Southeast Missouri State baseball team saved best for last

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team didn't have a good year by most standards, but the Redhawks deserve credit for turning what could have been a total disaster into a season that ended with several positives.

An inexperienced squad that featured just six seniors along with 21 newcomers compiled the worst record (23-36) and worst Ohio Valley Conference finish (seventh) during coach Mark Hogan's 18-year tenure.

But the Redhawks, who were last in the 10-team league after a month of the conference schedule, finished strong to make the program's OVC-record 18th straight conference tournament appearance.

And the Redhawks made a surprising run during last week's six-team tournament in Jackson, Tenn., by winning their first two games for the first time since 1998 to reach the winners bracket final.

But there was no Cinderella ending for the Redhawks. They lost their final two tournament contests to finish third for the second straight year.

Looking ahead to next season, Southeast will return a decent amount of talent and a big bonus should be that so many of this year's players gained valuable experience, especially late when the Redhawks faced constant pressure situations to reach the tournament.

Southeast's six seniors represent some huge losses, led by All-American third baseman Trenton Moses, the two-time OVC player of the year, and all-conference shortstop Kenton Parmley.

First baseman Kody Campbell, catcher Jesse Tierney, second baseman Taylor Heon and relief pitcher Ryan Prickett also were major contributors.

Southeast also could lose all-conference junior ace pitcher Shae Simmons, who is a strong possibility to be selected in next week's amateur draft.

The 2013 Redhawks might not face quite as many question marks as they did entering this year, but they still figure to face plenty of challenges.

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I'll have much more on the team in a preview article later this week, but the Plaza Tire Capahas are just days away from opening their 46th season under Hall of Fame manager Jess Bolen.

The Capahas, who are 1,407-379 under Bolen and boast 30 consecutive National Baseball Congress World Series appearances, kick off the 2012 campaign at 8 p.m. Friday against Valmeyer, Ill.

It's part of a five-game season-opening homestand for the Capahas, who also face Valmeyer in a 1 p.m. Saturday doubleheader and take on Perryville in a 1 p.m. Sunday twin bill.

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It would be great to see the Oran High School baseball team finally break through and win its first state championship.

The Class 1 Eagles have been close many times, and they'll make their 11th final four appearance, including two straight, today.

Oran has suffered myriad heartbreaking losses at the final four, some in the semifinals and some in the finals.

Maybe this week the breaks finally will fall the Eagles' way.

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A.J. Ellis, who was born in the area, is thriving during his first shot at being a full-time regular in major league baseball.

The 31-year-old Ellis, the Dodgers' starting catcher, was hitting .315 with five home runs, seven doubles and 23 RBIs covering 124 at-bats this season. He has been a big reason why the Dodgers have gotten off to such a strong start, including Saturday's 6-3 win over the Astros that featured Ellis' three-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Ellis previously had received just 206 at-bats in parts of four big league seasons. He had only two career homers before this year.

Ellis lived in Jackson until age 11. The family had no previous ties to the area when his parents moved here because of his father's work at Procter & Gamble.

After moving from Jackson, the family eventually settled in Lexington, Ky., where Ellis played high school baseball. He later went on to star at Austin Peay.

I wrote an article on Ellis in 2010 that detailed his ties to Southeast Missouri. He seemed like a really good guy during my telephone interview with him, and it's great to see that his major league career is on the upswing.

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Another baseball player with Southeast Missouri roots is back in the major leagues.

Former Capahas pitcher and Caruthersville native Matt Palmer recently was called up by the Padres after beginning the season in Class AAA.

The 33-year-old Palmer has spent some time on big league rosters every season since 2008. His most extensive action by far came with the Angels in 2009 when he went 11-2 while splitting time between starting and relieving.

Palmer has a 13-7 career record with a 4.56 ERA primarily as a reliever. He has appeared in three games so far this year. He allowed two runs over two innings.

Palmer, who pitched for the Capahas in 1998 and 1999, played collegiately at Three Rivers College and Missouri State.

Marty Mishow is a sports reporter for the Southeast Missourian.