Late slide toughens Redhawks' path to title

It won't be impossible for Southeast Missouri State to win this week's Ohio Valley Conference baseball tournament.

But considering the pitching problems the Redhawks have had all season -- especially lately -- the odds certainly are stacked against them entering the six-team, double-elimination event in Paducah, Ky.

Southeast is limping into the tournament after losing seven of its last eight games. Four of those contests saw the Redhawks score at least 10 runs -- yet they lost three of them.

That sums up why Southeast went from contending for the OVC regular-season title just a few weeks ago to finishing fourth, meaning the Redhawks missed out on an important first-round tournament bye that goes to the top two regular-season squads.

Fourth-seeded Southeast plays fifth-seeded Tennessee Tech at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in the tournament opener.

Southeast has the offense to make noise in Paducah, but unless the Redhawks improve drastically on their 6.83 ERA from the regular season, their tourney chances are slim at best.

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With two of his three assistants on board, Southeast men's basketball coach Dickey Nutt's first staff is taking shape.

For the record, Jamie Rosser -- who played for Nutt at Arkansas State and was hired last week -- will be Nutt's top assistant even though he has no prior college coaching experience.

Jeremy Case, a graduate assistant at Kansas this past season, will be the No. 3 man.

Still to be hired by Nutt is his No. 2 assistant.

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According to the Indian Hills (Iowa) Community College website, Southeast men's basketball has added another walk-on for next season.

Donald Davis, a 6-foot point guard, will join the Redhawks. He played in 50 games in two seasons for national junior college power Indian Hills, including five starts. He averaged about one point and one assist per game this year.

Davis graduated from Vashon High School. He'll join fellow Indian Hills and Vashon product Leon Powell at Southeast.

Powell, a 6-7 forward who earned all-region honors at Indian Hills, is on paper Southeast's top signee for next season.

A third Vashon graduate, wing Johnny Hill, will be entering his senior season at Southeast.

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Considering that he wasn't hired until March 12 and had no chance to sign anybody during the early period, Nutt looks to be putting together a pretty solid recruiting class.

The latest player Nutt landed was 6-7 forward Eric McCrary from Mineral Area College in Park Hills, Mo., who signed Friday.

I'm not all that familiar with McCrary, but I'm pretty sure Southeast's other three juco signees -- Powell, 5-11 point guard Anthony Allison from Missouri State-West Plains and 6-2 combo guard Sam Pearson from Moberly (Mo.) -- instantly will be key performers.

Southeast's remaining two signees are high school seniors -- 6-5 wing LaQuentin Miles from Jacksonville, Ark., and 6-2 combo guard Marland Smith from Little Rock, Ark. -- who may or may not be able to contribute much right away.

The same goes for Davis and Nutt's son Lucas, a 5-11 senior point guard at Jonesboro (Ark.) High School who also will be a walk-on at Southeast.

If Nutt doesn't sign any more players for next season, the Redhawks still will be a bit shorthanded on top-level talent and a strong season is probably a longshot.

But, given the circumstances, I think Nutt has done really well with recruiting so far. He's signed players that sound much better than I could have imagined him landing after getting a late start.

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Nutt has announced a special promotion for one of his upcoming camps.

The sons or grandsons of past and present Southeast men's basketball season ticket holders can attend free the June 8 to 10 individual day camp for boys ages 4 through 10.

Normal charge for the camp is $90.

For more information, call Jeremy Case at 651-2564.

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Lucky for me that I was assigned to cover last week's high school baseball game between Chaffee and host Central.

That allowed me to be on hand when Central assistant Terry Kitchen was honored before the contest. He is retiring after 31 years with the Cape Girardeau School District.

Kitchen has held a variety of positions in the Central athletic department, including baseball coach from 1978 through 1991.

Kitchen, a former standout athlete at Central who graduated in 1970 and later played baseball at Southeast, led the Tigers to four final four appearances, including a second-place finish in 1980.

I've long admired Kitchen and have always considered him one of the area's best and classiest coaches, definitely one of my all-time favorites since I started working at the Southeast Missourian in 1984.

I didn't know about the pre-game ceremony until I arrived at Central's field, but I'm glad I was there for it.

Here's wishing Kitchen -- nobody was a bigger Central supporter in his five decades at the school -- all the best in the future.

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Also, best wishes to another Central coach -- Lawrence Brookins -- on his retirement.

Brookins has been directing Central's track and field program and also spent several years as football coach before leaving that position last school year.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.