2008 Softball Preview

Heading into the 2007 season expectations were high for the Redhawks after finishing fifth the previous season and being picked fourth in the 2007 preseason poll.  Those expectations took a turn in early March when a pitcher was lost due to a season-ending injury.  The Redhawks finished the season with a 20-29 overall record and 11-16 in the Ohio Valley Conference.  For the first time in school history, the team missed out on the OVC Tournament.

This year's team who was picked to finish sixth in the 2008 OVC preseason poll will look to make good on the high expectations from a year ago and bring the program back to its earlier dominance that brought it five OVC Tournament championships and five regular season championships.  With the return of 10 letterwinners including the nucleus of a team that ranked 15^th in the nation in homeruns last season with 57 in 49 games, the offense looks to lead the way by powering itself to the top of the OVC standings.

Of the 10 returning letterwinners seven are position starters, two of which were All-OVC selections and one was named to the All-newcomer squad.  Also included in the mix is the team's top pitcher for the past two seasons.

With the addition of a highly touted freshman pitcher to the program, Coach Richmond feels like she has the right balance of leadership, experience and talent to place SEMO back into the upper tier of the conference in 2008.

Catchers

As a freshman, Alex Ramirez was immediately called into action.  She rose to the challenge and showed a veteran presence that equated to 36 starts.  Ramirez's defensive prowess and strong throwing arm were impressive.  She committed only two errors on the year, tying for the team-lead in fielding percentage at .985.  She assisted in four double plays, threw out seven out of 15 and picked-off two would be base stealers.

As a freshman Alex Ramirez showed veteran poise in her handling of the pitching staff last season

Ramirez looks to add as much consistency at the plate as she did behind it, batting .257 as a freshman.  Her freshman campaign was highlighted by a two homerun performance versus Missouri Valley Conference power and in-state rival Missouri State.  She capped-off a successful season at the plate with a four-game hitting streak late in the year.

Backing up Ramirez at the catching position is senior Michelle Summers.  Summers will dust off the cobwebs on her catcher's gear after not seeing service behind the plate since her freshman season.  Summers has been a quick study in her career as a Redhawk and the transition back should not be a problem for the senior from Glendale, California.

Also set to see time behind the plate this season is senior, Lindsey Woodworth.  Woodworth has been valuable to the team over her career for her leadership, poise, versatility and attitude.  The team's top pinch-runner, she has scored 11 runs in 35 games in her career.  Woodworth has recovered from injuries that plagued her earlier in her career and she looks to contribute more to the team's success on the field as well as maintaining her excellent contributions off of it.

Pitchers

Elaine Fisher has been the team's ace for the last two seasons and that will not change in her final season as a Redhawk.  After being one of the top OVC pitchers her freshman and sophomore campaigns, she struggled through last season but still ended the year as one of the top workhorses in the OVC finishing second in starts and third in innings pitched, appearances, complete games and saves.

Fisher set a new career high with 14 wins and tied the school's single season record with 43 appearances.  She also established a new career high with 227 innings pitched which ranks in the school's single season top-5.  For her career she ranks in the top-5 in appearances, starts, complete games, innings, strikeouts and saves for the school. 

Coach Richmond and Assistant Coach Jeannine Soncini have brought in two freshmen arms to provide depth and compete for the No. 2 starter position.

Elaine Fisher looks to improve on her career-high of 14 wins set in 2007

Whitney Dupuis is an All-State selection from Cajun country. A four-time First team All-Southwest Louisiana selection from Sulphur High School she went 18-4 with a miniscule 0.92 ERA with 239 strikeouts, 12 shutouts and two perfect games her senior year.

Leigh Leonard is a versatile freshman from Kentucky who garnered All-State honors.  On the mound for Marshall County High School she recorded 156 strikeouts during her 2006 campaign.  Due to her athleticism, Leonard will not only compete on the mound but for time in the outfield as well.

