Preseason favorites meet this weekend

If the Ohio Valley Conference's baseball coaches were correct, then perhaps the biggest series of the entire season will take place on the second weekend of league play.

Southeast Missouri State University (11-13, 2-1) visits Jacksonville State (10-13, 3-0) for a three-game set featuring the two preseason favorites based on voting by the league's coaches. The squads will have a 1 p.m. doubleheader today and a 1 p.m. single game Sunday in Jacksonville, Ala.

OVC newcomer JSU was picked to finish first while Southeast was tabbed for second -- and just two points separated the squads in the voting. Defending regular-season champion Austin Peay, which is tied for first with the Gamecocks at 3-0, was another two points back.

"I know this is a series a lot of people in the OVC will be looking at, and we know it's a big series for us," Southeast coach Mark Hogan said. "I don't think anything will be decided in the second week of the conference season, but if one team were to win all three games, it would definitely open a lot of eyes around the conference.

"I think if either team wins two out of three, then that coach would be very pleased. I know Jacksonville State will be excellent and it should be a heck of a series."

Both teams have fashioned unimpressive non-conference records against rugged schedules and both have shown recent signs of serious life.

JSU, which last year finished third in the tough Atlantic Sun Conference and returned six starters along with five pitchers, has won four straight games, including a sweep of Samford in last weekend's OVC-opening series.

Picking up steamSoutheast, which was second in the OVC last season but was gutted by graduation, has won three of its last four, including Wednesday's 4-2 upset at 34th-ranked Oklahoma State.

"I think both clubs have pretty much the same philosophy in regards to scheduling," Hogan said. "I think both records are probably a little misleading."

The Gamecocks have struggled offensively with a .245 team batting average; only junior outfielder Austin Stein (.322) and senior first baseman Robby Goodson (.300, six homers, 18 runs batted in) are hitting better than .283. But JSU is batting .339 during the current four-game winning streak.

JSU sports a 5.22 earned-run average, but that figure is 1.69 in the last four games. The top starters are seniors Bobby Wynns (3-2, 2.33) and C.R. Palmer (3-3, 4.06), along with sophomore Josh Forrest (2-2, 6.52). All are right-handers. Wynns and Palmer will likely pitch today, with Forrest going Sunday.

"I feel like we're playing better," JSU coach Jim Case said. "I think we're swinging the bats with more confidence than we have at any point this year."

Southeast plans to start Anthony Maupin (3-3, 4.58) and Mike Fitch (1-2, 5.97) today, with Ryan Forsyth (2-2, 5.79) going Sunday. All are junior right-handers. Forsyth is coming off Wednesday's 8 2/3-inning performance against Oklahoma State. The Indians have a collective 5.77 ERA.

The Indians carry a 292 batting average that has been steadily rising since a slow start. Six regulars are above .300: junior center fielder Frankie Montiel (.371), junior left fielder Bryan Kurt (.355), junior designated hitter Freddy Lopez (.328), junior third baseman Eric Horstman (.319), junior shortstop Ernie Bracamonte (.315) and senior first baseman Gary Gilbert (.302). Lopez has a team-high four homers while he and Gilbert lead in RBIs with 15 apiece.

"I think there will be a lot of people in the league that will be watching this weekend to see what happens in this series, but regardless of who wins and who loses the series, there's still a lot of baseball to be played," Case said. "SEMO will be very difficult. I can guarantee you they're going to get after us and hopefully, and I feel like we will, we'll get after them, too."