MARION, Ill. – 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. The Redhawks landed two players on the first team, two on the second team, and two on the all-Freshman team who were voted on by the league's head coaches and communications staff(s). 
 
First Team
Utility Joe Hall, So., Kansas City, Mo.
Sophomore Joe Hall was named to the All-OVC First Team for the first time in his career in just his first season as a Redhawk. Hall played in all 27 games of the 2026 conference season as primarily the Redhawks' designated hitter and left field. He hit a staggering .374 (40-107) with six home runs, seven doubles, and drove in 28 RBIs. In the league, Hall finished fourth in batting average, fourth in hits (40), sixth in OPS (1.071), and sixth in RBIs (28). 
 
Overall, Hall finished as the top hitter on the Redhawks. He hit .353 (76-215) with 12 home runs, 12 doubles, and 54 RBIs. He started all 54 games of the regular season and while slugging an impressive .595. 
 
RHP Nathan Mertens, Sr., La Canada, Calif. 
Nathan Mertens landed on the First Team All-OVC for the second-straight season after another standout season on the mound for the Redhawks. Mertens has led the entire country in walks-per-nine-innings (3.05) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (17.67) this season. He surrendered just two walks to OVC hitters this season and finished OVC play with a perfect 4-0 record over 40.1 innings pitched. Opponents hit just .250 against the right hander as he punched out 34 hitters while allowing just 38 hits. He also picked up two saves over 10 appearances.  
 
Overall, Mertens pitched 59.1 innings this season while making 16 appearances on the mound including five starts. He punched out 53 hitters while administering just three walks to opposing hitters. 
 
Second Team
2B Brooks Kettering, Junior, Springfield, Mo.
Junior Brooks Kettering landed on the All-OVC Second Team for the second time in his career and the first since the 2024 campaign. Kettering recorded the third highest batting average on the team in league play with a .351 while starting all 27 games of the OVC season at second base. He finished 33-94 at the plate with eight doubles, 14 RBIs, and all four home runs coming in OVC play. Kettering drew 16 walks in league play which ranked him ninth in the OVC. He also became second all-time for career walks in SEMO program history with 37 walks in 2026, bringing his career total to 129. 
 
In the field, Kettering was a part of a middle infield who totaled just four errors as a duo. He had just one error and fielded his second base position at a .995 mark. He recorded 77 putouts and assisted on 141 total assists in 51 games. 
 
SS Andrew Ramirez, Sr., West Covina, Calif. 
Senior shortstop Andrew Ramirez landed on the All-OVC Second Team for the first time in his career. Ramirez played in 49 games and made 37 starts, overall, in 2026 at his shortstop position while committing just three errors. He fielded his position at an impressive .984 mark while recording 60 putouts and 129 assists. In OVC play, Ramirez finished second in assists with 89 which was just two behind teammate Brooks Kettering. 
 
At the plate, Ramirez finished the regular season as the 13th toughest hitter to strikeout in the nation (15.8). In 174 total at-bats, he struck out just 11 times while recording 48 hits. He finished with a .276 batting average including eight doubles, a home run, and drove in 34 RBIs. He also finished tied for second in the Ohio Valley Conference in sacrifice bunts (4). 
 
Freshman Team
Catcher Tank Sims and LHP Matt Wnukowski made their first appearance on the All-OVC Freshman Team in their first full season of action at Southeast Missouri. 
 
Tank SIms, Catcher, R-FR., West Plains, Mo.
Behind the dish, Sims started in 39 games overall including 22 starts in league play. He finished with a .259 batting average overall and .247 in league play. He totaled 20 hits including two doubles, two home runs, and drove in 15 RBIs in OVC action. Defensively, he recorded 295 putouts, 31assists, and committed just two errors as he fielded his position at a .994 clip. He threw out seven base stealers in OVC play which ranked him fourth in the league. 
 
Matt Wnukowski, LHP, R-Fr., Tinley Park, Ill.
Wnukowski made nine appearances on the mound in OVC play, including one start. He pitched 15.2 innings during conference action while punching out 18 opposing hitters and surrendering just 10 walks. He allowed just 12 earned runs and did not allow a single home run in league play. 
 
Overall, Wnukowski made 16 appearances and finished with a 5.40 ERA. He totaled 36 strikeouts and held opponents to just a .296 batting average. He pitched 26.2 innings in his first season of collegiate baseball. 
 
#3 Southeast Missouri will play their first game of the 2026 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament on Wednesday, May 20. The Redhawks will await the winner of the 6/7 game between Lindenwood and UT Martin at 3 p.m. in Marion, Illinois.