UT Martin (8-9, 0-0 OVC) vs. Southeast Missouri (6-7, 0-0 OVC)

Series Information
Dates: Saturday-Sunday, March 8-9, 2025
Schedule: Saturday, March 8 (1 p.m., DH); Sunday, March 9 (1 p.m., CT)
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Facility: Southeast Softball Complex (600)
Series Record: SEMO leads, 75-50
Last Meeting: UTM 6, SEMO 3 | 5/5/24 | Martin, Tenn.
Last Meeting in Cape Girardeau: SEMO 5, UTM 2 | 4/30/23

UT Martin Skyhawks
Head Coach: Chelsea Farmer
Record at UTM: 38-31, 15-12 OVC
Overall Record: 38-31

Southeast Missouri Redhawks
Head Coach: Mark Redburn
Record at SEMO: 272-218, 140-81 OVC
Overall Record: 486-467

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

Redhawks Open Ohio Valley Conference Play This Weekend
•    Southeast Missouri (6-7) will host UT Martin (8-9) in its Ohio Valley Conference opening series this weekend. The teams will play a 1 p.m., doubleheader Saturday followed by a single game at 1 p.m., CT Sunday.
•    SEMO is at home for the first time in 2025. The Redhawks played their first 13 games across three different tournaments outside of Cape Girardeau.
•    The Redhawks are this year's preseason OVC favorite, while UTM was picked seventh in the league's preseason poll.
•    This year marks the second time SEMO opens league play vs. UTM with Mark Redburn as its head coach.

OVC-Openers
•    Southeast Missouri is 21-11 all-time in Ohio Valley Conference openers. 
•    The Redhawks started league action with a win in 10 of the last 14 seasons.
•    SEMO has won six of its last seven home-openers.
•    The Redhawks begin OVC play at home for the fifth-straight year.

Series Notes
•    The Redhawks lead their all-time series against UT Martin by a count of 75-50.
•    Southeast Missouri's 75 victories are its most in a series against any of the current Ohio Valley Conference members.
•    SEMO is 37-17 vs. the Skyhawks at the Southeast Softball Complex and beat UTM five-straight times in Cape Girardeau dating back to the 2022 campaign.
•    Mark Redburn has won 15 games against UTM, his second-most vs. any of the present OVC schools.

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 110-38 against OVC foes.
•    The reigning OVC Tournament Champion Redhawks will vye for their eighth OVC Tournament crown in 2025.
•    Mark Redburn is 140-81 all-time in OVC games. Redburn's 140 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.

About the Skyhawks
•    UT Martin is 8-9 overall and is under the direction of second-year Head Coach Chelsea Farmer.
•    The Skyhawks lead the Ohio Valley Conference in fielding percentage (.972), shutouts (4), stolen bases (34) and triples (7).
•    Pitcher Ashtyn Green has the top ERA in the league with a 1.55 mark. Meanwhile, Kennedy Brown tops the conference with nine stolen bases.

Redhawks Wrap Up Tournament Play
•    Southeast Missouri went 6-7 in tournament play leading up to the start of Ohio Valley Conference action this weekend.
•    SEMO went 2-2 at both the Troy University Cardinal Clash (Feb. 13-15) and Chattanooga Frost Classic (Feb. 22-23), and 2-3 at the UL Monroe Best on the Bayou Tournament (Feb. 28-Mar. 2).

Dennis Named Co-OVC Player of the Week
•    Shortstop Sydney Dennis won Southeast Missouri's first Ohio Valley Conference honor this season when she was named Co-OVC Player of the Week on Mar. 3.
•    A native of Eureka, Missouri, Dennis hit safely in five games and had multiple hits four times at the Best on the Bayou Tournament (Feb. 28-Mar. 2). 
•    She hit .550 (11-for-20) with five runs scored, three RBI and two stolen bases to lead SEMO in the tournament.
•    Dennis had three hits vs. both Memphis (Feb. 28) and Tarleton State (Mar. 1) and finished with two hits twice against UL Monroe. 
•    Tennessee State's Onnika Spencer and Lindenwood's Avery Wapp (Pitcher of the Week) rounded out the week's honorees.

