UT-MARTIN BASEBALL STILL DEALING WITH VAN CRASH

As much empathy as Mark Hogan has for Tennessee-Martin's situation, Southeast Missouri State University's baseball coach realizes that his team has a job to do this weekend.

The Indians and Skyhawks will square off in a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series in Martin, Tenn., with a noon doubleheader today and a 1 p.m. single contest Sunday.

Hogan can only imagine the trials and tribulations the Skyhawks have had to endure ever since a March 28 van wreck that injuredcoach Bubba Cates and nine of the squad's players.

Cates, the most severely among those injured when the team's van pulled out in front of a truck while returning from a road trip to Mississippi, is still in the hospital as he makes a slow and painful recovery. Cates had his spleen removed and both of his lungs were punctured.

Eight of the nine injured players -- three starters and the team's top reliever -- will miss the rest of the season, although all nine are out of the hospital and said to be doing well.

"My heart goes out to coach Cates and the entire team," said Hogan. "It's a tragedy that's touched everybody in college baseball and in all sports, and it's a courageous situation. I can only imagine what they've had to go through and what they continue to go through.

"But by the same token, we have to focus on the series and on getting the job done. We're in the middle of the (OVC) race and it's a very important series for us, as all of them are."

The Indians, 20-10 overall, are in second place in the nine-team OVC with a 6-2 league record. Eastern Kentucky leads the conference with a 10-2 mark.

UTM is in last place in the OVC at 0-8 and the Skyhawks are 7-26 overall. UTM lost a pair of games at Southeast earlier this season, 13-4 and 6-0, although those were non-conference affairs.

While the Indians are first in the OVC in earned-run average (3.55), first in fielding percentage (.965) and second in batting average (.301), the Skyhawks are last in ERA (8.77), last in batting average (.274) and seventh in fielding percentage (.941).

"It's a series we should do well in, since we handled them pretty well earlier in the season, but we can't take it for granted," Hogan said. "We have to be ready to play and I know we will be."

After this weekend's action, Southeast will have played three of its first four OVC series on the road, meaning the Indians will have three of their final four league series at home.

"The schedule favors us the rest of the way," said Hogan. "I feel like if we can take care of our business this weekend, we'll be in good shape for the rest of the way."

Southeast, despite its impressive record, has lost three straight games, including consecutive 5-4 non-league setbacks against Missouri Baptist Tuesday and St. Louis Wednesday.

"We're kind of going through a phase that every club goes through," Hogan said. "We're not happy with it, but we have a mature club and the veterans have done a good job. I think we'll be just fine.

"When you play 56 games, there is some ebb and flow. You're going to have some bad stretches, but I really think we're about ready to come out of it."

* With two scoreless innings at St. Louis Wednesday, Southeast reliever Jeffrey Hilz lowered his ERA to 2.08, which leads the OVC.

Hilz, who was recruited last year out of Three Rivers Community College as a starter, has instead been the Indians' top reliever. He is 5-1 with two saves.

"He's done a phenomenal job for us," said Hogan of Hilz. "He was a starter at Three Rivers and we planned on him being a starter, but he's been so valuable out of the bullpen for us."

Hilz has helped the Indians to a 3.55 team ERA that ranks 15th nationally.