Hogan worthy of holding Southeast's record

Considering that Mark Hogan had never posted fewer than 23 victories during his previous 12 seasons at Southeast Missouri State, it seemed fairly inevitable that he would become the baseball program's all-time winningest coach this year.

Hogan needed just 19 wins to pass the late Joe Uhls, who fashioned a 373-257-5 record in 25 seasons from 1960 to 1984.

Since the Redhawks are off to such a fast start, Hogan was able to match Uhls' win total Saturday when Southeast took the opener of an Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader at Murray State.

Hogan will have to wait at least one more day to nab the historic victory that passes Uhls because Saturday's nightcap was rained out, so the squads will play a doubleheader today instead of a single game.

But whether the milestone triumph comes today or not, it will come soon for Hogan, whose Redhawks are 18-7 (and 4-0 in OVC play). That makes Hogan 373-305-1 in his 13th season at his alma mater.

Owning the program's all-time wins mark is a great honor for Hogan, and well-deserved. I know it means a lot to him, especially since he played for Uhls and is from Cape Girardeau.

I remember Hogan telling me when he took the Southeast job prior to the 1995 season that he was fulfilling one of his dreams in returning to his hometown to coach at the school he graduated from.

That was the first time I had ever met Hogan -- or, for that matter, even heard of him -- but since then we have not only had a great working relationship but also built a solid friendship.

Sure, Hogan has had some critics since he's been coaching at Southeast, but what person leading a Division I program in any sport hasn't?

Hogan's supporters, however, have far outweighed his naysayers over the years, which is not surprising considering all he has accomplished.

Even though the Redhawks struggled last year -- for one of the few times since 1995 -- Hogan has built one of the OVC's top programs since he took over at Southeast.

Twice Hogan has led Southeast to the NCAA tournament, in 1998 and 2002, and he owns the longest current streak of OVC postseason baseball tournament appearances with 12, having yet to miss that event during his tenure in Cape Girardeau.

In addition, Hogan has directed Southeast to a school-record 37 wins twice, and he is the only baseball coach in school history to win 30 games in a season, something he has accomplished six times.

Southeast and this area are fortunate to claim a coach, and a person, of Hogan's caliber.

And, since Hogan is still far from an old man -- he's in his early 50s -- it's a good bet that he'll put the program's all-time wins record so far out of reach that it will be difficult for any future coach to touch it.

Here's hoping that happens.

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One more Southeast baseball note, this one pertaining primarily to some of the program's most rabid fans:

All you Speak Out zealots should lighten up on the High Hill Hecklers.

From what I can determine, they're nothing but a group of good-natured young people who are having some harmless fun.

What they're doing is nothing that doesn't go on at many college baseball games across the country.

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Now that Southeast junior point guard Paul Paradoski has officially decided to transfer out of the program, the Redhawks will have an additional scholarship available.

They plan to use it on Kenard Moore, a sharp-shooting guard from Marshalltown (Iowa) Community College who recently committed to Southeast.

The 5-foot-11 Moore hit 114 3-pointers as a Marshalltown sophomore this year while shooting 39.5 percent from beyond the arc. He averaged nearly 18 points per game to lead his team.

I've been told that Moore has exceptional range, shooting effortlessly from up to 25 feet, and that he might have been a big-time recruit had he been several inches taller.

So Moore sounds like a good signing for the Redhawks, especially after their most consistent 3-point shooter this past season -- Terrick Willoughby -- completed his eligibility.

Moore makes three players committed to the Redhawks, joining 6-foot-10 Bell City High School senior Will Bogan and 6-5 wing Jaycen Herring from Palm Beach (Fla.) Community College.

The first day players can sign is April 11.

As for Paradoski, while he was not a great player for the Redhawks, he was solid at the point, with an excellent assist-to-turnover ratio.

Even though Paradoski had lost his starting job to freshman Roderick Pearson, he was still valuable as a backup.

Unless Southeast signs more players than the aforementioned trio -- not likely unless somebody else leaves the program -- Pearson will be the only true point guard on the roster next season.

While Moore and Herring are supposedly capable of playing some point, the Redhawks could find themselves in a precarious situation if Pearson were to suffer an injury.

