Redhawks softball wins OVC, heads to regionals

The last time Southeast Missouri State University won the OVC Championship in softball, several of the current Redhawks players hadn't been born.

But the softball team took the crown last week, with back-to-back wins over powerhouse Jacksonville State to cement the team's legacy, proving to themselves the results they had seen coming for quite some time.

The last time Southeast won the championship was 1999, but the team isn't looking back. There is more work to do.

The Redhawks will join Ole Miss, Chattanooga and Louisiana at the four-team NCAA Softball Regional this week. Southeast is scheduled to face Louisiana in the first game at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. The game will appear on ESPN3.

The Redhawks' season has been quite impressive, rolling into the tournament with a 45-16 record, having won eight of their last nine games.

The team consists of four starters who have an on-base percentage above .400, and four players with 10 or more home runs. The team has a collective 2.60 earned-run average on the pitching side, half that of its opponents' 5.44 ERA. Rachel Anderson leads the team with a .455 average and 13 homers. Mykael Arellanes won the OVC Tournament MVP award.

This is a deep, talented and competitive team.

Congratulations to the Redhawks for making the NCAA Tournament. Here's hoping for more wins as the tournament begins.