Letter

To the editor:

A recent letter to the editor legitimately questioned our lack of weekend baseball games recently at Southeast Missouri State University.

The Ohio Valley Conference schedule dictates when we schedule non-conference games. The OVC asked all member schools to not schedule games on the weekends of March 14 to 15 and March 21 to 22. They wanted the dates open in case Jacksonville State and Samford, which will join the OVC in 2004, decided to enter the baseball schedule a year early. The two schools decided to wait until 2004, and we were left with two open weekends. We learned of the decision in late summer, and it was impossible to schedule home games during those dates.

We would prefer to play all our games on weekends because our players don't have to miss class, but that simply isn't possible. We schedule one to two years in advance, and our schedule is driven by the OVC schedule given to us by the league. Keeping the two weekends open really hurt us this year. Next year, with Jacksonville State and Samford in the league, we will have OVC series on those weekends, hopefully at home.

We appreciate the great baseball fans in this area, and we look forward to seeing you at Capaha Park.MARK HOGAN

Southeast baseball coach