SEMO softball clinches regular season OVC title, extends home winning streak to 30

CAPE GIARARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) – Ohio Valley Conference regular season champions, 30 wins in a row at home: the SEMO softball team is on quite a roll, and they have no plans of slowing down anytime soon. 

“We’re just champions. That’s all I can say,” junior pitcher Paytience Holman said. 

Holman completed all 12 innings of SEMO’s doubleheader sweep of Tennessee Martin on Sunday. 

“I’m so excited. I wanted a ring so bad, worked so hard. I’m just excited,” she said.

Head Coach Mark Redburn had a reminder for his team after their championship-clinching victory. 

“To get there, for all they had to put in, the work and the time, and what they get to experience on this, I told them, it’s like, it’s something that’s never going to be taken away from you,” he said. “You’ve got it your entire life.” 

Sophomore first baseman Aubrie Shore, who had a double in each game and the go-ahead RBI in game two, said Redburn is a man of his word. 

“He always tells everyone coming in, you know, you’re going to get at least one ring coming here, and he is yet to lie about that, so it’s big, it’s huge,” she said. “We’re so proud of everyone.” 

Senior outfielder Alyson Tucker, whose second-inning home run tied game two at 1 and was the first of five unanswered SEMO runs, said there is a weight off the team’s shoulders having wrapped up a regular-season conference title. 

“It’s relieving,” she said. “We had unnecessary pressure coming into this weekend. We’re undefeated at home, so we wanted to keep that streak going, but also knowing that we could have walked out as champions, so it’s just relieving.” 

But the Redhawks still have one more series against Eastern Illinois before the conference tournament begins on May 10, so there is work yet to be done. 

“There’s less pressure now, but it doesn’t mean we’re going to take it easy on them,” Tucker said. “We still want to walk away with a sweep over them, too.” 

“You know, we still want to get three next weekend,” Shore said. “We’re not stopping. Our foot’s still down to the metal, so, going in there coming in hot and then coming into the tournament, we’re going to be ready.” 

“We’ve won the regular season, that’s great, but now we’ve got a second chapter to prepare that we’re going to go after, so we’ve got three games to prepare for that, and that’s how we’re going to approach it,” Redburn said.

The Redhawks begin their series at Eastern Illinois with a doubleheader on Saturday.