2026 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament
#7 UT Martin (26-28)/#6 Lindenwood (29-26) vs. #3 Southeast Missouri (38-16)
 
Tournament Information: 
Date: Wednesday, May 20
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location: Marion, Ill. 
Venue: Mtn. Dew Park
Last Meeting vs. UTM: SEMO 7, UTM 5 (3/22)
Last Meeting vs. LU: LU 7, SEMO 1 (4/4)
 
Head Coach
SEMO: Andy Sawyers (373-265 overall; 285-238 at SEMO; 10^th Season)
 
Follow the Redhawks: 
X: @SEMOBaseball
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: SEMO ESPN 93.5 FM or 1220 AM (Erik Sean)
Tickets
2026 OVC Tournament Bracket
 
2026 OVC Baseball Championship
Tuesday, May 19
Game 1: #6 Lindenwood vs. #7 UT Martin, 3:00 p.m.
Game 2: #5 Morehead State vs. #8 Southern Indiana, 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, May 20
Game 3: #3 Southeast Missouri vs. Winner of Game 1, 3:00 p.m.
Game 4: #4 Little Rock vs. Winner of Game 2, 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, May 21
Game 5: #2 Eastern Illinois vs. Winner Game 3, 9:30 a.m.
Game 6: #1 SIUE vs. Winner Game 4, 1:00 p.m.
Game 7: Loser Game 4 vs. Loser Game 5, 4:30 p.m.
Game 8: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 6, 8:00 p.m.

Friday, May 22
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 11:00 a.m.
Game 10: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 3:00 p.m.
Game 11: Winner Game 10 vs. Loser Game 9, 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 23
Game 12: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 11, 1:00 p.m. 
Game 13: Repeated Pairing (if necessary), 60 minutes after Game 12
 
#3 Redhawks Set for 2026 OVC Tournament Wednesday Afternoon 
#3 Southeast Missouri Baseball (38-16) will begin its 2026 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament journey on Wednesday, May 20, in Marion, Illinois. SEMO awaits the winner of #7 UT Martin (26-28) and #6 Lindenwood (29-26) who play on Tuesday afternoon. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m., CT. on Wednesday afternoon from Mtn. Dew Park. 
 
This Season Versus UT Martin
The Redhawks hosted the Skyhawks in Cape Girardeau (Mar. 20-22) this season and completed a three-game sweep at Capaha Field in the first OVC series of the year. SEMO defeated UTM 8-6, 11-4, and 7-5 to begin league play with a perfect 3-0 record. The series finale win improved SEMO's winning streak to 13 games which tied for the second longest streak in program history. Head coach Andy Sawyers improved to 20-11 against UTM in his 10 seasons at the helm of SEMO Baseball. 
 
This Season Versus Lindenwood
SEMO traveled to St. Charles, Mo. to take on Lindenwood in the regular season as the series saw the Lions take two-of-three from the Lou Brock Sports Complex. The Redhawks picked up a game two victory behind a complete game on the mound from RHP Andrew Carroll as SEMO blanked LU, 8-0. The Lions took game one, 3-2, before taking the series finale 7-1 on Saturday afternoon. Coach Sawyers holds a 9-3 overall record against the in-state foe. 
 
Wild Finishing Sweep
The Redhawks concluded the regular season on the road in Little Rock, Arkansas where they swept the Trojans to improve to 18-9 in league play and lock up the OVC Tournament's three seed. SEMO got an incredible 6.2 inning start from RHP Mason Pennington (7-3) who picked up his seventh victory of the season. He allowed just two hits and no runs while punching out four Trojans en route to the win. Demitri Shakotko and Brooks Kettering bookended the scoring with a pair of solo home runs in the second and ninth inning(s), respectively, before RHP Gavin Johnston came in to pick up his third save of 2026 in a 4-2 series opening win. A wild Friday evening victory saw SEMO score 12 runs on 13 hits and used a four run, ninth inning rally to seal the series with a 12-10 win. RHP Nathan Mertens picked up his third save of the year as he came on and recorded the final out of the contest. Saturday's regular season finale saw the Redhawks come from behind once again, this time with a seven run eighth inning to take a 10-5 victory back to Cape Girardeau. The Redhawks, who were held to just three runs through the game's first seven innings, exploded in the eighth frame with six hits with none of them leaving the yard. Mertens (6-2) picked up his sixth win of the season as the win extended SEMO's winning streak to seven games. 
 
