April 15, 2002

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Southeast Missouri (8-21, 5-9 OVC)
vs. Tennessee-Martin (21-22, 10-3 OVC)
April 16, 2002, 2:00 p.m. (DH)
Martin, Tenn. - Bettye Giles Field (300)
All-Time Series: Southeast leads 45-21.

About Southeast: Tuesday starts maybe the most important week of the season for the softball Otahkians as they have six crucial Ohio Valley Conference games that will go a long way towards determining their seed in the OVC Tournament the first weekend of May.

Southeast starts with a resurgent Tennessee-Martin squad. UTM had won only 15 conference games the previous three seasons, but have exploded for a 10-3 record through 13 games this season. Their success can be attributed to junior college transfer Kendra Kosco, a former teammate of Southeast's Alicia Loucks. Kosco has a 13-5 record and 1.77 ERA in 21 appearances. Most impressively, she has struck out 142 batters in only 114.2 innings this season. She has already shattered the UTM single season record for strikeouts, previously 93. She is the reigning OVC Pitcher of the Week and leads the OVC in strikeouts (8.67 per game), shutouts (6), complete games (15) and is second in victories (13).

Southeast got its first great pitching performance of the year on Saturday, when freshman Kelly Birk threw the team's first complete game shutout of the season. Birk allowed only five hits (two through the first five innings) and knocked in the game-winning RBI in the game.

SS Dawn Piantino continues to lead the team in batting with a .302 average after 29 games. She leads the team in hits (26), runs (16), doubles (9), homeruns (2), RBI's (12) and walks (11). All this while also playing outstanding defense.

Southeast will be looking to end a skid that has seen them lose three in a row and five of their last six contests. Overall, Southeast has won seven in a row against Tennessee-Martin over the past two seasons.

About the Opposition: Tennessee-Martin (21-22, 10-3)

Tennessee-Martin is off to a fantastic year in the OVC after struggling the past few years. In 2001, the Skyhawks had only four OVC wins and only 15 total OVC wins over the past three years. This season, UTM already owns a 10-3 conference record.

Their improved success can be found in junior college transfer, pitcher Kendra Kosco. Kosco holds a 13-5 record in 21 appearances and a 1.77 E.R.A. But her most amazing statistic is her 142 strikeouts in only 114.2 innings pitched this season. Kosco is the reigning OVC Pitcher of the Week.

The Skyhawks are getting good hitting from junior 1B Meredith Ramsey. She is hitting .314 at this point in the season, which leads the team. She also leads team in hits, doubles, triples and RBI's.

Senior 3B Amy Harcerode is second on the team with a .296 average. UTM also likes to hit the long ball, and has a collective 15 team HR's this season.

UTM enters Tuesday's game on a four-game winning streak after sweeping Morehead State this past weekend and posting a victory over Tennessee State.

Southeast leads the all-time series 45-21 including winning all four games last season between the teams. Overall, Southeast has won seven straight in the series.

UTM Statistical Leaders

Batting:	Meredith Ramsey (.314)
Hits:	        Ramsey (38)
Runs:	        Lindsey Moffitt (18)
2B:		Ramsey (10)
3B:		3 players tied w/ 1
HR:		3 players tied w/ 3
RBI:		Ramsey (24)
SB:		Moffitt (13)
E.R.A.:	        Kendra Kosco (1.77)
IP:		Kosco (114.2)
Wins:    	Kosco (13)
K's:		Kosco (142)

Coaching Comparisons

Southeast - Lana Richmond
At SEMO (20 yrs.) - 617-349-2


Tennessee-Martin - Joyce Maudie
At UTM (1 yr.) - 21-22
Overall (1 yr.) - same

Southeast Notes

Finally a Shutout: Freshman pitcher Kelly Birk threw Southeast's first shutout of the season, when the Otahkians blanked Tennessee Tech 2-0 on Saturday. Birk allowed just five hits and got great help from the Otahkian defense in picking up her 3rd victory of the season.

Helping Her Own Cause: Kelly Birk helped her own cause in that Tech victory, knocking in the game-winning RBI with a bases loaded single in the second inning.

Twice is Nice: Versus Tennessee Tech in game one on Saturday, Southeast turned an amazing three double plays, all to end innings and Golden Eagle scoring threats. The most impressive was a fly out to rightfield that Courtney Eklund grabbed an nailed the runner at home plate trying to score. On the season, Southeast has recorded 16 double plays, after turning only 10 all of last year.

