2025 Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Tournament
#8 Little Rock/#5 Southern Indiana vs. #4 Southeast Missouri (30-24, 16-11 OVC)
 
Tournament Information
Date: Wednesday, May 21 – Saturday, May 24
Time: 4:00 p.m. | TBA | TBA | TBA
Location: Marion, Illinois
Venue: Mtn Dew Park
 
Tournament Facts
Overall Record: 51-50
Titles: 6
As a #4 Seed: 0-4
Sawyers in Tournament: 11-8
 
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Tickets
 
Game Notes (PDF)
Media Guide (PDF)
 
#4 Redhawks Begin 2025 OVC Baseball Tournament Wednesday Afternoon
#4 Southeast Missouri (30-24, 16-11 OVC) will begin the 2025 Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Tournament on Wednesday, May 21, in Marion, Illinois. The Redhawks will await the winner of the first game of the tournament between #8 Little Rock and #5 Southern Indiana. The winner will meet Southeast Missouri in an elimination game at 4 p.m. from Mtn Dew Park. 
 
Title Defense
The Redhawks enter the tournament as the defending champions after defeating Morehead State a season ago to capture the program's sixth OVC Tournament title and the third under head coach Andy Sawyers. With another title, the Redhawks would move into sole possession of second most titles in OVC history behind former member Middle Tennessee (11). 
 
Against the Opponent(s) In Tournament
Between #8 Little Rock and #5 Southern Indiana, the Redhawks have only one tournament meeting between the two. SEMO faced Southern Indiana in the 2024 tournament, defeating the Screaming Eagles by a final score of 11-5 in the second game of the tournament. Little Rock, who was the 2024 regular season champion, has never faced the Redhawks in tournament play. 
 
A Tale of Sweeps
In the regular season, the Redhawks faced both teams in which both series resulted in sweeps. SEMO traveled to Evansville, Indiana to take on Southern Indiana in the second-to-last series of the regular season. USI took all three games from the Redhawks, extending a six-game losing streak for SEMO. The Redhawks hosted Little Rock in the final series of the regular season and swept all three games by a combined score of 43-8 over the three games. 
 
Ninth Year Man
Head Coach Andy Sawyers leads the Redhawks to his seventh OVC Tournament appearance in eight seasons, with the 2020 Tournament being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Redhawks under Sawyers hold an 11-8 overall record in the tournament and have captured three titles in the last four seasons. 
 
All-OVC Selections
Southeast Missouri finished the year with four All-OVC selections including three first-team recipients and one second team. Outfielder Cole Warehime, RHP Nathan Mertens, and LHP Jackson Kranawetter all landed on the first team for the first time in their career(s). LHP Haden Dow made the second team for the second time in his career (2023). 
 
At Mtn Dew Park
The Redhawks are relatively new to Mtn Dew Park in Marion, Illinois as 2025 will mark just the third time SEMO has played in a tournament setting across the river. The tournament has been held in Marion in 2019, 2023, 2024 as 2025 will mark the fourth season in Marion. SEMO missed the 2019 tournament and have played in the tournament the last two seasons with an overall record of 3-2. 
 
Out the Gate
Over 54 games, the Redhawks have scored 199-of-362 runs in games' first four innings including an impressive 43-18 advantage over their opponents in the first inning. The Redhawks have scored their most runs-per-inning in the game's third inning, scoring an impressive 69 runs, 29 more than their opponents (40). The Redhawks are 19-13 overall when scoring the game's first run. 
 
Hits = Wins
The Redhawks have a stellar record when outhitting their opponents during the 2025 season. SEMO has outhit their opponent(s) in 25 games this season and hold a record of 23-2 in those games. When the Redhawks record 10 or more hits, the club is an impressive 19-6 in those games. 
 
More Runs, More Wins
Related to the hit column, the Redhawks have scored 10 or more runs in 13 games this season. In those games, SEMO holds an impressive 12-1 record with their only loss coming at UT Martin (3/21). 
 
Capaha Recap
Southeast Missouri concluded the 2025 regular season inside the confines of Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau with a series sweep of Little Rock. The Redhawks finished the season with an 18-9 overall record at home, including a 10-3 mark in league play. SEMO's only losses at home in league play came at the hands of Tennessee Tech (May 2-4). 
 
The Bullpen
The Redhawks have been able to lean on their bullpen for most of the season as they are 25-4, 25-3, and 23-1 when leading after the sixth, seventh, and eighth inning, respectively. Led by the Ohio Valley Conference saves leader and first team all-OVC selection LHP Jackson Kranawetter, RHP Gavin Johnston, and LHP Ethan Osborne lead the Redhawks with 63 combined appearances and a combined ERA of 3.60. 
 
Flamethrower
RHP Gavin Johnston has been on a tear out of the bullpen over the final few months of the season, especially during conference play. Johnston has made 11 appearances in OVC games with an ERA of 2.60. He has pitched 17.1 innings, allowed just five earned runs, struck out 25 hitters, and surrendered just eight walks. He has a 2-0 record while opponents are hitting just .190 against him. 
 
Flamethrower (Cont.)
Johnston made his final appearance of the regular season on Saturday afternoon against Little Rock and did not surrender a run or a walk in the outing. That marked the 15^th time this season without a run and the 12^thtime without a walk. He has completed each feat 36 and 33 times for his career, respectively. 
 
Canadian Cowboy
LHP Haden Dow, a native of St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, who is often referred to by his peers as the "Canadian Cowboy" wrapped up his career at Capaha Field with a stellar performance on the mound against Little Rock (5/16). Dow pitched 5.0 innings en route to his fifth victory of the season (5-4). In those five innings, Dow surrendered zero walks to his opponent marking the sixth time this season and the 10^th time in his career without a walk. 
 
Nation's Leader
RHP Nathan Mertens, a First Team All-OVC selection, is the nation's best pitcher in walks allowed per nine innings. Mertens has surrendered just eight walks this season over 78.0 innings pitched and ranks first in the country with a 0.92 BB/9 ratio. He also ranks third in Dvision I Baseball in strikeout-to-walk ratio with an 8.25 mark. He leads the Ohio Valley Conference in both categories. 
 
The Cannon
First baseman Bryce Cannon, who has started all 54 games of the season at first base for the Redhawks, recorded a multi-hit game against Little Rock in Friday's game against Little Rock. For Cannon, the multi-hit game marked the 20^th of its kind this season. Cannon is hitting .298 on the season and leads the OVC in doubles with 20. He has eight home runs and 40 RBIs this season, slugging an impressive .512. 
 
Three-in-a-Row
First Team All-OVC selection outfielder Cole Warehime finished the regular season on a hot streak at the plate, recording three-straight games with three RBIs. The junior from Downers Grove, Illinois finished the year as the leader in RBIs with 54 and home runs with 12. 
 
Program History
Earlier this season, senior Gunnar Doyle tied the SEMO single-game RBI record with nine RBIs in a game against Morehead State in a 21-7 victory over the Eagles in Morehead, Ky. Doyle, a native of Oak Creek, Wisconsin, finished 4-for-5 at the plate with a three-RBI double, a two-RBI single, a three-run home run, and a solo home run for his nine RBIs. He became just the third Redhawk to achieve the record, joining current teammate Cole Warehime who did it last year (at Eastern Illinois) and former Redhawk Dan Shy. 
 
He Gets on Base
Leadoff hitter and infielder Brooks Kettering has drawn more walks than anyone in the Ohio Valley Conference this season. Kettering has recorded a league best 45 walks this season and has an on-base percentage of .404 which is fifth best on the club. He ranks 45^th in the country in walks at 45 this season.