SE TO OPEN OVC TOURNEY AGAINST EIU

Southeast Missouri State University will face Eastern Illinois at 10 a.m. Thursday in a first-round elimination game of the Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Tournament in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

The six-team tourney hosted by Middle Tennessee State will feature three other games Thursday, including one other opening-round elimination contest.

Following fourth-seeded Southeast vs. fifth-seeded Eastern Illinois, third-seeded Austin Peay will play sixth-seeded Eastern Kentucky at 1:30 p.m. The losers of those two games are out of the tournament.

Then the tourney becomes a true double-elimination affair. Later Thursday, either Southeast or Eastern Illinois will play top-seeded Middle Tennessee State at 5, followed by either Austin Peay or Eastern Kentucky facing No. 2 Tennessee Tech at 8:30.

There will be three games Friday, an elimination contest at noon, the winner's bracket final at 3:30 and another elimination game at 7.

The championship game is set for 3 p.m. Saturday. A second title contest, if needed, would follow.

Southeast is 21-31 overall after going 11-13 in regular-season OVC play. Eastern Illinois is 25-27 overall and 13-11 in league play.

The Indians qualified for the tournament by beating Morehead State 10-8 Sunday and, by way of Eastern Kentucky's loss to Eastern Illinois, claimed the No. 5 seed in the tourney.

Southeast swept Eastern Illinois in a three-game series during the regular season, but the Panthers have won four straight entering the tournament.

Indians' coach Mark Hogan believes his team can be a factor in the conference tourney.

"I think we are going to make some noise in the tournament," he said. "We match up very well with Eastern Illinois, but they are playing a lot better right now. We just need to get that first game under our belt and then go on from there."