NO. 1 IN(NING)DIAN: SWEARINGEN LOGS RECORD HOURS AS SE WORKHORSE

Jason Swearingen has never professed to be the most physically talented pitcher around.

"I'm definitely not going to throw the ball by many people," he said with a laugh.

But while flaming fastballs might not be in Swearingen's repertoire, winning baseball games and turning in one dependable performance after another certainly are.

As Southeast Missouri State University's baseball team prepares to host the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Thursday through Sunday, Swearingen -- the Indians' only senior -- is putting the finishing touches on an outstanding career.

A right-hander from St. Louis, Swearingen holds Southeast's career record for innings pitched with 350 1/3, which is more than 100 innings ahead of any other player that has ever pitched for the Indians.

Swearingen, with a 27-16 career record, is also just one victory away from tying the school's career mark for wins of 28 held by former standout Lee Lummus, who pitched from 1986-89.

In addition, Swearingen's 191 strikeouts is fifth in school history.

"For Jason to accomplish what he has is an incredible feat," said Southeast coach Mark Hogan. "The record he holds for innings pitched will be hard to break. For anyone to break it, a freshman will have to come in here and pitch every weekend for four years.

"Jason is not the most dominating pitcher on our staff but he gets the most out of his abilities. He has not missed a conference start in four years, which speaks so highly of his abilities. He is such an asset to our program and he'll be missed next year."

The engaging Swearingen, who is always quick with a quip and a smile, takes particular pride in the fact he has been able to succeed without being the overpowering sort.

"I probably don't throw more than 82 or 83 miles per hour consistently, but I think sometimes that's overrated at this level," he said. "You have to be able to locate your pitches and rely on your defense. Our defense has been really good this year and that's helped."

Describing himself on the mound, Swearingen said, "I think I have an above average fastball as far as movement, my slider is good and my changeup has made a big difference. When I'm going good, I get a lot of ground ball outs and I don't walk many. I'm proud of my career because I think I've gotten a lot out of my ability."

Swearingen is 7-5 with a 4.11 earned-run average this season, which puts him fifth in the OVC in victories and third in ERA. He and lefty Ryan Spille, who leads the OVC in wins with a 9-1 record, have given the Indians quite a one-two punch at the top of the pitching staff.

"Jason has been our guy on Sundays for the past three years, which meant he pitched two more innings than anybody else," Hogan said. "This year we made him our No. 1 guy and it has paid off for him."

Swearingen is especially pleased that the Indians have had such a solid season, finishing second in the nine-team OVC and going 27-22 overall after last year's 24-33 record.

"Last year was rough. We had a lot of ups and downs, but this year has been good," he said. "Of the 22 losses, we've probably been in 15 of those. We could easily have a lot more wins."

Swearingen, who in addition to all his accomplishments on the field has also found time to be a four-time Southeast Scholar Athlete, said getting the career record for wins would be nice but he is not consumed by the mark.

"I'm not really hung up on the record," he said. "I almost take more pride in the innings pitched because I feel like I'm very durable."

A physical education major who is scheduled to graduate this spring, Swearingen has his sights set on becoming a coach. But in the meantime, he wants to savor the final games of his Southeast baseball career.

"My career has really gone fast," he said. "I think about all the players I've played with. I wish I had 10 more years to play because I've had such a good time."