April 20, 2007

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - (Friday, April 20, 2007)Southeast concludes a seven-game road trip this weekend at Austi Peay. The Redhawks and Governors will play a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday and conclude the set with a 1 p.m. game on Sunday. The Redhawks return to the friendly confines of Capaha Field when they host Memphis for two games Tuesday and Wednesday.

LAST TIME OUT: The Redhawks defeated Southern Illinois on the road Wednesday, 9-7. It was the first road win against the Salukis since 2003, and snapped a seven gamelosing skid against Missouri Valley Conference teams dating back to last season; Southeast was 0-6 against the MVC this year heading into Wednesday's game. The Redhawks capitalized on five errors, the most by an opponent this season, to score seven unearned runs. Reliever Josh Parham (4-3) recorded the win, Matt Wulfers had three hits, and Asif Shah had two doubles and two RBIs.

CONFERENCE PLAY: Southeast is off to one of its best starts ever in Ohio Valley Conference play with a 9-3 record through the first nine games of conference play. They have had a better OVC record through 12 games only twice, in 2002 and 2000 when Southeast posted a 10-2 mark. best record posted by Southeast against OVC opponents through twelve games is 10-2, also done in both 2002 and 2000. The best OVC record in school history through 15 conference games is 12-3, achieved in the same two previous seasons.

DOUBLE BAGGERS: The Redhawks' three doubles Wednesday at Southern Illinois were the first for the squad in quite some time. Southeast had gone seven consecutive games without a double until Wednesday. Before the game against the Salukis, the last double came April 4 at Missouri State in the third inning. The Redhawks went 68 innings between that double at Missouri State, and Matt Wulfers' double-bagger in the second inning. The Redhawks rank third in the OVC with 68 doubles.

YOUNG GUNS: The pitching staff continues to lead the OVC with a 3.69 team ERA. The weekend rotation remains one of the best in the OVC as all three weekend starters (Renfrow, Shah and Syberg) rank in the top six among conference ERA leaders. Renfrow, who leads the league with a 1.47 ERA, also ranks 12th in the nation according to the NCAA's baseball statistics report released on Wednesday. Southeast ranked 30th nationally as a team in the category (see page 3 of notes for more info), and the team is second in the country with seven shutouts. The Redhawks have given up just two runs in the last 28 innings of OVC play.

BOOTHEEL BOMBERS: The 2007 Southeast squad has been one of the top power-hitting teams in the OVC and even the nation. With 33 home runs as a team this season, they rank first in the conference. Also, the mark has already eclipsed each of the last two seasons' totals. Southeast hit 33 home runs last season, and in 2005 the team hit 26. The squad's .92 homers per game is also first in the OVC with the Bulldogs and ranks 46th in the nation. Additionally, Southeast leads the conference with a .435 slugging percentage.

SOUTHEAST VS. AUSTIN PEAY: Southeast leads the all-time series against Austin Peay, 36-22. However, recently the Govs have taken four of the last six from the Redhawks. Last season, Southeast lost the three-game series at home, one game to two, but defeated APSU at the OVC Tournament, 10- 9, and eliminated them from postseason competition. Since 2000, the Redhawks are 9-3 when visiting Austin Peay, including three-game sweeps in 2000 and 2001. Omar Padilla had tremendous success against Austin Peay last season, batting .471 (8-for-17) in four games, including four double and four runs scored.

RADIO:Every Southeast baseball game can once again be heard live on the Redhawks Radio Network. Tune in to ESPN 1220 AM KGIR or listen to the live webcast available at www.espn1220.com Erik Sean will call the play-by-play at Austin Peay this weekend while Jess Bolen will provide the color commentary.