Redhawks stoke baseball fever with victories

I think most Southeast Missouri State baseball fans were excited about the season anyway. What the Redhawks did over the weekend in Tuscaloosa, Ala., surely has fueled the fire. For the first time in the program's Division I history, Southeast won a series from a nationally ranked team as the Redhawks took two of three at No. 16 Alabama. After dropping Friday's opener 5-1, the Redhawks dominated the final two games, 8-3 on Saturday and 8-4 on Sunday. Southeast had posted its share of victories over nationally ranked squads under highly successful 15th-year coach Mark Hogan, and now the Redhawks have captured a series from a top-20 program. College baseball is a long season, and what the Redhawks did in Alabama doesn't guarantee an Ohio Valley Conference championship or even a big year. But it sure is a good start for the Redhawks, who now gear up for a monster homestand that has them scheduled to play 14 of their next 15 games at Capaha Field, beginning at 1 p.m. Tuesday against Lyon College. n Southeast isn't involved, but the OVC has quite a race going for its regular-season men's basketball championship entering the final week of play. Tennessee-Martin has surged into first place as the Skyhawks chase their first OVC title. At 12-3 in league play, they lead 12-4 Morehead State by one-half game. The Skyhawks started their conference schedule with two straight losses and were 1-3. Since then, they've won 11 straight OVC games. UT-Martin has three tough tests remaining: at Murray State tonight, at home against Eastern Kentucky on Thursday and at home Saturday against Morehead State in a matchup that could decide the crown. Morehead State plays at Murray State on Thursday in an ESPNU battle before finishing up at UT-Martin. But if either the Skyhawks or Eagles stumble, two-time defending OVC regular-season champion Austin Peay still could gain a share of the crown, as could Murray State. Both teams have five league losses. n While Southeast's women won't extend their string of OVC regular-season championships, they did turn in quite a performance Thursday with a 69-51 home rout of Murray State. That victory has the Redhawks in decent shape for a first-round OVC tournament home game, a reward that goes to the top four finishers. The Redhawks (15-12, 10-6) are tied for fourth with Morehead State, two games behind third-place Tennessee State. Southeast finishes up at Tennessee State on Thursday and Austin Peay on Saturday. Meanwhile, Tennessee State still has a tough test with Eastern Illinois, and Morehead State still has a rugged date with Murray State. So if the Redhawks win out, you've got to like their chances for a home-court berth. n The nightmare season for Southeast's men will come to a merciful end this week. The Redhawks will try to avoid becoming the seventh men's basketball team in the 61-year history of the OVC to go winless in conference play. It has happened just once since 1978-79, by Tennessee State in 2002-03. If the Redhawks (3-25, 0-16) don't win at either Tennessee State or Austin Peay, they'll join that dubious group. n Interestingly, there have been more winless OVC women's basketball teams than men's squads, and in far fewer chances. This is only the 32nd season for OVC women's hoops, but nine clubs have finished without a conference victory, most recently Tennessee State in 2005-06. Like Southeast's men, UT-Martin's women (2-24, 0-15) are threatening to join the club. n Former Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog was in Cape Girardeau on Tuesday to meet with new Southeast athletic director John Shafer and promote Jay Spoonhour as the Redhawks' next basketball coach. I interviewed Herzog, who spent a few minutes talking to the Southeast baseball team following his lunch with Shafer and a few Southeast supporters Herzog knows. Herzog would not confirm the reason he initiated a meeting with Shafer was to pump up Spoonhour for the job, but reliable sources told me that's indeed the case. Herzog and former coach Charlie Spoonhour — Jay's dad — are longtime friends. Jay Spoonhour was one of three finalists for the Southeast coaching position the last time it came open following the 2005-06 season. Jay Spoonhour has been an assistant at several universities, including Missouri, Saint Louis and UNLV. He was UNLV's interim coach during the final month of the 2003-04 season. In 2000-01, Spoonhour was named the national junior college coach of the year after leading Wabash (Ill.) Valley College to a 36-1 record and the national title in his first and only season at the school. Spoonhour has been out of coaching this season. n In my recent preview of the Southeast baseball season, I wrote that Notre Dame graduate Kirk Boeller transferred from Mineral Area College. It turns out I received some incorrect information. Boeller, a junior pitcher, has been attending Southeast since leaving Notre Dame, but this is his first year to play college baseball. n One more Southeast baseball note: The coaching staff is looking for ball boys in grades 4 through 8 to help retrieve foul balls at home games beginning with Tuesday's home opener. Perks for youngsters working a minimum of eight games include a free Southeast baseball hat, a free Southeast baseball T-shirt and free attendance at one of Southeast's camps. For more information, call 986-6002. There is also a signup form on the Southeast website at gosoutheast.com. n Congratulations to Jackson's Blake Peiffer for bringing home a state wrestling championship. I'm looking forward to covering Peiffer during his football career at Southeast. Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.