Southeast Missouri State baseball breakdown

Filling holes

Clayton Evans missed the final 10 games of the regular season as a junior due to injury, and shortly after his clearance the center fielder tore his ACL, which will keep him out this year.

With a redshirt still available, Evans will be able to play his senior season in 2017, but it leaves the Redhawks with another outfield spot to fill in 2016.

"He had the Tommy John and then he'd just got released and like a week later he tore his ACL, so he's got another whole year of rehab before he'll be healthy," Southeast coach Steve Bieser said.

Bieser said there are a handful of players that have the speed to take over in center field, but junior Dan Holst, a transfer from Southwestern Illinois, will get the nod to start in Evans' place.

Senior Garrett Gandolfo, who primarily served as Southeast's designated hitter last year, will begin the season in left field while junior Daniel Costello, a transfer from Navarro, will start out in right.

Junior Chris Osborne, who redshirted due to an ankle injury after transferring from Edmonds Community College last year, rounds out the crew of outfielders, and Bieser said he's "probably the best defender out of that entire group."

"They're all left-handed hitters so there's times where we'll see Hunter Leeper in the outfield -- who does a really good job in the outfield -- to get an extra right-handed bat in the lineup, but right now Hunter's kind of tabbed to be our everyday third baseman," Bieser said. "... That's really our group of outfielders that we have. Before it's all over, who knows, we might see Ryan Rippee in the outfield and one of our other guys that can handle first base at first base, so all of that'll play its way out."

'Leep' year

Southeast Missouri State's Hunter Leeper singles against Austin Peay during the second inning Sunday, April 5, 2015 at Capaha Field. Fred Lynch

In one game last season, Hunter Leeper attempted to play all nine positions, but came up short at seven.

Now, as a senior, Leeper looks like he's found a more permanent home on the diamond as Bieser plans to use him as his everyday third baseman. Andy Lennington concluded his Southeast career last season and was the starting third baseman until a hamstring injury sidelined him. Trevor Ezell, one of the Ohio Valley Conference's top freshmen, stepped in and started the final 33 games at third, where he committed just five errors. Now Ezell moves to second to replace Jason Blum.

"As good as Trevor was at third, I mean, Hunter's a better third baseman than what Trevor was," Bieser said. "I think it puts Trevor back in his more natural position that fits him better for a lot of different reasons. I mean, he's super quick and he can actually use his range and quickness to get to a lot of balls where third base is more just a reaction.

"But Hunter's played the left side of the infield. He was a shortstop all the way up until he got to us, and he's very comfortable over there and he's just been phenomenal as a third baseman. ... He's just been really good. I like our infield from a defensive standpoint. It's a very good infield."

Senior Branden Boggetto remains the starting shortstop after starting all 59 games a year ago and committing just 10 errors and hitting .318 with 61 RBIs, while senior Ryan Rippee, a .299 hitter who drove in 56 runs, is back to first base where he committed just two errors.

'Spark plug'

Southeast Missouri State's Trevor Ezell bunts on base against UT Martin during the first inning Sunday, March 22, 2015 at Capaha Field. Fred Lynch

Bieser pointed out prior to last season that senior second baseman and leadoff hitter Jason Blum was the guy who could make the Redhawks' offense go, and he did.

But Blum battled through a few injuries, and when he was unable to play for a handful of games, Trevor Ezell moved into the No. 1 spot in the lineup for the remainder of the year.

He batted .313 with a .423 on-base percentage, was one run short of tying Southeast's single-season runs record with 66 and had 42 RBIs last season. He broke the school's single-season at-bats record with 246 and tied a team-high with 77 hits, including 18 doubles, six triples and four homers. He led the Redhawks with 41 walks, was hit by nine pitches and tied Blum for the team-high with 11 stolen bases.

Ezell was named an NCBWA Freshman All-American after that phenomenal first campaign, and now he's that guy who Bieser thinks has the ability to dictate how well the offense runs.

"Trevor's such a sparkplug and he's such an offensive guy," Bieser said. "He's a guy that can lead a game off with a home run or he can draw a seven-pitch walk and be on base and then he runs really well -- he's good on the bases. I mean, he just causes other teams headaches with what he can do, and you make a mistake in the strike zone and he's going to get an extra-base hit, so he's not just a typical leadoff guy that's going to slap the ball around and get on base."

The weekenders

Southeast Missouri State's Joey Lucchesi pitches to a UT Marin batter in the second inning Saturday, March 21, 2015 at Capaha Field. Glenn Landberg

Senior pitcher Joey Lucchesi proved last season -- his first at Southeast -- that he could throw strikes. The lefty led the Ohio Valley Conference with 93 strikeouts, allowed 60 hits and walked 47 en route to being named the league's Pitcher of the Year as a junior.

