SE DREAMING OF SPOT IN NCAA BASEBALL TOURNEY

As Southeast Missouri State University's baseball Indians continue to prepare for their NCAA play-in series with Southern University, coach Mark Hogan marvels at just how much of a true team effort this season has been so far.

"It seems like we've had different people coming through all the time," said Hogan as he put the Indians through a workout at Capaha Field. "We've had so many good performances from so many people."

Hogan certainly hopes that continues this weekend, when the Indians (30-22) and visiting Jaguars (31-14) square off in a best-of-three series to determine an NCAA Tournament berth.

The series will open Friday at 6 p.m. with one game. The second game will be played Saturday at 1 p.m. If needed, a third and final contest will also be played Saturday. Tickets each day are $6 for adults and $3 for students.

"I think it's going to be a heck of a series," said Hogan. "There should be some great baseball. It's an exciting time for our baseball program."

It's certainly an exciting time for the Southeast players, who are relishing the possibility of participating in an NCAA Regional next week -- but realize that beating Southern will be no easy chore.

"Getting to play in the NCAA Tournament will be a great feeling," said junior left fielder Charlie Marino, the Indians' top power hitter who has 20 home runs to tie the single-season school record.

Said sophomore third baseman Darin Kinsolving, "It (making the NCAA tourney) would be a dream come true. But I know we're going to have a really tough series this weekend."

While the Indians have been solid offensively most of the season, they really picked things up during last weekend's Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.

In going 3-0 and winning the OVC tourney for the first time ever, Southeast batted a sizzling .385 as a team.

"That dynamic possibility was there the whole time," Hogan said. "Hopefully we'll be able to continue to produce with the bats like that."

The Indians' recent hot surge at the plate has boosted the team's batting average to .302 and seven of the nine regulars are hitting better than .300.

Junior second baseman Kyle Yount leads the way at .346, followed by sophomore center fielder Jeremy Johnson (.339), freshman first baseman Jeff Bourbon (.327), Marino (.326), junior shortstop Steve Lowe (.313), Kinsolving (.309) and sophomore right fielder Phil Warren (.309).

Johnson, the OVC Tournament MVP, and Warren have been particularly hot in recent weeks as they have bumped up their averages considerably.

"Jeremy has probably boosted his average 50 or 60 points in the last few weeks and so has Phil," Hogan said. "That's what I mean by different people coming through for us. It's really made us a dangerous lineup because we've got guys hitting up and down."

While Marino leads the squad in home runs, three other Indians are in double figures in that category. Junior designated hitter Robert Kern has 15 homers while Johnson and Kinsolving both have 12.

Marino also leads the team in runs batted in with 47, followed by Johnson with 43 and Kern with 42. Three more players have at least 30: Bourbon, 38; Kinsolving, 34; and Yount, 30.

In the pitching department, junior lefthander Ryan Spille continues to lead the way with a 10-1 record an a 2.34 earned-run average. Spille is one win away from tying the school single-season record for victories, held by Bryan Harper in 1988.

Jason Swearingen, the only senior on the team, is 7-5 with a 4.07 ERA. The righthander has 27 victories in his career, putting him a win away from tying the school mark of 28.

Sophomore righthander Dan Huesgen is 6-3 with a 5.45 ERA.