Advance's Moses collects four hits

Trenton Moses did not know what to expect during his freshman season with the Southeast Missouri State baseball team.

But no way did Moses expect to be the Redhawks' starting third baseman -- and to be their top hitter for average through 15 games.

That's exactly where the 2007 Advance High School graduate finds himself after Saturday's four-hit performance -- including two doubles -- during a 7-3 win over Tennessee Tech.

"It's pretty exciting," Moses said following the contest at Capaha Field. "It's really cool to be part of the team. I'm just trying to do my part."

The numbers say that Moses is doing more than his part so far.

After getting seven hits in the three-game series against Tech that opened Southeast's Ohio Valley Conference season, Moses is batting .385. That ranks sixth in the OVC.

"I didn't expect this at all. I didn't really know what to expect," said Moses, who has 15 hits in 39 official at-bats. "I'm surprised."

Southeast coach Mark Hogan, while maybe not expecting Moses to have the Redhawks' top average at this point, did anticipate him being able to help the squad.

"He came in during the fall and we didn't know what we were going to do with him as far as where he would fit in," Hogan said. "But we saw enough that we decided we weren't going to redshirt him."

Hogan said he first became aware of Moses' talent during his sophomore season at Advance.

"I really liked him. I really liked his ball striking ability, and for a big guy he's got good feet," Hogan said. "He doesn't chase pitches. He's a very calm hitter. He's got quick hands. He hits the ball hard.

"He's shown a lot of maturity and he's been very good at third base. I think he's got a really bright future for us."

Moses, who is listed as standing 6 foot 4 and weighing 210 pounds, said he never played third base in high school or American Legion ball, instead manning first base.

"I'm feeling a lot more comfortable there now than I was at the start," said Moses, who has committed just two errors.

Moses began the season seeing spot duty in a reserve role, but he has started nine of the Redhawks' last 10 games.

"It's nice to know you're going to be in the lineup," said Moses, whose five doubles rank second on the squad.

If Moses keeps hitting like he has been, it will be hard to get him out of the lineup.

Offense breaks out

Southeast entered the series with Tech batting just .248 as a team.

After getting 15 hits Saturday, and 40 hits in the three games, the Redhawks have their average up to .273.

Sophomore catcher Jim Klocke had two hits in each game, raising his average to .383, ranking right behind Moses on the team and seventh in the conference.

"I'm feeling pretty good, seeing the ball well at the plate," said Klocke, who leads the OVC with a .508 on-base percentage.

Also above .300 for Southeast are junior left fielder Justin Wheeler (.362) and junior first baseman Matt Wagner (.323), who matched Klocke with six hits in the series.

After driving in three runs Saturday, junior right fielder Tyrell Cummings is up to 23 RBIs, which rank third in the conference.

Cummings is tied for the OVC lead in home runs with five, and is tied for second in doubles with seven.

Missouri State visits

Southeast returns to action Tuesday when Missouri State visits Capaha Field for a 5 p.m. contest.

The two-game, nonleague series concludes at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Southeast resumes OVC play Saturday at Tennessee-Martin.