SEMO to play Arkansas May in NCAA Baseball Regionals

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KBSI) – The #4 Southeast Missouri baseball team will take part in the 2024 NCAA Baseball Regionals in Fayetteville, Ark. beginning Friday, May 31 at Arkansas.

First pitch is slated for 2 p.m. at Baum-Walker Stadium.

The SEMO Redhakws (#4) will take on the fifth overall seed in the tournament field, Arkansas.

Fan can listen live on the radio at ESPN 1220 AM and 93.5 FM. Erik Sean will call the action. Live stats are available at SEMORedhawks.com. Twitter updates will be provided @SEMObaseball.

The Redhawks won the 2024 Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship. The team enters the Fayetteville regional as the No. 4 seed in the group. The team will join #1 Arkansas of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), #2 Louisiana Tech of Conference-USA (CUSA), and #3 Kansas State of the Big 12 Conference. #2 LA Tech and #3 Kansas State will face each other at 7 p.m. following the Redhawks matchup with Arkansas.

The 2024 Southeast Missouri Baseball program won its sixth Ohio Valley Conference Championship title on Saturday, May 25, with a 9-6 victory over #3 Morehead State to clinch the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The Redhawks won against MSU in the first game of the tournament for the Redhawks with a final score of 9-4. Caleb Corbin, Shea McGahan, and Ian Riley all finished with multi-RBI days in the first contest.

The following day the #4-seeded Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles played the Redhawks.

They won 11-5 with 13 hits led by Coloma who finished 3-for-5 at the plate, including four RBIs and his second home run in two days. All-OVC selection Brooks Kettering provided the Redhawks with four more RBIs on his 2-for-3 day at the plate, including a pair of home runs and three runs scored. Four different Redhawks recorded multi-hit days, pushing SEMO into the championship round without a loss.

The Redhawks faced off once again with Morehead State on championship Saturday, but they faced some adversity. A seven run ninth inning by MSU forced the OVC Championship into a title-deciding finale as the Eagles took the first game on Saturday by a final score of 13-6.

RHP Sam Heyman made his first appearance in the tournament. The sophomore tossed 6.0 innings allowing just four runs on five hits. He struck out five Eagles and left the game with the Redhawks leading, 9-2.

Senior short stop Ben Palmer went 2-for-5 at the plate with three RBIs, including a first inning home run that sparked a big night for the program.

RHP Payton Lawrence came in for Haden Dow (who relieved Heyman). The Dixon, Ill.-native pitched the final 3.0 innings of the championship, allowed no runs on just one hit and struck out four. He picked up his first save of the season and clinched the sixth OVC Championship title in SEMO history.

Seven Redhawks were named to the 2024 All-Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Team from this past weekend. Seniors Ian Riley, Josh Cameron, Collin Wilma, and Payton Lawrence were all selected. Freshman Brooks Kettering and junior Keoni Coloma rounded out the team for the Redhawks. Coloma was selected as the tournament’s MVP as he hit nearly .500 with two home runs and six RBIs.

The championship marks the third in the last four seasons for Head Coach Andy Sawyers.

Coach Sawyers OVC tournament record improved to 11-8 all-time and was the first title captured at Mtn. Dew Park in Marion, Ill.

SEMO has won six OVC Tournament titles and all but one have come in an even year on the calendar. The only title to come in an odd year was the 2021 tournament title, under head coach Andy Sawyers. The Redhawks have now won the title in 1998, 2002, 2016, 2021, 2022, and 2024.

SEMO last competed in the NCAA Tournament in Louisville, Ky. in 2022. They played the #7 National Seed, Louisville, in their first game of that regional. The Cardinals knocked off SEMO, 7-2, in the first game. The Redhawks lost the next day to Oregon (18-6).

The Fayetteville regional will mark the third regional appearance for the Redhawks in the Sawyers era which dates back to 2021. SEMO has competed in Oxford, Mississippi, Louisville, Ky., and now Fayetteville, Ark. This will mark the second Southeastern Conference location as Arkansas is a member of the SEC.