Awards Sweep
Following the conclusion of the regular season, SEMO Baseball swept the final OVC 'Player of the Week' awards for the first time this season. Second baseman Brooks Kettering was named 'Player of the Week' while RHP Mason Pennington was named 'Pitcher of the Week' for their efforts at Little Rock. 
 
Second baseman Brooks Kettering was on fire at the plate over the final weekend of the regular season. The junior from Springfield, Missouri slugged 1.273 at the plate including a pair of doubles and home runs. He finished 6-11 at the plate for a .545 batting average, 101 points higher than his next closest teammate. 
 
Kettering drove in six RBIs, scored three runs, and totaled 14 bases. He drew a pair of walks and recorded a .571 on-base percentage.
 
Pennington picked up his seventh victory of the season in Thursday's series opening game at Little Rock. The 6-3 senior pitched 6.2 innings of scoreless baseball while surrendering just two hits. He punched out four Trojans in the win and held Little Rock to just a .095 batting average. 
 
The award for Pennington is the first of the season and he becomes the second Redhawk to win the award in 2026 (Andrew Carroll, 4/6).
 
Half a Dozen
Six Southeast Missouri Baseball players landed on the 2026 All-Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Teams, the league announced on Tuesday morning ahead of the 2026 OVC Baseball Tournament at Mtn. Dew Park in Marion, Illinois. Utility Joe Hall(1^st), RHP Nathan Mertens(1^st), Second Baseman Brooks Kettering (2^nd), Short Stop Andrew Ramirez (2^nd), Catcher Tank Sims (Freshman), and LHP Matt Wnukowski (freshman) were awarded for their efforts this season. To read more, click here.
 
Tournament History
SEMO Baseball is making its 31^st appearance in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament since the 1992 season. Overall, the Redhawks have won the tournament six times in its history and are seeking its first title since the 2024 team. SEMO Baseball is 51-51 all-time in the tournament. 
 
Eyeing Records
Entering the tournament, the Redhawks have won 38 games in 2026 which marks the second-most single season wins in program history (including postseason). SEMO surpassed the 2022, 2014, 2002, and 2000 team(s) who all recorded 37 victories in their respective seasons. Two of those four teams ('02 & '22) won the conference tournament and played in the NCAA Regionals in Tuscaloosa, Ala. and Oxford, Miss, respectively. With just one more win, the Redhawks would tie the all-time program record for wins in a single season set by the 2016 team (39). 
 
#3
When the Redhawks play on Wednesday, it will mark the fourth time that SEMO Baseball has been the OVC Tournament's three seed. In three games, the Redhawks hold a 1-2 record overall. 
 
Vs. UTM in the Tournament
SEMO Baseball has faced UT Martin just one time previous in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament ahead of Wednesday's potential matchup. SEMO is 1-0 against the Skyhawks in tournament play. That matchup took place during the 2011 tournament where SEMO defeated UT Martin 12-7 in Jackson, Tennessee. 
 
Vs. LU in the Tournament
Should #6 Lindenwood advance to Wednesday's matchup it would mark the first ever meeting between the two in a tournament setting. The Rehawks have faced Lindenwood 12 times since joining the Ohio Valley Conference and have a 9-3 overall record against the Lions. 
 
One More for Second
The Redhawks enter the OVC Tournament with six tournament titles in its program history. With another title, SEMO Baseball would move into second all-time in the conference with seven tournament championships. Middle Tennessee, who is no longer a member of the Ohio Valley Conference, won 10 tournament titles before they left in 2000. 
 
Top Dog
RHP Nathan Mertens leads the entire country in two separate categories on the mound. Mertens, a first team all-OVC selection, has the best strikeout-to-walk ratio (17.67) and the lowest walks allowed per nine innings (0.46). in 59.1 innings this season, Mertens has struck out 53 opposing hitters while surrendering just three walks.