Redhawks' season ends quietly at OVC tourney

I don't think Southeast Missouri State's latest two-and-out performance at the Ohio Valley Conference baseball tournament should detract from the solid season the Redhawks had.

But I know it's disturbing to coach Mark Hogan that the Redhawks haven't been able to fare any better at the OVC tournament the past two seasons.

Southeast went 0-2 at the six-team event for the second straight year with a pair of 10-inning defeats last week in Jackson, Tenn.

That performance also continued a trend that has seen Southeast stumble to the finish line in both 2009 and 2010.

The 2009 Redhawks lost nine of their final 10 games while this year's squad dropped 10 of its last 14 contests.

Still, it's hard to rate this season anything but successful after the Redhawks exceeded expectations held by most people outside the program.

The Redhawks were picked seventh in the nine-team OVC after graduating many of their top players from last year, then suffered several early season-ending injuries to key players.

Southeast, featuring 19 newcomers, overcame all of that to finish fourth in the OVC and go 30-25 for the program's eighth season of at least 30 wins, all under Hogan.

The Redhawks also extended their league record of consecutive conference tournament appearances to 16. They have never missed out on the postseason event under Hogan.

With only three seniors this season -- although catcher Jim Klocke, among the program's all-time greats, and pitcher Kyle Gumieny, the team leader in wins, are major losses -- the Redhawks should be set up for a strong campaign in 2010.

And maybe all that returning experience will translate into a better finish along with a strong run at an OVC tournament championship that has eluded Southeast since 2002.

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Jacksonville State continued its reign as the OVC's best baseball team since joining the conference in 2004.

The second-seeded Gamecocks won their third OVC tournament title during that seven-year period by beating top-seeded Tennessee Tech 10-8 Sunday.

JSU, which went undefeated in the tournament, has the OVC's best league record since coming into the conference.

The Gamecocks have captured two OVC regular-season crowns and have played in the OVC tournament championship series six of the past seven years.

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The Plaza Tire Capahas open another season Friday when they host Valmeyer, Ill., in an 8 p.m. first pitch.

Jess Bolen enters his 44th season as manager with a 1,358-360 record.

It wasn't among the Capahas' better campaigns last year as they went 20-12 and lost both their games in the National Baseball Congress World Series, although they did qualify for their 28th straight NBC World Series.

I'll have a season preview of the team later this week.

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What figures to be an exciting area American Legion baseball season kicked off over the weekend.

While Jackson has been solid in recent years, Cape Girardeau Ford & Sons Post 63 experienced a bounce-back season last summer under a new coaching staff featuring former Southeast All-Americans and minor league players Todd Pennington and Steve Williams.

Cape's tradition-rich program that has won five state championships and numerous district titles dipped badly in recent years but rebounded in 2009 to go 31-15 and win its first District 14 tournament title since 2003.

With a host of key players returning, along with some talented newcomers, Cape should be strong. And as a bonus, Post 63 will host the zone tournament in late July.

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Former Southeast women's basketball assistant Kevin Emerick recently resigned his position as coach at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Mo., to go into private business.

Emerick compiled a four-year record of 129-11 at Jefferson College to rank as the nation's most successful junior college women's basketball coach during that period.

Under Emerick, the Vikings did not lose a conference or region game. They also did not lose at home or on the road in the regular season. The 11 losses during Emerick's reign occurred at national tournaments or neutral sites.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.