Southeast Missouri State softball opens season today in Sand Dollar Classic

Mark Redburn first noticed the changes to his team when it played during the fall.

The Southeast Missouri State softball coach saw all his players -- 10 returners and 10 newcomers -- better grasp everything he taught them as they began to understand things quicker and perform them smoother, which was exciting for the second-year leader of the Redhawks.

"Then we came in off the winter break -- we've been at it for about 21 days now and it's kind of like we're chomping at the bit now. We need to play somebody right now," Redburn said. "That's a good sign because that means they've picked up on everything, they've got it down and now they're ready, let's go compete."

That's been the biggest difference from Year 1 to now, and Southeast gets its first chance to compete when it opens its season today at the Sand Dollar Classic in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

The Redhawks take on Louisiana Tech at 3 p.m. today, play Louisiana Lafayette and Houston Baptist on Saturday and Central Arkansas and South Alabama on Sunday.

"It feels like a long time coming," senior Savannah Carpenter said. "We're really excited. Been itching to play, especially with this weather and being inside, we're getting a little stir crazy."

Southeast went 19-27 and 12-12 in the Ohio Valley Conference last year in its first season with Redburn at the helm. The previous year the Redhawks were 11-34 and 3-20 in conference.

Last year's squad also secured a berth in the eight-team OVC tournament for the first time since 2011.

"Last year the goal was to get to the tournament," Carpenter said. "This year it's like that's the baseline. Getting to the tournament is expected now and we're talking about winning now. That's the goal."

Southeast lost its first two games in the double-elimination tournament -- 21-0 to No. 2 Jacksonville State and 10-9 in 12 innings to No. 6 Eastern Illinois.

The Redhawks were predicted to finish seventh in this year's preseason poll, which was voted on by the league's coaches and sports information directors.

"It had been awhile since we've been there, and we didn't do so well at the conference tournament, so I think now it's not just getting there -- it's doing well there," sophomore pitcher Maddie Krumrey said. "Obviously every season we want to win the conference tournament, we want to advance and keep playing, and I think that's the mindset of everyone this year, that we want to win, we want that ring, we want to keep going. Last year we kind of, like, arrived. We don't want to just arrive -- we want to continue to compete."

Krumrey returns to lead the Redhawks' pitching staff after being named to the OVC's All-Newcomer team last season.

Krumrey finished with a 13-12 record and a 4.00 ERA in 32 appearances as a freshman. She struck out 94 batters and opponents hit .296 against her. Junior Aubrey Denno also returns to the staff.

"We were all pretty young and [Redburn] always said there was nothing expected of me, I was a freshman," Krumrey said. "Like, normally a freshman doesn't have that put on her shoulders; usually there's a senior or someone there, so last year he was like, 'There's no expectations. We just want you to do your best.' This year I have a lot of expectations for myself, and I know he does, too. I think I really just worked on fine-tuning a lot of those things that he taught me last year to give me a little bit more of an edge and I'm mentally tougher this year. I think last year, as a freshman, I almost had the mentality that it was OK if I lost, and now I'm thinking, 'No, it's not OK. I've been here before, I know what I'm doing. Now it's, like, go time.'"

Junior Mackenzie Heeling and freshmen Haley Thogmartin and Kelsey Ihns are new to the Redhawks' rotation.

Thogmartin, a right-handed pitcher from Kirkwood High School in St. Louis, is a player that Redburn believes could make an immediate impact. She finished her high school career with 416 strikeouts over three seasons -- 199 her senior campaign.

"Haley Thogmartin will give us some pitching depth in there," Redburn said. "It's exciting to see how she's going to throw and compete, and I think she's going to jump in and be very successful right away as a freshman as well."

Nine players from last year's squad didn't return this season, including center fielder Kayla Fortner, a transfer from Evansville who broke Southeast's single-season home run and walks records. She finished with 16 homers and led the team with a .389 batting average and drew 37 walks. She drove in a team-high 48 runs and started all 46 games. Fortner remains with the program as a volunteer assistant.

The Redhawks also lost senior first baseman Lindsey Patterson, who started all 46 contests and batted .358 with seven home runs and 31 RBIs.

Carpenter, who hit .322, drove in 20 runs and scored 23 runs as a junior, is moving positions. Patterson started all 46 games -- all but one at third base -- but had surgery shortly after the season concluded to repair a torn labrum in her shoulder and has since moved to first base, where she's expected to play full-time.

Haylee Krack gets a second shot at her senior campaign after missing all of last year with an ACL injury, which allowed her to receive a medical hardship and another year of eligibility.

The third baseman started all 45 games as a junior transfer in 2014 and was named to the All-OVC Newcomer team. She batted .298 with a team-high 10 home runs that season.

"We just hope some of those kids that hit some for us last year continue with that development and that it wasn't just a fluke," Redburn said, "and if each one of them can tack on maybe two or three or four more, now all of a sudden what we lost from last year isn't really maybe as significant."

The Redhawks have three newcomers at the middle infield spots -- Danielle Turner and Sarah Messex are expected to play shortstop and Harli Wheeler at second base.

Turner, a junior transfer from Heartland Community College, likely won't play the field the first weekend or two this season as she's dealing with shoulder inflammation, but is expected to hit.

"Very athletic. She'll probably hit leadoff for us," Redburn said of Turner. "She's able to hit line drives, but she's also got a little pop in her bat. She hit a couple [home runs] I think for us in the fall -- runs really well, can play in the outfield, can play shortstop for us, so that's a new addition that's nice to see."

Sophomore Riley Hayes and junior Chelsea Smith are expected to split time at catcher again this season. Junior Nicole Deering, freshman Brittany Stevens and sophomore Claire Wernig are expected to start in the outfield.

"I'm excited. I think this team gels a lot better than last year -- on and off the field," Krumrey said. "We all get along really well. We have really good team chemistry, and that's really important in softball or any team sport because you have trust in your teammate that she's going to have your back if the ball gets hit to her."

The first chance to see the Redhawks at home will be on March 12 with games against Bradley and Eastern Illinois. They open conference action at home on March 19 vs. Murray State.