Both freshmen will be counted on to provide quality innings this season.  It is important for both of them to execute this role especially in conference play where teams have not faced them yet there by providing the Redhawks with many options and fresh arms in a three game series.

Infield

The Redhawks strongest position is their infield, where they return three All-OVC starters from 2007. Seniors Michelle Summers, Megan McDonald and sophomore Stacia Dopudja combined for 34 of the Redhawk's record-setting 57 homeruns last season while also driving in 99 runs.

Summers will return to her spot at the "hot corner" where she garnered her second First Team All-OVC honor last season and her third All-OVC selection in as many seasons. Last season was a banner year for Summers as she ranked nationally in homeruns with 14.  This not only broke her own single-season record but increased her school career mark to 35.

The Glendale, California native also set a career-high with a .333 batting average, 34 RBIs, 24 walks, and a .667 slugging percentage numbers that either led or ranked second on the team.

Barring injury, the 2008 season has Summers on the brink of setting career marks for runs scored, at bats, doubles, RBIs and walks to go with the records she hold in homeruns and total bases.

On the field, Summers made vast improvements over her sophomore campaign, recording 111 assists, 58 putouts and recording only eight errors.

Life-long Cape Girardeau native McDonald looks to cap-off her successful career with yet another All-OVC selection after earning Second Team honors last season and successive First team honors during her freshman and sophomore campaigns. She returns to shortstop where she ranked second on the team with 108 assists.

Megan McDonald recorded her third-straight season batting over .300 in 2007

Her fielding performance aside, McDonald is best known for her bat. Last season she recorded her third-straight season with a batting average over .300 finishing with a .306 average. She tied her career-high with eight homeruns while setting a new mark with 28 runs scored.

McDonald ranks in the school's career top-ten in batting average, slugging, doubles, homeruns, and total bases. She should end her career in the top-five in many of those same categories.

At first base is OVC All-Newcomer team selection Dopudja. Dopudja is coming off one of the more impressive freshman campaigns in team history. She hit 12 homeruns which ranks second on the school's single season charts and set a new school record for homeruns by a freshman. Her 40 RBIs not only lead the team but set the school record for RBIs by a freshman.

Stacia Dopudja set school records for homeruns and RBIs for a freshman in 2007

Along with her power numbers she also finished second on the team with a .327 batting average and led the team in hits, doubles and at bats.

Dopudja was equally impressive on the field proving that as a freshman she was ready to step in and be one of the team's leaders. Her 238 putouts led the squad as did her .985 fielding percentage, committing only four errors in a team-high 270 chances.

If you count her OVC All-Newcomer Team selection in 2006, Junior Lauren Bradley gives the Redhawks four OVC honorees in the infield. Bradley looks to bounce back from an injury-plague 2007 season to reclaim her starting spot at second base. Limited to 23 games Bradley managed to still hit .271 with four homeruns and driving in 10 runs.

In Junior Allie Borowiak and freshman Carmen Fowler, the Redhawks have two newcomers looking to push for playing time as well as provide some depth in 2008. Both are considered versatile and athletic players who are more than capable with the bat.

Borowiak is a two-time All-Conference and All-Region pick from John A. Logan Community College.  She drove in a total of 65 runners during her two-year career at the Junior College level.  Borowiak will take over the third base duties with Summers catching and has been groomed this fall to play second base.

Fowler is a proven winner from Georgia where she helped her softball and basketball teams to numerous state titles. Due to Megan McDonald being sidelined in the fall season, Fowler stepped into the shortstop position and was impressive.  Richmond is very high on her future shortstop, but will use Fowler's versatility to see time in the infield and outfield.

Outfield

The Redhawks will have to replace two-thirds of perhaps the best defensive outfield in the OVC last season due to the graduation of All-OVC selection Lindsay Pickering and four-year starter Stephanie Mata. Combined, both played in over 377 games including 333 starts. However, the return of senior starter Katie Otterness and veteran Jen Vasquez will help supplement the losses.

