Smith hits his stride, lands in No. 2 pitching position

It's not that Brandon Smith was horrible during his first three years as a Southeast Missouri State University pitcher.

But his statistics entering this season gave no indication that he would develop into one of the Indians' top hurlers and also one of the best in the Ohio Valley Conference.

So what happened?

"That's a question a lot of people have been asking me," Smith said. "It's nothing I can really pinpoint. I guess it's just a matter of growing up, and the coaches have shown a lot more confidence in me."

Smith won the OVC Pitcher of the Week award Monday after coming within three outs of a no-hitter and finishing with a one-hitter during Saturday's 2-0 shutout of Eastern Kentucky. Smith is the first Southeast baseball player to be honored by the league this season.

Smith, who has established himself as Southeast's No. 2 starter behind ace Brad Purcell, is 5-1 and tied for the OVC lead in victories while ranking fourth in earned-run average (3.80). In 45 innings, he's allowed 42 hits while striking out 38 and walking 17.

That's a far cry from the past three seasons, when the senior right-hander from Eureka, Mo., was a collective 4-5 with a 5.84 ERA as a reliever and spot starter. Last year, he had a 7.02 ERA.

"It's a lot better than it has been the last couple of years, when I struggled," Smith said. "I'm not really doing anything different, except the ups and downs used to effect me a lot more. I'm not letting things get to me as much."

Southeast coach Mark Hogan said Smith has made a somewhat natural progression from a young pitcher into an experienced one.

"The big thing with Brandon has been his maturity level," Hogan said. "He's always had the nice arm, but I just think things have clicked for him this year and he's doing a really good job."

Smith has the kind of arm, according to Hogan, that makes professional scouts take notice.

"We've had a lot of inquiries about Brandon," Hogan said. "He'll have a good chance to play baseball beyond this level."

Said Smith, "I'd love to play pro ball, but that's not my focus. I just want to keep doing well and help the team as much as possible."

Indians play today

Southeast (13-12, 4-2 OVC) will have a break from the conference schedule today when Arkansas State (10-15) visits Capaha Field for a 3 p.m. matchup. The Indians will have another non-league game Wednesday, at Evansville, then will host Tennessee-Martin in a three-game OVC series this weekend.

The Indians won 2-1 in 11 innings at Arkansas State on March 5 for their first victory of the season after opening with five straight losses.

Southeast is second in the OVC, one-half game behind Morehead State (6-3).

mmishow@semissourian.com

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