Tough Week Ahead: The conference fate of Southeast might be decided this week when the Otahkians play six of their final seven OVC games at UT-Martin, Eastern Illinois and Morehead State this week.

Avoid the Fifth: Southeast has been outscored 27-9 in the fifth inning this season. The Otahkians only hold a scoring advantage over their opponents in two innings, the first (19-18) the sixth (10-8).

Injury Update: Both Alicia Loucks and Michelle Lunsford will miss most of this week's action with injuries. Loucks strained some ligaments in her leg after getting ran into at home-plate. Lunsford received a mild concussion after stealing second base against Tennessee Tech on Saturday.

Pinch Hitting Success: When needing a lift off the bench, Southeast has had success with pinch hitters. In total, those hitters are a combined 14-43 (.326) off the bench. Christine Knobbe leads the way with three hits as a pinch hitter, including two triples. The total of two triples leads the team this season.

Not So Friendly Confines: Southeast currently has a 5-12 record at home, with four games remaining to be played. The Otahkians have never had a losing record at the Southeast Softball Complex in its three prior seasons. They have also never had a losing record when they played their games in the center of campus at their other field.

Other Dubious Streaks: Southeast Coach Lana Richmond has never had a losing record in her 19 prior seasons at Southeast. A 25-25 record from 2001 is the worst record she has posted in her career. In the 22 years of softball at Southeast, the Otahkians have only had one losing season, a 21-28 mark in 1982.

In the Field: As a team, Southeast has a .964 team fielding percentage up from the .951 percentage the team had last season. Three Otahkians, 1B Amy Thompson, C Jennifer Cobin, and P Rachel Van Fleet, all have perfect 1.000 fielding percentages.

Homerun Firsts: Five Otahkians have hit their first career homeruns this season. Only three Otahks hit their first career homerun throughout the entire 2001 season. The players:
-Alicia Loucks vs. Southern Illinois (3/5)
-Dawn Piantino vs. Jacksonville St. (3/15)
-Katie Cerneka vs. Eastern Ky. (3/24)
-Jamie Birk vs. Tennessee State (3/29)
-Jennifer Cobin vs. Tennessee State (4/1)

Hitting Streaks: SS Dawn Piantino has the longest current hitting streak at three games. Brooke Nett owns the longest streak at any point of the season, seven games.

Consistent Starter: Only one Otahkian 1B Reagan Hamlin has started every game this season at the same position. Last season, Hamlin was the only team member to start in all 50 games. She did so at 1B, 3B or at pitcher.

Taking One For the Team: Junior infielder Brooke Nett always takes one for the team. Last season she hit 12 times by a pitch and has been hit three in 2002. That brings her three-year total to 24, which ranks as the all-time Southeast record. Her 12 HBP's last season is the Southeast single season record.

The Otahkians are . . .

        5-8	When they score first.
	1-9	When scoring in the first inning.
	8-1	When leading after six innings.
	0-15	When trailing after six innings.
	7-1	When outhitting their opponents.
	4-7	When committing fewer errors than opponent.
	3-5	When hitting at least one home run.
	3-6	When turning at least one double play.
	5-2	When stealing more bases than opponent.
	5-8	When they steal at least one base.
	4-2	When they strike out less than opponent.
	4-10	When they draw at least two base on balls.
	2-8	When leaving fewer than five runners on base.
        1-8 	In one-run games.
	1-3	In two-run games.
	3-8	In five + run games.
	1-5	In shutout games.
	0-1	In extra inning games.
	8-17	In games starting before 5:00 p.m.
	0-4	In games starting after 5:00 p.m.
	5-15	When playing in a doubleheader game.
	2-0	On Monday.
	1-5	On Tuesday.
	0-2	On Wednesday.
	0-2	On Thursday.
	1-5	On Friday.
	4-4	On Saturday.
	0-3	On Sunday.

OVC Standings

	                OVC				Overall
	                W	L	T	Pct.	W	L	T	Pct.
Eastern Kentucky     	10	2	0	.833	24	9	0	.727
Tennessee-Martin	10	3	0	.769	21	22	0	.488
Tennessee Tech	        8	3	0	.727	25	19	0	.568
Eastern Illinois	6	7	0	.461	14	16	0	.467
Morehead State	        5	8	1	.393	9	24	1	.279
Southeast Missouri 	5	9	0	.357	8	21	0	.276
Austin Peay	        3	7	1	.318	14	27	1	.345
Tennessee State	        3	11	0	.214	9	25	0	.265