Redhawks bring hot bats into contest

~ Southeast ranks second in OVC hitting entering today's game vs. Freed-Hardeman

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team will look to build on its impressive home record today and remain hot at the plate.

Southeast will reach the halfway point of its 10-game homestand with a 3 p.m. contest against Freed-Hardeman.

The Redhawks, 7-8 overall, are 6-1 at Capaha Field this year. The Lions, an NAIA squad from Henderson, Tenn., are 13-7 and have won five straight.

"We've played well at home, and hopefully we can continue that this week," said Southeast coach Mark Hogan, whose team welcomes Valparaiso for a three-game series Friday through Sunday.

Southeast, despite losing several of its top hitters from last year and losing several key position players to injury this season, is batting .329 as a unit. That figure ranks second in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Junior college transfers Casey Jones and Tim Rupp pace the Redhawks at .487 and .425, respectively.

Jones, who has played third base and DH, leads the OVC in hitting. Rupp, Southeast's second baseman, is third.

Ky Burgess, another juco transfer who has played catcher, first base and DH, is hitting .367 but remains sidelined with a shoulder injury suffered over the weekend. There is hope he will be able to return soon.

Taylor Heon, also a juco transfer, was batting .368 through six games when the second baseman was lost for the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Michael Adamson, yet another juco transfer who plays left field and also serves as a reliever, is hitting .358 while leading the Redhawks with seven doubles and 15 RBIs. He is tied for fourth in the OVC in doubles.

Other regulars above .300 are junior center fielder Blake Slattery (.357), a Central High School product, and sophomore shortstop Kenton Parmley (.306).

"We've hit just about everybody we've faced. It's really encouraging with all the injuries we've faced," Hogan said. "We're getting production up and down the lineup."

Senior center fielder Nick Harris, a starter since his freshman year, played just one game before suffering a season-ending elbow injury.

Junior Trenton Moses, a starter at third base since he was a freshman, played in just four games before being lost to a shoulder injury. It is not known if the Advance, Mo., product will be able to return this season.

"I've never had anything happen like this, with so many injuries," Hogan said. "It's been unbelievable."

Hogan plans to use several pitchers today who did not see action over the weekend when Southeast took two of three from visiting North Dakota.

Juco transfer Nick Thomas will start, while Hogan said Adamson and freshman Shae Simmons from Scott City also will see action.

"They need some work," Hogan said.

Southeast's pitching staff, a weak link last season, has improved considerably as the Redhawks are second in the OVC with a 5.29 ERA.

All three of Southeast's primary starters have an ERA under 4.00, led by juco transfer left-hander Logan Mahon (2-0, 3.13) and senior Kyle Gumieny (2-0, 3.28). They are fifth and sixth in the OVC in ERA and fourth in victories.

"We've still got a lot of work to do. We need to cut down on our walks," said Hogan, noting Southeast's 85 free passes in 133 2/3 innings. "But overall I've been pretty pleased with our pitching so far."

Freed-Hardeman is a traditionally strong NAIA program that went 33-16 last season and has compiled 65 wins over the past two years.

The Lions lost 27 players from their 2009 club, including four first-team all-conference performers, but still are off to a solid start.

Southeast beat up on the Lions the last time the squads met, sweeping a two-game series in 2007 by scores of 5-0 and 27-16.

That 27-16 decision set Southeast's school record for runs. The Redhawks also tied an NCAA record with three grand slams in the contest.