SEMO SOFTBALL TEAM NCAA BOUND; OTAHKS CRUISE TO OVC TOURNEY TITLE

MARTIN, Tenn. -- Southeast Missouri State University's softball team left no doubt as to who is the Ohio Valley Conference's best squad.

And as a result, the Otahkians are headed for the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first time in school history.

The top-seeded Otahkians completed a dominant OVC Tournament here Sunday, first crushing second-seeded Middle Tennessee 9-0 in five innings in the winner's bracket final and then routing fifth-seeded Eastern Illinois 7-1 for the championship.

Southeast, the OVC regular-season champion for the fifth straight season, won its fourth consecutive OVC tourney title. The Otahkians, now 30-15, earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. This year marks the first time that the OVC receives an automatic NCAA bid.

"It's a great feeling," said Southeast coach Lana Richmond. "Our goal since we've been Division I has to make it to the NCAA Tournament. It's taken us eight years, but we're finally there."

The Otahkians left little doubt as to their NCAA fate over the weekend, going 4-0 and outscoring the opposition 26-3. Saturday, Southeast beat Tennessee-Martin 5-0 and Tennessee Tech 5-2.

"We just had a great weekend," said Richmond. "Our pitchers gave up three runs and our hitting really came through. We talked all week long about how the key to he tournament would be hitting. We really executed offensively and we had so many different people contribute."

Junior outfielder Kelsey White, a transfer from Rend Lake (Ill.) College, was named the tournament's most valuable player after getting eight hits in the four games.

"I was very surprised. I was shocked," said White of receiving the MVP award. "But it's definitely a team thing. We just really came together this weekend and showed everything that we had."

Other Otahkians making the all-tourney squad were shortstop Jenny Oermann, catcher Renee Enos and pitchers Christine Engelhardt and Debbie Schmelz. Saturday, Oermann was named the OVC Player of the Year. Engelhardt and Schmelz each won two games in the tournament.

Richmond said she was surprised Saturday when only two Otahkians -- Oermann and Schmelz -- were named first-team all-OVC. Middle Tennessee had four picks and Tennessee Tech three even though both finished behind Southeast in the regular season.

"I definitely feel we got slighted," she said. "But when I told the girls, they said they don't care, all the want is to make it to the NCAAs."

Sunday, White went 4-for-8 and drove in five runs. Oermann also went 4-for-8 while Ricki DeArmon went 3-for-7 and Anne Trieb went 3-for-4 with a home run and four runs scored. Tami Hebert also homered.

Engelhardt (16-5) pitched the shutout against Middle Tennessee in a game that was stopped after five innings by the run rule. Engelhardt, who did not give up a run in the tourney, allowed just three hits while striking out four and walking none.

Southeast had 10 hits, three by White and two by Oermann and Enos. White had three RBIs.

Schmelz (14-10) hurled the win over Eastern Illinois. She allowed five hits while fanning three and walking one.

The Otahkians had 12 hits, three by DeArmon and two by Oermann, Trieb and Michelle Frank.

For the tournament, the Otahkians banged out 43 hits.

Now the Otahkians will continue practicing in anticipation of the NCAA pairings that will be announced May 16.