Southeast Missouri State baseball team tries to end skid on road

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team will try to get back into the win column today when the Redhawks visit Arkansas State.

First pitch for the nonconference matchup in Jonesboro, Ark., is set for 6:30 p.m.

Southeast (7-18) has lost eight consecutive games and 14 of its last 16. The Redhawks opened their Ohio Valley Conference schedule over the weekend by being swept in a three-game home series against Austin Peay.

"It's tough, but there's a lot of the season left. Hopefully we can get it going," Southeast senior Kody Campbell said following Sunday's 11-7 defeat.

The Redhawks figure to have another tough challenge today against the Red Wolves, who are 13-10 overall and tied for first in the 10-team Sun Belt Conference with a 5-1 mark.

"They've always got a very solid ballclub," Southeast coach Mark Hogan said. "It's not going to get any easier for us."

ASU's .276 batting average ranks fifth in the Sun Belt, and the Red Wolves have scored the fourth-fewest runs in the league with 128. They are averaging 5.6 runs per game.

The Red Wolves have a 4.19 ERA that ranks fifth in the conference. They are third in fielding percentage at .969, having committed 28 errors.

Michael Faulkner is among the Sun Belt's top players. The speedy center fielder is batting .330 and leads the league with 19 stolen bases in 19 attempts.

Southeast is tied for second in the 10-team OVC with a .293 batting average and first in runs scored with 157, an average of 6.3 per game.

But the Redhawks' revamped pitching staff has struggled with an OVC-worst 7.38 ERA. And Southeast's defense also has sprung leaks with a league-high 44 errors. The Redhawks are tied for last in the conference in fielding percentage (.952).

Today will be the first meeting in the annual home-and-home series between the programs that has ASU visiting Southeast on April 17.

The Redhawks swept the Red Wolves last year, winning 13-7 in Cape Girardeau and 8-5 in Jonesboro.

"We've had a nice rivalry over the years with some excellent games," Hogan said.

Following today's contest, Southeast returns to OVC action Friday with the start of a three-game series at Eastern Illinois.