We'll see how it all plays out.

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The Southeast women's basketball coaching staff is apparently losing one of the program's staples from the past seven seasons.

Although the university has made no official announcement yet, it is certain that assistant coach Lisa Pace will not return next year.

Pace, who has already left Cape Girardeau, is reportedly finalizing details to became an assistant coach at Eastern Kentucky, where she played on three OVC championship teams and also later served as a graduate assistant coach.

Pace has spent the past seven seasons as a Southeast assistant, spanning three head coaches: Ed Arnzen, B.J. Smith and John Ishee.

There is some debate over whether Pace was forced to leave by the Southeast administration or whether she left on her own, but the bottom line is that she deserves much credit for the Redhawks' success the last few years, since she helped recruit many of the program's top players.

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What I had recently written as likely to happen became official a few days ago when former Southeast men's basketball coach Gary Garner was named an assistant coach of the new NBA Development League team in Des Moines, Iowa.

Garner, of course, spent nine seasons at Southeast and led the program to its only NCAA Division I tournament appearance, in the 1999-2000 season.

Here's wishing Garner the best in his new position.

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Here's also hoping former Southeast men's basketball assistant coach Keno Davis does well as he takes over the Drake program for his father.

Dr. Tom Davis recently stepped down as the Bulldogs' head coach, and Keno replaced him in a move that had already been agreed upon whenever the elder Davis decided to retire.

Keno was a Southeast assistant for six seasons under Garner, from 1997 through 2003, which includes that NCAA Division I tournament campaign.

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Track aficionados, get ready. This is your week.

Southeast will host its 26th annual Gatorade Classic at the Abe Stuber Track & Field Complex.

While a handful of events will take place Friday, the majority of the meet will be held Saturday.

As a special bonus, this year the meet will feature a world champion and a world record-holder.

Southeast All-American senior sprinter Miles Smith -- who earned a gold medal on the U.S. 1,600-meter relay team at the 2005 world championships -- is scheduled to compete after missing virtually all of the indoor season with a hamstring injury.

Also slated to be in the field is Southern Illinois' Brittany Riley, the world record-holder in the women's weight throw.

I'll have more on the event later in the week, but I just wanted to give everybody an early heads-up.

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Former Southeast standout place-kicker and St. Vincent High School product Derek Kutz had a professional debut he'll likely never forget.

In his first year with the River City Rage -- a St. Louis-based team that competes in the United Indoor Football League -- Kutz nailed a 42-yard field goal as time expired to give the Rage a season-opening 40-37 win at Evansville on March 24.

While the United Indoor Football League is way down the food chain among football's minor indoor organizations -- you can't quit your day job to compete at that level -- I'm sure it was still quite a thrill for Kutz, who completed his eligibility at Southeast in 2004 and has been serving as an assistant football coach at St. Vincent.

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Another ex-Southeast star, Jason Witczak, is participating at the highest level among the several indoor professional football leagues that are around these days.

Witczak, who finished his eligibility at Southeast in 2000 by earning All-American honors as a punter, is in his second season kicking for the Nashville Kats of the highly popular Arena Football League.

Witczak booted a franchise-long 57-yard field goal earlier this year.

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Speaking of Southeast football as it pertains to the pro ranks, everything I've been reading and hearing indicates that Edgar Jones' stock with the NFL continues to rise.

Jones, who as a senior defensive end last season led the nation in sacks to earn All-American honors, could be a late-round pick when the NFL draft is held April 28 and 29.

Even if he is not selected, Jones at worst figures to be signed as a free agent very quickly upon the conclusion of the draft.

Likewise, Southeast All-American punter David Simonhoff -- who also completed his eligibility in 2006 -- will almost certainly end up in an NFL team's training camp as a free agent.

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It seems like only yesterday that the Cardinals were celebrating their improbable World Series title, after they won just 83 games during the regular season.

But now the Cardinals are ready to open another season as they face the Mets tonight on national television.

The odds are definitely stacked against a repeat in any sport, but St. Louis certainly appears equipped for at least another strong playoff push.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.