Then-junior Alex Winkelman and senior Travis Hayes were close behind, ranking second with 92 strikeouts and fourth with 76 strikeouts, respectively, but with Hayes graduated and Winkelman drafted by the Houston Astros following the season, the Redhawks have two weekend starting spots to fill.

Lucchesi is slated to be Southeast's Friday night starter while Clay Chandler, a right-handed pitcher from Wabash Valley College, will pitch Saturday.

Robert Beltran, a left-handed pitcher from Arizona Western Community College, will start Sunday on the mound.

Chandler and Beltran were tabbed starters because they're "big-time strike throwers," according to Bieser.

"Our pitching staff has to be better strike throwers and be better at challenging guys," Bieser said. "We have some guys that have really plus, plus stuff, but not quite as good of strike throwers, so that's why we're going to go with the guys that are throwing the most strikes early in the season and hopefully they can get into a groove and everybody can fall right into place."

Lurking in the bullpen

Southeast Missouri State starting pitcher Jacob Lawrence delivers a pitch against Missouri on Tuesday, May 5, 2015. Wayne McPherson

Southeast's starting rotation could change by the time conference action rolls around -- that's what's happened the last two OVC championship seasons.

After starting out in the bullpen two years ago, Travis Hayes stepped into a starting spot at the start of OVC play and his performance over the final portion of the season led to being named OVC Co-Pitcher of the Year.

Likewise, senior Joey Lucchesi began the season in the bullpen before emerging as a starter in conference and posting a 7-1 OVC record that led to OVC Pitcher of the Year honors last season.

"If there's any year, this is the year that you could almost predict that because I feel like those guys that are caught in between of being named a starter at the beginning of the year, they're so close to that group of guys that got the opportunity to start," Bieser said.

Bieser mentioned senior Jacob Lawrence, sophomore transfer Adam Pennington, junior transfer Justin Murphy and fifth-year senior transfer Jake Busiek as guys that are close to the level of the starters.

Lawrence, a righty who pitched 33 1/3 innings last year, is likely to be a midweek starter for Southeast early, or likely will get innings early in relief if the Redhawks are in a position to secure a win.

Lawrence's best performance by far last year came against then-No. 21 Missouri. He started and picked up his lone win of the season, allowing just three earned runs on six hits with no walks and seven strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings as the Redhawks defeated the Tigers 8-5. He was perfect the first time through the lineup and pitched a one-hit shutout through the first five innings.

"Ever since he's come back this year, he's thrown like he threw in the Mizzou game," Bieser said. "It's like, 'How can you keep that guy out of the starting rotation when he looks like that day in and day out? He's been the most consistent guy.' And again, we didn't tab him as one of our weekend guys to start the year."

Open close(er)

Southeast Missouri State relief pitcher Matthew Wade throws to a Tennessee Tech batter during the seventh inning Sunday, May 3, 2015 at Capaha Field.Fred Lynch

The closer role is there for the taking for three Southeast returning relievers.

Seniors Brady Wright and Alex Siddle and sophomore Matt Wade are in the running for the job this season, and Bieser is waiting for one to prove he’s reliable enough to be the go-to guy in the ninth inning.

“Really, I just want one of those guys to just grab the ball and secure that closer’s role,” Bieser said. “All three of those guys have shown flashes that they can be a closer, but the consistency just hasn’t been there for them. They’ve got to go out and prove it this year that they can handle that role.

“The last thing you want is a guy that puts baserunners on in the ninth inning, and those guys have had that tendency a little bit, whether it’s a walk or hit-by-pitch or something and create some problems for themselves. So hopefully they don’t put as much pressure on themselves and they go out and pitch like they’re capable of.”

Siddle made 23 appearances out of the bullpen last season. He finished with 30 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.56 as he recorded two saves in 30 1/3 innings. He walked 17 and hit four batters. Opponents hit .218 against him.

Wade pitched 26 2/3 innings in 18 relief appearances during his freshman campaign. He recorded a team-best four saves, finished with a 5.27 ERA, struck out 22 batters and opponents batted .252 vs. him. He issued 18 walks, hit eight batters and had six wild pitches.

Wright pitched in 16 games out of the bullpen as a junior. He finished with a 5.60 ERA in 17 2/3 innings of work. He had 14 strikeouts, walked six and hit one batter. Opponents hit .338 against him. Wright made 24 relief appearances the year before and led the Redhawks with six saves. He went 3-0 with a 3.67 ERA.