Southeast Missouri State baseball team faces Harris-Stowe in home opener

~ Southeast will bring in a 3-0 record against the NAIA school

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team, coming off a big opening-weekend performance, plays its first home game today.

Southeast, which swept host New Orleans in a three-game series, faces Harris-Stowe State in a 3 p.m. first pitch at Capaha Field.

The contest against the NAIA program from St. Louis starts a nine-game homestand for Southeast, which faces NAIA Mid-Continent at 3 p.m. Wednesday and welcomes North Dakota State for a three-game series Friday through Sunday.

"It's going to be good to play at home," Southeast first-year interim coach Steve Bieser said. "We've got a really good home schedule and a really nice homestand coming up as long as the weather cooperates."

Bieser could not have envisioned a better start to Southeast's season or to his first season as a collegiate head coach.

Southeast was impressive in all phases against New Orleans. The Redhawks rallied with four ninth-inning runs to win 7-4 on Friday, overcame an early deficit to win 6-1 on Saturday and romped 11-2 on Sunday.

It marked Southeast's first three-game series sweep to start a season since 2001.

"It really was a great way to start the season," Bieser said. "The most important thing for week one was to play well, play solid for nine innings. We did that. We basically stayed locked in for nine innings all three games."

The Redhawks batted just .255 in the series but displayed surprising power. Among Southeast's 26 hits were six home runs, nine doubles and a triple.

"If they [home runs] come that's great, but we know we're more of a gap-to-gap team," Bieser said.

True freshman right fielder Clayton Evans and sophomore third baseman Jason Blum were Southeast's offensive leaders over the weekend.

Evans went 6 for 9 (.667) with a homer, two doubles and three walks.

Blum went 5 for 9 (.556) with two homers, two doubles, three walks and six RBIs.

Junior left fielder Derek Gibson, Southeast's top returning hitter, also had two home runs over the weekend. He added five RBIs.

The most impressive area for Southeast in the series was its pitching staff, which largely struggled last year, especially with control.

Southeast hurlers combined for a sparkling 2.33 ERA and issued just five walks in 27 innings while striking out 26.

Sophomore left-hander Will Spitzfaden worked a nine-inning complete game Sunday, after senior left-hander Zack Smith fired off seven innings with 10 strikeouts Saturday. Neither pitcher issued a walk.

"The pitching staff was just phenomenal," Bieser said.

Bieser hopes the Redhawks can keep things rolling today against Harris-Stowe (0-6). The Hornets are coming off a four-game weekend sweep at the hands of NAIA power Freed-Hardeman that saw them outscored 56-10.

The Hornets went 25-32 last season, including 10-14 in the American Midwest Conference. They finished fifth in the seven-team league.

Southeast and Harris-Stowe have played the past three years. The Redhawks won 8-6 last season, 3-0 in 2011 and 10-2 in 2010.

"The two years I've been here it's been a game where we let down our guard, didn't play to our capability," said Bieser, Southeast's pitching coach the previous two seasons. "We want to make sure we come ready to play."

Bieser said Southeast's likely starting pitcher today will be true freshman Alex Winkleman, a touted lefty from Crystal City, Mo., who worked 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief to notch a win over the weekend in his collegiate debut.

"He was really composed," Bieser said.