redhawks outscored those opponents by a combined 32-6 over those three contests.

Kell Approaching 20 Career Wins
•    Delaney Kell is one win away from reaching 20 in her career.
•    Kell is 19-9 in 52 appearances and 22 starts in her career.
•    She leads the Redhawks with three victories this season.

Luna Has Big Game
•    Gracie Luna went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, a home run and four RBI to lead Southeast Missouri in its win at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Mar. 12).
•    Luna hit a three-run home run as part of an eight-run second inning.
•    Her three hits established a new career-high, while her four RBI tied a career-best.
•    Luna is tied for first on the team with two home runs and ranks second with 17 RBI.

First Career Hits
•    Taryn Coon and Mary Tutwiler each recorded their first career hits at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Mar. 12).
•    Coon went 2-for-2 with one RBI and Tutwiler finished with a single and two runs scored.

Over .300
•    Six Southeast Missouri starters are currently hitting over .300.
•    Sydney Dennis leads the way with a .458 batting average, while Brooklyn Saysoff (.350), Sydney Melton (.347), Tatum Gerwitz (.339), Gracie Luna (.333) and Madison Winkler (.327) round out that group.
•    Those five players have started a minimum of 16 games in 2025. 
•    Gerwitz and Saysoff have started all 18 contests.

Saysoff Fifth in the Nation in Doubles Per Game
•    Brooklyn Saysoff leads the Ohio Valley Conference with eight doubles this season.
•    Saysoff is also fifth in the nation in doubles per game (0.47).
•    She had two doubles in a game twice this year.

First Career Shutout for Van Haren
•    Willow Van Haren threw the first shutout of her career at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Mar. 12).
•    Van Haren struck out three, walked one and gave up six hits in five scoreless innings.
•    She improved to 2-0 and leads the Redhawks with 26 strikeouts this season.