May 11, 2007

Official Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - (Friday, May 11, 2007) With just six conference games remaining, Southeast is near the close of another regular season. The Redhawks play three of those six remaining conference games this weekend as they host the Morehead State Eagles. The Redhawks and Eagles will take flight for a doublheader beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday; River Eagle Distributing is the game sponsor. The series will conclude with Senior Day Sunday, when the seniors will be honored prior to the 1 p.m. first pitch.

LAST TIME OUT: The Redhawks were scheduled to play three games at Eastern Kentucky last weekend, but Mother Nature would have none of that. After four and one-half inning were in the book, with a 1-1 tie, in game one of the Saturday doubleheader, play on Saturday was cancelled due to rain. The Redhawks and Colonels split a doubleheader Sunday. Southeast won game won 1-0 despite mustering just one hit against EKU All-American left-handed pitcher Christian Friedrich; senior LHP Asif Shah outdueled him, haning out for the complete game two-hit shutout. The Redhawks lost game two, 2-1, as they managed just three hits in that contest.

SHUTOUT RECORDS: The Redhawks tied a school record with its eighth shutout victory of the season in game one of a doubleheader at EKU last Sunday. Southeast, which had eight shutouts previously in 2001 and 1976, is currently ranked third in the nation behind leading Nortch Carolina-Charlotte (10) and Virginia (9). Meanwhile, senior LHP Asif Shah, who leads the OVC with three shutouts after game one Sunday, is jsut the fifth pitcher in Southeast history to throw three or more shutouts in school history. He trails the single-season record holder, Trae Hastings, by just one; Hastings tossed four shutouts in 1976. Shah ranks in a tie for third nationally with the set of shutouts, and he is one of just five pitchers in the nation with three or more heading into the weekend. The career record for shutouts is five (Hastings, 1975-78); Shah has just this year's three in his two-year career at SEMO.

OVC WATCH: Southeast's 13-7 OVC record through 20 conference games is its best since 2003 when they were 14-6 through this point. The 13-7 mark bests the 15-12 record posted against non-conference opponents, and the Redhawks are currently in third place, just 1.5 games behind leading Austin Peay. SEMO must secure one of the top two spots to earn a firstround bye in the OVC Tournament, and they trail second-place Jacksonville State by just one-half game. Southeast, in OVC play, are ranked second among conference clubs in pitching (4.47 ERA) and fielding (.964 fielding percentage). However, they rank second to last with a .274 batting average against OVC foes.

CON-GRAD-ULATIONS SENIORS!: Southeast will honor its 10 senior players prior to Sunday's contest. Redhawks seniors are: RHP Matt Carter, OF Daryl Graham, OF/RHP Brent Lawson, C Chad Mercado, SS Robby Moore, 2B Omar Padilla, LHP Josh Parham, OF Dustin Pritchett, RHP Phillip Riley and LHP/OF Asif Shah. Carter and Lawson are the only four-year seniors graduating from the squad, while Parham and Pritchett have been at Southeast for the last three seasons

AGAINST MOREHEAD STATE: Southeast leads the all-time series against the Eagles, 32-18. Last year, however, Morehead State won two of three games during the weekend series played at Morehead, Ky. After the Eagles swept the Saturday doubleheader with 7-4 and 4-0 victories, Southeast salvaged the final game of the three-game set with a 13-7 win. Omar Padilla hit .528 (7-for-13) against the Eagles last season, including a home run, a double and two RBIs. When playing at Capaha Field, the Redhawks have won the series in each of the last four times Morehead has visited. The last time the Eagles took two of three from Southeast in Cape Girardeau was 1998.