May 4, 2007

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri State softball looks to end the regular season on a good note as it travels to Morehead, Ky., this weekend for a key Ohio Valley Conference series against host Morehead State. The teams open the series with a doubleheader on Saturday at 12 noon and finish with a Sunday single game beginning at 11 a.m. The Redhawks are one of several conference teams seeking to gain one of the final three spots for next week's OVC Tournament held in Cookeville, Tenn.

Southeast heads into the weekend sporting an 18-28 record and has tallied a 9-15 mark in conference play. The Redhawks posted a 5-2 win over Eastern Illinois Wednesday to close a six-game homestand with a 3-3 record. Freshman infielder/pitcher Stacia Dopudja (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) has tallied a team-best .327 batting average to go along with 12 home runs, 11 doubles and 39 RBI, while junior infielder Michelle Summers (Glendale, Calif./Hoover) is tied with Dopudja with 12 homers in addition to hitting .324 with 29 RBI on the year. Junior pitcher Elaine Fisher (St. Peters, Mo./Francis Howell North) leads Southeast with a team-high 13 wins, three saves and 129 strikeouts in 220 innings of work.

Morehead State enters this weekend's series with a season record of 20-30 which includes a 6-17 mark against OVC competition. Last weekend, the Eagles dropped two of three contests to Samford at home, but captured the series finale by a 4-2 winning margin. Senior outfielder Krystle Coleman paces the Morehead State offense with a .322 batting average along with a team-best 48 hits and 21 stolen bases this season. Junior infielder Brandy Bucher has amassed team-highs in doubles (12) and RBI (21) in addition to posting a .432 slugging percentage. Junior Kari Quinn is the team's leader in ERA (2.60), innings pitched (145.1) and strikeouts (112), while freshman Alex Gjevere has posted a 13-11 record on the year.

The Redhawks hold a commanding 43-7 lifetime record with Morehead State, including wins in seven of the last nine contests. Last season, Southeast posted a three-game sweep of the Eagles at home, while taking two of three in Morehead during the 2005 season.