INDIANS FIELD FAMILIAR FACES

Last season was a great one for Southeast Missouri State University's baseball team.

Now the Indians want to prove that 1998 was not an exception but rather the rule as to where their program is headed.

And with virtually every key player returning from last year's 32-24 squad that won the school's first-ever Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Midwest Regional, optimism is running rampant around the Indians' camp these days.

Southeast, which opens the 1999 season this weekend with a three-game home series against Creighton, held its media day Wednesday afternoon in the team's new Tiger Joe Uhls Locker Room at Houck Field House.

"With the returning players we have and the amount of experience we have back, we have a lot of reasons to be excited," said Southeast coach Mark Hogan, entering his fifth season at the helm of his alma mater. "I'm elated with the players. The effort they've given has been special.

"What you can expect out of this group is a talented team that will hustle and play the game with integrity. We'll let the chips fall where they may. Our goal is to defend our conference championship. No OVC team has done that in nine years."

The Indians did graduate Jason Swearingen, a four-year mound regular who holds many of the school's pitching records.

But every other key player is back, including preseason All-American pitcher Ryan Spille. The senior lefthander, the 1998 OVC Pitcher of the Year, was a third-team All-American last year as he went 11-2 with a 2.72 earned-run average.

"We're all really fired up and ready to play Creighton this weekend," said Spille.

Southeast returns six regulars who batted at least .300 last season, led by senior second baseman Kyle Yount (.351).

"To win the (OVC Tournament) championship for the first time in school history was an incredible feeling," said Yount. "We're setting our sights on repeating and we want to make some noise in the NCAA Regional."

Senior left fielder Charlie Marino (.333) set a school-record with 21 home runs while also leading the squad in runs batted in with 51 and stolen bases with 16.

"We have a lot to look forward to this season," Marino said. "We've set high goals."

Others hitting better than .300 in 1998 were junior center fielder Jeremy Johnson (.333, 13 homers, 45 RBIs); sophomore first baseman Jeff Bourbon (.321, 8 homers, 39 RBIs); senior shortstop Steve Lowe (.311); and junior third baseman Darin Kinsolving (.308, 14 homers, 39 RBIs).

Johnson was the MVP of last year's OVC tourney while Bourbon earned Collegiate Baseball Freshmen All-American honors.

Two other regulars threatened the .300 ledger last year: junior right fielder Phil Warren (.292) and senior designated hitter Robert Kern (.280, 15 homers, 42 RBIs).

At catcher, seniors Brad Hoehner (.219) and Dan Berry (.232) split time and were strong defensively. Bourbon, who signed at Southeast as a catcher, might also be tried behind the plate.

Among several new players who could also fit into the lineup some place, Hogan is particularly high on outfielder Kevin Meyer, a junior-college transfer; and freshman infielder Clemente Bonilla Jr., a record-setting high school performer in California.

Joining Spille as returning starters on the mound are junior Dan Huesgen (7-3, 5.15 ERA), junior Lanson DeBrock (2-4, 7.30 ERA) and senior Chad Bogenpohl (2-4, 6.92 ERA), who was hampered by an injury last season.

Hogan is also counting on three new faces who could challenge for starting mound duty: juco product Danny Schiltz and freshmen Todd Pennington and Brandon Smith. Pennington pitched for Cape Girardeau's Ford & Sons American Legion squad last summer.

The Indians will also count on five relievers. Seniors Jerry Wolsey, Allan Landgren and Daniel Rodriguez all saw action last year while juco transfer Greg Budt and freshman Andy Davidson are newcomers.

"With Spille, we've got a tremendous No. 1 type guy," Hogan said. "Huesgen really did well once we put him in as a starter and I think DeBrock and Bogenpohl will both come on for us this year.

"Schiltz should help us and I really like Pennington. He's a really tough kid."

Southeast, the preseason choice to win the OVC title, will face Creighton Saturday in a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Capaha Field. The squads will have a single game at 1 p.m. Sunday.

