HOGAN RELOADS SE GUNS WITH RECRUITS

Despite having just one senior on the team that won the 1998 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament and qualified for the NCAA Midwest Regional, Southeast Missouri State University's baseball Indians appear to have significantly improved themselves for next season.

Southeast coach Mark Hogan recently announced his nine-member recruiting class that features six high school players and three junior-college transfers.

Hogan said he is extremely excited about the newcomers.

"We had two goals for our recruiting class this season," said Hogan. "First, we wanted to improve the depth of our pitching staff and second, we wanted to develop a good freshmen class so they will be able to step in and play when many of the key seniors on next year's team graduate.

"I believe we have accomplished both of these goals in a big way."

The Indians' juco signees who Hogan believes will provide plenty of immediate help are a trio of righthanded pitchers: Tommy Thompson, Greg Budt and Danny Schiltz.

Thompson went 9-3 with a 2.65 earned-run average last season for Maplewood Community College of Kansas City. He had no-hitter against national power Indian Hills and was named the Most Valuable Pitcher of the 1998 Junior College World Series.

Budt, who is pitching for the McDowell Capahas this summer, was 7-0 with a 2.38 ERA at Jefferson College in Hillsboro.

Schiltz was 7-5 with a 3.66 ERA at Highland Community College in Iowa.

Among the six high school recruits are two local products who had previously been announced as having signed with Southeast: Denver Stuckey from Kelly and Todd Pennington from Shawnee, Ill.

Stuckey, a two-time Class 2A all-state selection, batted .420 as a Kelly senior. He also had a career pitching record of 15-6. He figures to play either the infield or outfield for the Indians.

Pennington batted .478 with eight home runs as a Shawnee senior while also being the team's pitching ace. He figures to pitch for the Indians but could also see action as a position player.

The other prep recruits are infielders Clemente Bonilla Jr. and Blair Lucas and pitchers Andy Davidson and Brandon Smith.

Bonilla and Lucas, a pair of infielders, were teammates at El Toro High in Southern California.

Bonilla batted .442 as a senior and holds El Toro career records for runs scored, runs batted in, hits, stolen bases, walks and total bases.

Lucas hit a sizzling .525 with four homers and 39 RBIs as a senior. He holds the El Toro career record for batting average at .442.

Davidson, who stands 6-feet-7, is from Minnetonka, Minn. He did not play this past season because of an arm injury. Local fans might remember him as firing a one-hit, 16-strikeout gem against host Chaffee during the 1997 Junior American Legion Regional Tournament.

Smith is a product of Eureka High in the St. Louis area. He was an All-Metro selection while helping pitch the Wildcats to the Class 3A Final Four.