The Redhawks concluded the regular season with the OVC’s top defense. SEMO finished one point above Morehead State (.971) with a .972 team-fielding percentage. First baseman Bryce Cannon finished conference play with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage to lead the squad. Nine Redhawks finished above the minimum number of games and recorded a fielding percentage of .970 or higher.

Outfielder Ty Stauss ended the season as the Redhawks top hitter with a .324 batting average. Stauss finished with 61 hits and led the team in doubles (16) and on-base percentage (.434).

Short stop Ben Palmer finished the regular season as the team leader in two contradictory categories. The senior from Fridley, Minn. Leads the Redhawks in both home runs (17) and sacrifice bunts (16). He is also now second on the team in walks (37) and first in hit-by-pitch (12).

Center fielder Michael Mugan, who played in 54-of-55 games for the Redhawks, finished the season with a team-best 73 hits. The junior is currently first on the team with a .322 batting average and is third in total bases with 117.

The Redhawks pitching staff ended the 2024 regular season campaign strong, especially the final month of the season. As a group, SEMO finished with a 5.65 ERA over 477.2 innings. LP Haden Dow led the staff with 57 total strikeouts with a 4-1 record. Dow finished with a 4.54 ERA over 73.1 innings pitched. Opponents hit just .261 against the lefty in 2024. LHP Logan Katen and RHP Kyle Miller played a huge role in the back half of games. Katen finished with a 3.60 ERA over 30.0 innings, striking out 32 hitters. For Miller, he recorded 29 strikeouts over 24.0 innings, missing an entire month of the season, as opponents hit just .195 against him.

#1 Arkansas
The Razorbacks come into their own regional as the fifth national seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Arkansas is led by 22nd year Head Coach Dave Van Horn and finished the season with a 43-14 overall record and a 20-10 record in SEC play. At the plate, Arkansas is led by Peyton Stovall who has a .349 batting average on the season. He has nine home runs, 38 RBIs, 12 doubles, and has a slugging-percentage of .559. The Hogs home run leader is short stop Aloy Wehiwa who has started and played all 57 games for Van Horn. Wehiwa has 13 home runs on the season. On the mound, Arkansas’ LHP Hagen Smith is the top arm for the Razorbacks. Smith has a 1.48 ERA with a 9-1 record overall. He has struck out 154 batters over 79.0 innings pitched.

#2 Louisiana Tech
The Bulldogs of Conference USA are led by eight-year head coach Lane Burroughs and enter the regional as the #2 seed in Fayetteville. The Bulldogs finished the season 45-17 overall with a 18-6 mark in CUSA play. Cole McConnell leads the Bulldogs’ offense with a .380 batting average and a .682 slugging-percentage. He is first on the team in hits (92), home runs (18), and total bases (165). Ethan Bates is the RBI leader with 74 on the season. He is also the team leader in doubles (21) and triples (2). The Bulldogs top arm is Luke Nichols. Nichols has a 3.74 ERA (Team-Best), with a 7-3 record overall on the season. He has a team-high 81 strikeouts over 77.0 innings pitched.

#3 Kansas State
Kansas State comes to Fayetteville as the number three seed in the regional is led by sixth year head coach, Pete Hughes. The Wildcats finished the season with a 32-24 record overall and a 15-15 mark in Big 12 play. Brady Day leads KSU at the plate with a .332 batting average. He is tied for the most hits on the team (71), first in RBIs (53), second in doubles (15), and second in total bases (114). Kaelen Culpepper provides the power for the Wildcats’ lineup leading the team in home runs (9), tied with day for hits (71), first in triples (5), and is first in slugging-percentage (.533). On the mound, Jackson Wentworth is KSU’s top arm with a 4.18 ERA. He has a 4-5 overall record with six saves out of the bullpen. Opponents are hitting just .215 against him on the season.