"We've got a tremendous home schedule, the best we've ever had," said Hogan. "We're looking forward to getting started."

The Indians' first road action will be Tuesday with a game at Mississippi. The squads will also play the following day.

As for the OVC race, Hogan sees Eastern Illinois -- last year's regular-season champion -- as again a major contender.

"They should be very good again, along with several other teams," he said. "I expect a really good race."

* Twelve players from either Southeast Missouri or Southern Illinois are on the Indians' roster.

From Southeast Missouri high schools are Kern (Cape Central), DeBrock (Notre Dame), Bogenpohl (Oak Ridge), Wolsey (Chaffee), Kinsolving (East Prairie), Bourbon (Potosi), Yount (Caledonia Valley), sophomore outfiedler Kenny Gaebler (Delta) and freshman infielder Denver Stuckey (Kelly), who might be redshirted.

Southern Illinois products are Johnson (Egyptian), Hoehner (Anna-Jonesboro) and Pennington (Shawnee).

* Returning as assistant coaches to Hogan this season are Greg Goff and Brian Schaefer while joining the staff as a volunteer assistant is Cape Central graduate Mark Lewis, who played for Southwest Missouri State.

SEMO Baseball

1999 Schedule

(Home games in capital letters)

FEBRUARY

20 -- CREIGHTON (2), 1 p.m.; 21 -- CREIGHTON, 1 p.m.; 23 -- at Mississippi, 5 p.m.; 24 -- at Mississippi, 3 p.m.; 27 -- NORTHERN IOWA (2), noon; 28 -- NORTHERN IOWA, 1 p.m.

MARCH

2 -- SIU-EDWARDSVILLE, 3 p.m.; 3 -- at Arkansas State, 3 p.m.; 6 -- NORTHERN ILLINOIS (2), 3 p.m.; 7 -- NORTHERN ILLINOIS, 1 p.m.; 10 -- ARKANSAS STATE, 3 p.m.; 13 -- at Tennessee-Martin, noon; 15 -- WESTERN ILLINOIS, 3 p.m.; 16 -- MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS, 2:30 p.m.; 20 -- at Eastern Kentucky (2), 11 a.m.; 21 -- at Eastern Kentucky, noon; 23 -- MISSOURI BAPTIST, 3 p.m.; 24 -- at Memphis, 6 p.m.; 27 -- EASTERN ILLINOIS (2), 2 p.m.; 28 -- EASTERN ILLINOIS, 2 p.m.; 30 -- at Southwest Missouri (2), 1:30 p.m.

APRIL

2 -- AUSTIN PEAY (2), 2 p.m.; 3 -- AUSTIN PEAY, 2 p.m.; 6 -- ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK, 3 p.m.; 7 -- at Southern Illinois, 3 p.m.; 10 -- BELMONT (2), 3 p.m.; 11 -- BELMONT, 1 p.m.; 13 -- MISSOURI, 6 p.m.; 14 -- SAINT LOUIS, 6 p.m.; 17 -- at Middle Tennessee (2), 2 p.m.; 18 -- at Middle Tennessee, 2 p.m.; 20 - at Saint Louis, 6 p.m.; 21 -- SOUTHERN ILLINOIS, 3 p.m.; 24 -- TENNESSEE-MARTIN (2), 4 p.m.; 25 -- TENNESSEE-MARTIN, 2 p.m.; 28 -- at Belmont (2), 3 p.m.

MAY

1 -- at Morehead State (2), noon; 2 -- at Morehead State, noon; 4 -- at Missouri, 6 p.m.; 8 -- at Murray State (2), 2 p.m.; 9 -- at Murray State, 1 p.m.; 12 -- MEMPHIS, 6 p.m.; 15 -- TENNESSEE TECH (2), 4 p.m.; 16 -- TENNESSEE TECH, 2 p.m.; 20-22 -- OVC Tournament, TBA