Preseason poll talk adds to Indians' optimism

I wrote last week that Street & Smith's Magazine, despite picking Southeast Missouri State University to win its first Ohio Valley Conference football title, didn't have the Indians ranked in its preseason NCAA Division I-AA national top 25, probably because the OVC has fared so poorly in the playoffs over the past decade.

But I figured the Indians would be ranked in other preseason polls after a 2002 campaign that saw them go 8-4 for the program's best record since 1969. The fact they return nine starters on both offense and defense sure doesn't hurt.

While most of the major Division I-AA preseason polls won't be out until August, there is a good indication that Southeast will be ranked fairly high by The Sports Network -- which covers I-AA football more extensively than any other national media service -- after finishing rated 24th by that organization last year.

Tony Moss, the executive director of I-AA football for The Sports Network, has tabbed the Indians 16th in his third annual informal preseason top 40 that was posted on TSN's Web site a few days ago. The official TSN preseason poll, voted on by nearly 100 media members and sports information directors from across the country, will be released Aug. 11.

Of Southeast, Moss writes: "Indians have never made the playoffs and lost WR Willie Ponder to the pros but are deep and skilled."

The rating by Moss, while unofficial, is going to fuel even more fan interest in a program that had a breakthrough season last year and appears poised to join the ranks of the nation's elite.

Southeast's season opener, set for Aug. 28 at Division I-A Ohio, is still roughly two months away, but the hype and anticipation are already building.

And that can do nothing but help a program that, until last year, hadn't drawn much attention of any kind for quite some time.

While Street & Smith's had no OVC team in its preseason top 25, TSN's Moss lists three OVC squads in his informal preseason top 40.

Eastern Illinois, despite losing star quarterback Tony Romo and being picked sixth out of nine OVC teams by Street & Smith's, is ranked 10th by Moss, who writes: "Tony Romo and J.R. Taylor are gone from the backfield, but the Panthers still have more talent than anyone in the OVC."

That's debatable, but time will tell.

Moss ranks Eastern Kentucky 28th and Murray State 36th to round out the OVC representation.

Overall, Moss has Georgia Southern No. 1. Southern Illinois checks in at No. 40.

It won't become official until early this week, but Southeast's men's basketball program has apparently landed an impressive coach to round out its staff.

Mark Bernsen, a former head coach at Southwest Missouri State who has long been known nationally as a top-flight recruiter, is expected to fill the assistant's position vacated by Keno Davis when he left for Drake.

Bernsen has also been an assistant at Murray State and spent the last five years as the head coach at Division II Missouri-St. Louis.

Still on the subject of Southeast men's basketball, the Indians landed another touted recruit Thursday when Terrick Willoughby signed with the Tribe.

Willoughby was rated one of the top 10 high school players in Mississippi last season and originally signed with Murray State, which should give Southeast fans an idea about his ability. The Racers aren't known for signing plodders.

Willoughby, who was released from his letter of intent with Murray State when the Racers made a coaching change, could redshirt as a freshman at Southeast next season. Either way, he should give the Indians a solid young player for the future.

Here's a quick shout out to Amy "The Flash" Ware, Alyson Mell and Mistie Senciboy, who expertly helped run the press box at Capaha Field during Friday night's doubleheader between the Craftsman Union Capahas and the Saline County (Ill.) Monarchs.

The trio of Southeast students, who love baseball and definitely know the game, will hopefully become a fixture at Capahas games the rest of the summer.

Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention veteran Capaha Field announcer George Renick -- who has faithfully devoted his time to help out at Capahas and Cape American Legion games for the past several years -- along with Matt Kruszynski, a Southeast student who has done a tremendous job in the booth.

With people like that to hang around with, it's no wonder I have such a good time covering area summer baseball.

It's not too early for area baseball fans to mark their calendars for the National Baseball Congress Mid-South Regional Tournament next month at Capaha Field.

The annual event hosted by the Craftsman Union Capahas is set for two weekends, July 11 to 13 and July 18 to 20. The winner earns a bid to the NBC World Series in Wichita, Kan.

After surprisingly failing to win the regional title last season, the Capahas will no doubt be bent on revenge this year.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.