Redhawks' streaking Horstman makes the OVC's first team

Eric Horstman, who has two impressive streaks going, is Southeast Missouri State's lone representative on the all-Ohio Valley Conference first or second teams.

The OVC baseball honors, voted on by the league's coaches and sports information directors, were announced Tuesday night in Paducah, Ky., on the eve of the OVC Tournament.

Horstman, a senior third baseman who made the first team, has hit safely in 24 consecutive games and has reached base safely in 46 straight games, which is believed to be the longest active streak in the nation.

A native of Omaha, Neb., Horstman is batting .355, which leads the Redhawks and ranks eighth in the OVC. He is also first on the squad in runs scored with 47, triples with two and in stolen bases with 10, while being caught just twice. Horstman has 12 doubles, one home run and 26 runs batted in.

Last year, after transferring from junior college, Horstman made second team all-OVC as he hit a team-high .368. He ranks in the top 10 in career batting average at Southeast.

Morehead State senior second baseman Lance Seasor was named OVC Player of the Year and Austin Peay junior left-hander Rowdy Hardy was named OVC Pitcher of the Year.

Seasor, who plays in the summer for the Cape Girardeau Capahas, ranks among league leaders in eight of 11 offensive categories. He is batting .374 with 14 home runs, 15 doubles, 57 runs scored and 47 RBIs.

Hardy is 10-5 with seven complete games and 2.12 earned-run average. He leads the OVC in victories, ERA and innings pitched for the second straight year.

Jacksonville State won the league's other two major awards as pitcher Donovan Hand is the Freshman of the Year and Jim Case is the Coach of the Year after leading the Gamecocks to the OVC regular-season title.

Hand (9-3, 2.92) is second in the league in wins and ERA.

Austin Peay garnered the most all-conference selections overall with eight players named to the first and second teams, while Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State and Morehead State each had a league-high three players receive first team All-OVC honors.