Southeast baseball opens season today in Arkansas

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team left frigid Cape Girardeau on Thursday afternoon in search of warmer climates.

While things won't be balmy in Pine Bluff, Ark., the Redhawks should be able to open their season tonight.

Southeast and the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff are scheduled to throw the first pitch of a three-game series at 6 p.m.

There will be 1 p.m. single contests Saturday and Sunday. A doubleheader originally was slated for Saturday, but that is no longer the case.

The forecast in Pine Bluff calls for temperatures in the mid-40s today, with a 30 percent chance of rain. Things get nicer over the weekend, with partly sunny skies and temperatures around 51 degrees Saturday and 58 degrees Sunday.

"We got out of Cape fine [Thursday afternoon] and we're looking forward to playing baseball," Southeast coach Mark Hogan said. "The rain is supposed to clear out [by tonight], so we should be good to go.

"I know the guys are excited about getting on the field."

Especially since the run of nasty weather in Cape Girardeau has prevented the Redhawks from practicing at Capaha Field.

The Redhawks have worked out inside Houck Field House and outside on the FieldTurf football surface at Houck Stadium.

"The football field has been a blessing for us," Hogan said. "We're able to go out there and take fly balls, ground balls, run the bases, work on bunting. We can basically do everything there we could do at Capaha except hit live pitching.

"Without that, we would be so far behind. Our timing might be a little bit off, but I think we'll be pretty much ready to play."

The Redhawks are looking forward to finally setting foot on a baseball field.

"After working out inside and on the football field, it's going to be nice to finally get out there," senior ace pitcher Dustin Renfrow said. "We're ready to play some games."

Hogan said sophomore left-hander Josh Syberg will get the start in tonight's opener. Syberg was a member of the regular rotation last year, going 4-4 with a 4.32 ERA.

Renfrow, the squad's No. 1 hurler, likely will work a couple of innings tonight, according to Hogan.

Hogan plans to have Renfrow start Tuesday's contest at the University of Arkansas that will conclude Southeast's season-opening road swing.

Renfrow went 5-1 with a 2.46 ERA last season, the latter figure ranking third in the Ohio Valley Conference and 40th nationally. He made second-team all-OVC.

Junior lefty James Leigh, who was 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA in limited action last year, will start Saturday's game.

Leigh has battled arm problems in recent years, but was drafted twice -- by the White Sox in the 39th round in 2004 and by the Twins in the 37th round in 2005 -- before he got to Southeast. Hogan said he now appears to be strong and healthy.

Either junior college transfers Josh Manning or Todd Strahlendorf will get the nod Sunday, Hogan said.

Southeast leads the all-time series with Arkansas-Pine Bluff 3-0, having swept a three-game series in Cape Girardeau last season by scores of 5-0, 8-3 and 19-0.

Arkansas leads the series with Southeast 4-3, although the Redhawks won the two most recent meetings in 2002.

Following their opening road swing, the Redhawks are scheduled to play eight of their next nine games at home, starting Feb. 29 against Northern Colorado.