Otterness came into her own last season, her first as a full-time starter.  The left-handed slap-hitter recorded a career best .300 plus on-base percentage last season and led the team in sacrifices.  She also showed some pop in her bat as she recorded a homerun and drove in six runners.  It is Otterness' glove and arm that stand out the most as she led the outfield with eight assists and committed only two errors all season long.

Katie Otterness is the lone starting outfielder returning in 2008

Making the switch from infield to outfield in 2008 is sophomore Jennifer Vasquez. As a freshman, Vasquez played in 48 games including 46 starts at second base. Offensively she batted .255 and finished fourth on the team in hits, runs and walks. It was her fielding and impressive offensive output during the Fall campaign that made it certain that the centerfield position would be taken care of.

UNLV transfer Meagan Webb looks to challenge for playing time in 2008. Webb will try to improve on the legacy that her older sister Lyndsey started when she starred here from 2003-06 and was a student assistant coach in 2007. As a prep, Webb showed promise but was limited by an injury last season as a freshman for the Rebels. Webb has shown vast improvement in her outfield play and will add quality depth to the Redhawks.

A pair of freshmen in infielder Fowler and pitcher Leonard provide security and depth to a revamped outfield in 2008.  Fowler is expected to step in and provide a strong arm and quality innings to the outfield while also backing-up All OVC shortstop Megan McDonald.  Leigh Leonard who is very athletic will provide innings on the mound and in right field.

Sophomore Elise Sperakos was the team's top reserve last season will have a redshirt season for the Redhawks this spring. She will retain three years of eligibility to help bolster the Redhawk's outfield in 2009.

The Schedule

Once again the Redhawks have not shied away from competition in 2008. They will face four teams that participated in the 2007 NCAA Softball Championships including two ranked opponents.

Southeast opens the season in Mississippi with a Valentine's Day doubleheader at Jackson State of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The Redhawks then travel to Monroe, La., to compete in the ULM Mardi Gras Tournament on Feb. 15-17 where they will take on Central Arkansas, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Iowa State, Louisiana Tech and the host Warhawks. Southeast ends the month with a trip to Memphis for the third-annual Blues City Classic on Feb. 24-26.

The Redhawks look to make a jump back into the elite of the Ohio Valley Conference

The Redhawks start off the month of March by hosting the annual All-Missouri Cancer Tournament at the Southeast Softball Complex against UMKC, Saint Louis and Missouri State before hosting Evansville on March 5. Southeast returns to the South for a two-week stint that begins on March 7-9 with the Florida Atlantic Tournament in Boca Raton, Fla., in addition to doubleheaders following the tournament against Longwood and at Belmont.

"I feel that more games in these in-season tournaments during February and March will give our pitching staff quality innings before we open conference play," stated Richmond, who is in her 26th season as Southeast's head coach. "It's also gives us an opportunity to see a lot of new teams on our schedule and by traveling deeper south we will have a greater chance to play more games."

The Ohio Valley Conference schedule opens with two road series at Eastern Kentucky (March 15-16) and defending conference champion Tennessee Tech (March 21-22) sandwiched in between a March 18 non-conference battle at rival Southern Illinois. The Redhawks return home for an OVC twinbill against Eastern Illinois on March 25 before hitting the road for another conference weekend series at Austin Peay (March 29-30).

Following an OVC home series against Tennessee State (April 5-6) and a non-conference doubleheader against Middle Tennessee (April 9), Southeast plays its next five contests on the road with a three-game OVC series at Samford (April 12-13) and a doubleheader at SLU (April 17). The Redhawks close the season with their final three conference series at home against Morehead State (April 19-20), UT Martin (April 26-27) and Jacksonville State (May 3-4) in addition to playing at Eastern Illinois on April 23.

"Playing nine of our final 10 conference games at home will give us an opportunity to make a run at the OVC final standings with a home-field advantage," Richmond added.