Redhawks deserve praise for remarkable come-from-behind win

Who knows how the rest of the season will go for the Southeast Missouri State baseball team.

But if the Redhawks wind up winning the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title, they might look back on what happened last Sunday at Austin Peay as a pivotal point.

After losing both ends of the Saturday doubleheader, the Redhawks trailed 10-2 in the seventh inning of the series finale and appeared all but certain of being swept.

But the Redhawks staged a near-miraculous rally and won 16-14 in 12 innings to stay in second place in the OVC, one game behind Jacksonville State.

After splitting Saturday's home doubleheader with Eastern Illinois, Southeast finds itself in a three-way tie for the OVC lead, joining Jacksonville State and Austin Peay at the top of the 10-team conference.

The Redhawks deserve all kinds of props for last Sunday's comeback because it would have been human nature to basically shut things down and give in to what looked like an inevitable loss.

Instead, Southeast kept plugging away and pulled off one of those comebacks that might only happen every decade or so, if that often.

Now we'll see if the Redhawks -- who have 10 conference games left, including today's series finale with Eastern Illinois at Capaha Field -- will be able to look back on that triumph at Austin Peay as the one that catapulted them to an OVC championship.

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There was an especially big crowd at Saturday's doubleheader -- the official attendance was listed as a season-high 1,132 -- probably partly because the weather was nice, partly because the Redhawks are having a good season and also partly because the beer was free.

Saturday marked the first of Southeast's three annual free beer days -- that's not what they're called, but that's what they basically are -- with the three local beer distributorships providing their products.

Kohlfeld Distributing, along with Health Facilities Rehab -- which chipped in hot dogs and soda -- was Saturday's game sponsor, with Bluff City Beer sponsoring Wednesday night's contest against Arkansas State and River Eagle Distributing sponsoring the May 12 doubleheader against Morehead State.

And for the people who are certain to get all worked up, like a few years ago, about what a disgrace it is that the university allows these types of promotions to go on -- they've only been happening for at least the past 15 years -- I have just two words for you:

Lighten up.

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It felt like a Southeast head coaching football reunion Saturday at Capaha Field as the last three men to lead the Redhawks' gridiron program mingled during the doubleheader.

Current boss Tony Samuel and former coaches Tim Billings and John Mumford were all in attendance.

Billings, who coached Southeast from 2000 through 2005, and Mumford, who directed the program from 1990 through 1999, told me they just happened to be visiting friends in the area and it was merely a coincidence that they picked the same weekend to be in town.

Regardless of the circumstances, for me personally it was great to run into two coaches I hold in high regard who I don't have the privilege of seeing much these days.

Both Billings and Mumford, who had their share of success at Southeast, have moved on to be assistants at Division I-A programs.

Billings is the wide receivers coach at Wake Forest, and Mumford is the defensive coordinator at Army.

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For Southeast basketball fans wondering if the scholarship that became available when Dionte Perry decided to transfer would be used on a point guard, that is exactly what has happened.

The Redhawks are expected to sign Seward County (Kan.) Community College sophomore Hank Harris in the next few days.

Harris, a 5-foot-11, 175-pounder, averaged nine points and four assists per game last season.

Originally from Topeka, Kan., Harris shot 47.8 percent from the field overall, 29.7 percent from 3-point range and 74.4 percent from the free-throw line.

Harris is said to be very quick, a strong defender and a good penetrator, although his outside shooting is suspect, as evidenced by his 3-point percentage.

I've been told that Harris probably won't be able to beat out Roderick Pearson as the starting point guard, but he should be a very capable backup, which is something the Redhawks might have been lacking after Paul Paradoski's decision to transfer a while back.

Assuming nobody else leaves the program -- I don't anticipate any more defections -- Harris would also fill Southeast's last remaining scholarship.

As for where that leaves Herbert Terry, who practiced with the team last season but was ineligible for games while paying his own way, I don't really know, but there doesn't appear to be any way he'll be placed on scholarship.

In fact, I continue to hear that it's doubtful Terry will even be around next year, but that remains to be seen.

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Southeast basketball coach Scott Edgar has not ruled out signing more players, even though Southeast currently has no available scholarships.

A recent article in the Springfield News-Leader should pretty much explain how Edgar and most coaches approach that situation.

