OTAHKS WILL TRY FOR YET ANOTHER OVC SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

In recent Ohio Valley Conference softball circles, one thing has been a given.

Southeast Missouri State University will win the championship.

The Otahkians have won five consecutive OVC regular-season titles and they are favored to make it six straight during the 2000 campaign, which opens this weekend with a big home tournament.

"After practicing for so long, we're definitely ready to play," said Southeast coach Lana Richmond. "We're anxious to get the season started."

Southeast went 31-17 overall last season and won the OVC Tournament for the fifth time to earn its first-ever NCAA Division I Tournament berth. The Otahkians made a strong showing in the NCAA regional by winning a game.

"We had a great season last year and it was nice to finally make it to the NCAA Tournament," said Richmond, who has compiled a 553-283-2 record in 17 seasons at Southeast.

Richmond knows the Otahkians will have their work cut out for them this season because they lost four position starters and the two pitchers who were the foundation of the staff for four years.

"We really lost some great players," Richmond said. "I think we were picked to win the OVC again (by the league's coaches) based on reputation. It shows the respect for our program, but anybody knows you have to go out and prove it.

"It will definitely be tougher (to win the OVC title) this year. All the teams are catching up and when you're at the top, every team shoots for you."

Four-year pitching standouts Christine Engelhardt and Debbie Schmelz accounted for every Southeast decision last year and for the majority of the decisions over the past four years.

"They were basically our pitching staff for four straight years," said Richmond.

Further complicating the pitching situation is the fact junior-college transfer Sheryn Queen, who Richmond was counting on to carry much of the mound load, is done for her career after suffering her second ACL knee injury.

"We were really counting on her and she had pitched well in the fall," Richmond said. "It's unfortunate, especially for her."

Richmond will now count on two highly-touted freshmen to handle much of the pitching duties, Renee Mueller and Jenny Doehring, who are both former high school players of the year in Southern Illinois.

"They're freshmen, but they're very good," said Richmond. "They just need experience."

Southeast's pitching staff will also be helped out by senior Jennifer Dippel, who was recruited out of the school's athletic training department.

"Jen played at Evansville as a freshman and she's been at Southeast the last three years but I didn't even know about her," explained Richmond. "After the injury (to Queen), we needed some pitching help. Some of my players are student athletic trainers with Jen and they told me about her. She's going to help us."

Around the field, among the four starters lost is standout shortstop Jenny Oermann, the 1999 OVC Player of the Year and only the second athlete in OVC history to make first-team all-league four straight years.

But Southeast does return six players who started at least 25 games last year.

The Otahkians' leading returning hitter is junior catcher Renee Enos, who batted .329 with a team-high 33 RBIs last year to earn second-team all-OVC honors. She also made the all-OVC Tournament squad.

Senior center fielder Kelsey White, who moves over from right, is the second-leading returning hitter at .313. She made second-team all-OVC last year and was named the league tourney MVP.

The other returning regulars are sophomore Emmy Kisaka, who batted .276 last season and will play second base; senior Tami Hebert, who hit .267 and enters her fourth year as a starter at third base; sophomore Courtney Eklund, who hit .266 and will play left field; and senior Michelle Frank, who batted .239 and will be at first base after playing second last year.

Doehring, a gifted athlete, will take over for Oermann at shortstop when she's not on the mound. When Doehring does pitch, sophomore Dawn Piantino, who started seven games last year, will be at short.

In center field, junior Josie Earnest, a starter two years ago who missed all of last season with a knee injury, is out again, this time with a shoulder injury. She should return by late March.

Several players are battling for the center field spot in the absence of Earnest, including freshman Brooke Nett, junior Mindy Myers, junior Jonelle Rietman and freshman Kathryn Cerneka. Myers, a Jackson High product, is a transfer from Three Rivers Community College.

Richmond is particularly intrigued by the potential of Nett, also a soccer player at Southeast.

"Brooke is a true utility player and a really good athlete," said Richmond. "She will see playing time at several positions."

Others figuring to help out are junior Jennifer Cobin at catcher; senior Cari Cook, who saw limited action last year, at first base; and junior Heidi Stegeman at second base.

* Eight teams will compete in the Southeast Classic Saturday and Sunday at the Southeast Softball Complex.

Joining the Otahkians in the tourney, which features two pools, are Southwest Missouri, Bradley, Northern Iowa, Creighton, Iowa State, Western Kentucky and Indiana-Purdue.

Games will be played on three fields both days, with starting times at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. (pool championships) Sunday.

Saturday, Southeast plays Northern Iowa at 10 a.m. and Southwest Missouri at noon. Sunday, the Otahkians play Bradley at noon and Creighton at 2 p.m.