Nine-Game Hitting Streak
•    Sydney Dennis enters the opening weekend of Ohio Valley Conference play on a nine-game hitting streak.
•    Dennis' current hitting streak, which began vs. IU Indy on Feb. 22, is the longest of her career.
•    She finished with two or more hits in four of her last five contests.

Career Milestone
•    Sydney Dennis went over 100 career hits during the Best on the Bayou Tournament in Monroe, Louisiana.
•    Dennis officially recorded her 100th hit in the sixth inning against UL Monroe on Feb. 28.
•    She has 106 hits in her career. 

Kell Approaching 100 Career Strikeouts
•    Delaney Kell is nine strikeouts away from getting 100 in her career.
•    Kell is 18-8 with 91 strikeouts in 49 appearances and 21 starts since joining the Redhawks.
•    She is 2-1 with seven strikeouts in 15.2 innings over six appearances and one start this season.

Over .300
•    Five Southeast Missouri starters are hitting over .300 heading into the start of conference play.
•    Tatum Gerwitz leads the way with a .395 batting average, while Sydney Dennis and Madison Winkler are hitting .381 and .364, respectively. Sydney Melton (.324), Gracie Luna (.303) and Brooklyn Saysoff (.302) round out the group.
•    Those five players have started a minimum of 11 games in 2025. 
•    Gerwitz, Winkler and Saysoff have started all 13 contests.

Extra Inning Victory
•    The Redhawks finished the Best on the Bayou Tournament with a thrilling 7-5 win over Tarleton State in 10 innings on Mar. 2.
•    Southeast Missouri scored two unearned runs when Sydney Melton scored on a one-out error and freshman Addisyn Martinie hit a two-out single through the right side.

Preseason OVC Favorite
•    For the fifth time in six years, Southeast Missouri was tabbed the Ohio Valley Conference preseason favorite.
•    SEMO, which went 28-26 overall and 19-8 in the OVC a year ago, won the 2024 OVC Tournament and made its third NCAA Division I Softball Tournament appearance.
•    The Redhawks accumulated 152 points and nine of the possible 20 first-place votes by the league's head coaches and communications directors.
•    Southern Indiana was second with 140 points and six first-place nods, while Eastern Illinois rounded out the top three with the remaining five  first-place votes and 139 total points.
•    Tennessee State (107 pts.), Tennessee Tech (82 pts.), Lindenwood (80 pts.), UT Martin (74 pts.), SIU Edwardsville (73 pts.), Morehead State (30 pts.) and Western Illinois (23 pts.) complete the predicted order of finish.
•    Prior to 2025, SEMO was also the OVC preseason favorite in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2024.

Nice Start for Gerwitz
•    Center fielder Tatum Gerwitz is hitting a team-high .395 through her first 13 starts this season.
•    Gerwitz is tied for first on the team with six multi-hit games.
•    She is also a perfect 6-of-6 in stolen bases.
•    Gerwitz ranks third in the Ohio Valley Conference in stolen bases.

One-Run Games
•    Southeast Missouri has been involved in five one-run games this year.
•    SEMO won its first one-run game of the season when it edged Indiana State, 3-2, on Feb. 22.

Off and Running
•    Southeast Missouri is 19-of-22 in stolen bases this season.
•    Tatum Gerwitz (6-of-6), Madison Winkler (6-of-7), Brooklyn Saysoff (3-of-3) and Sydney Dennis (3-of-3) combined for 18 of those stolen bases.
•    SEMO ranks second in the Ohio Valley Conference in that category thus far.

Double-Digit Hits
•    Southeast Missouri pounded out a season-high 15 hits vs. Alabama State (Feb. 14) and IU Indy (Feb. 22).
•    In its win over IU Indy, five Redhawks finished with multiple hits. 
•    Brooklyn Saysoff and Tori Bradley paved the way with three hits apiece, while Madison Winkler, Sydney Melton and Brittany Affolter followed close behind with two each.
•    SEMO also scored double figures in runs during those games with a season-best 14 vs. Alabama State and 11 vs. IU Indy.
•    The Redhawks had double-digit hits four times and are 4-0 in those games.