Missouri State recently signed two junior college players, which puts the Bears one over the scholarship limit, but according to the newspaper, Missouri State coach Barry Hinson has said in the past that "the situation will work itself out" should it occur.

Edgar has told me on many occasions much the same thing, about how those types of situations always work themselves out.

The bottom line is that coaches are never going to pass up signing a player they believe can really make their team better. Then they'll figure out a way to properly crunch all the scholarship numbers.

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I wrote last week about how the NCAA Division I management council had recommended a ban on text messaging from coaches to recruits.

Unlike restrictions on phone calls and in-person visits, there have been no limits on coaches sending text messages to recruits, which brought complaints about being intrusive and costly to the student-athletes.

Well, Thursday the NCAA board of directors approved a ban eliminating all text messages from coaches to recruits beginning in August, but left open the possibility of revisiting the legislation as early as next year.

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Best wishes to Scepter Brownlee as he leaves his position as an assistant Southeast basketball coach to take a similar post at Georgia State.

Scepter told me he probably would not have departed Southeast, but his fiancee recently took a job in Atlanta, where Georgia State is located, and he just felt it was time for the two to be together after they had been apart the past few years.

I only got to know Scepter the one year he was at Southeast, but he's a fine young man and I expect him to go far in the coaching profession.

Now Edgar has two staff spots to fill, after Toby Lane departed last week for Miami (Fla.) University.

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The Southeast softball team has in recent years lacked the type of quality pitching that marked the program's dominant run in the OVC during the mid-to-late 1990s.

That's basically the reason the Redhawks have not been much of a factor in the conference this decade and are in serious danger of missing the OVC tournament for the first time ever.

But there has been nothing wrong with the Redhawks' offense the past few seasons, and this year another player threatens to join the school record books.

Freshman Stacia Dopudja has hit 12 home runs to break the single-season school record that junior Michelle Summers tied last year.

Summers, who has 10 homers this season and could still catch Dopudja, already has shattered the school's career home run mark with 31.

A host of other Redhawks, including junior Megan McDonald from Central High School, have also put up big offensive numbers in recent years.

Now the task for Southeast's coaching staff is to recruit the type of arms that can match the Redhawks' bats.

By the way, Southeast will have its final home game Wednesday, against Eastern Illinois.

The youthful Redhawks feature only two seniors in Lindsay Pickering and Stephanie Mata, so if the pitching can be shored up, there is certainly the possibility for a bounce-back season next year.

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Hopefully the three Southeast football products who completed their eligibility in 2006 and are considered NFL prospects will receive an opportunity in a team's training camp.

Defensive end Edgar Jones still has a chance to be drafted in today's late rounds, while punter David Simonhoff and wide receiver Oge Oge are more likely candidates to sign as free agents.

Jones, even if he is not drafted, and Simonhoff figure to land with an NFL organization some time today as squads snap up preferred free agents quickly once the draft ends. Oge also hopes to join that mix.

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Now that the Rams have acquired return man Dante Hall, it makes you wonder what the future with St. Louis holds for Southeast product Willie Ponder, who joined the Rams as their kickoff return man last year.

Even if Ponder's days are numbered with the Rams, you've got to think the former NFL leader in kickoff return yardage will find a home with another franchise.

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Congrats to Central baseball coach Steve Williams for recently picking up his 250th career win with the Tigers.

That's a lot of victories, particularly for high school ball, where the seasons are not very long.

I know Williams has his share of critics -- what coach doesn't? -- but he's done a really good job at Central, which should feel fortunate to have a coach of his caliber.

Name me another high school baseball coach in Southeast Missouri who was a Class AAA standout and very nearly reached the major leagues.

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Former Southeast assistant men's basketball coach Anthony Beane is back in the collegiate ranks.

Beane, who spent last year as the head coach at Soldan High School in St. Louis, was recently hired for his second stint as an assistant at Illinois State.

Beane, a Bernie native, spent three seasons as an assistant at Southeast, including the NCAA tournament campaign of 1999-2000 under Gary Garner.

After leaving Southeast in 2000, Beane went to Illinois State for two seasons, then spent four seasons at St. Louis University before getting out of the collegiate coaching ranks last year.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian