Southeast Missouri State pitcher Chandler attracts more honors

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team's domination of the weekly pitching awards continues.

Redhawks righty Clay Chandler was tabbed the Ohio Valley Conference's Pitcher of the Week as well as the Louisville Slugger National Pitcher of the Week by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper on Monday.

Chandler, a junior transfer from Wabash Valley College, shared OVC weekly honors two weeks ago, while senior left-hander Joey Lucchesi was OVC and National Pitcher of the Week last week.

Chandler pitched eight scoreless innings, allowed only two hits, struck out 14 batters and did not issue a walk against Central Arkansas on Saturday. He was perfect through the first four innings and struck out eight consecutive batters in a stretch from the final out of the first to the first out of the fourth inning.

The Redhawks lost 1-0 and Chandler got a no-decision. UCA scored its lone run in the top of the ninth.

"Clay had one of the best performances I have ever seen anyone have in a Redhawk uniform," Southeast coach Steve Bieser said in a press release. "It was very unfortunate we could not get him the win on Saturday."

Chandler is currently first in the conference with a 0.41 ERA. Hitters are batting .120 against him and he's second in the OVC with 27 strikeouts. Lucchesi ranks No. 1 in that category with 29.

Southeast pitchers have recorded 104 strikeouts and have an ERA of 2.03 through 11 games this season.

The Redhawks (6-5) face nationally-ranked Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi, at 6:30 p.m. tonight and 4 p.m. Wednesday before traveling to Richmond, Kentucky, for their first OVC series of the season. They face Eastern Kentucky at 3 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday and noon on Sunday.