May 10, 2002

Despite the presence of a senior class that numbered seven, the 2002 edition of the Southeast Missouri State Otahkian softball team was one that featured two freshman pitchers on a staff of three. As with any freshmen, the transition from prep sports to collegiate sports can be a large one. This season, Southeast Missouri battled not only the youth of a pitching staff, but the elements of mother nature than continually cancelled games and an improved Ohio Valley Conference that was not just going to let Southeast easily roll to another title.

Mother nature hit the Otahkians early in the season, when blistering cold and rain forced the cancellation of the fourth annual Southeast Softball Classic that was to open the season. The three-day event has always been a good opportunity for Southeast to get five games under its belt against top competition and prepare them for the season. Instead of getting five games, the Otahks were able to salvage two games on Friday, as they opened the season by hosting the Ole Miss Lady Rebels. Last season, Southeast and the Rebels played four times, with Ole Miss claiming three victories. Despite pounding out 15 total hits and getting some good pitching, the Otahkians dropped their opener 5-3 and the second game of the doubleheader 4-1.

A trip to Carbondale to battle river-rival Southern Illinois was next. The battle seemed to be tough going in, as the Salukis were loaded with talent, especially on the mound. Southeast battled tooth-and-nail in game one on a chilly day, but allowed SIU to score one run in the bottom of the seventh to pull out the win. In game two, Southeast trailed only 2-1 heading into the fifth inning thanks to a homerun from backup catcher Alicia Loucks in her first at-bat as an Otahkian. But five runs in the fifth doomed Southeast as the team fell to 0-4 on the season.

Southeast returned home to host Loyola of Chicago and faced more of the same, as Loyola took game one 6-2 and pounded out a Southeast Complex opponent record of 14 hits in game two to win 8-3 and drop the Otahkians to 0-6 on the season.

Southeast then tried to snap the six-game losing streak, which tied the longest losing streak in the program's history. A reschedule doubleheader against a should-have-been opponent in the Southeast Softball Classic in Indiana State turned the fortunes of Southeast for the positive. Southeast exploded for five runs in the third inning capped by a two-RBI double by Kemi Rampi and eventually pulled out the 6-2 victory and avoided losing seven games in a row for the first time in school history. In game two, Southeast led ISU in the bottom of the first before heavy rains moved through the area canceling the game and costing the Otahkians a probable victory.

With a new confidence from the victory, the team traveled to Rock Hill, S.C. to battle in a very competitive Winthrop University Tournament. Southeast dropped game-one of the tournament by one-run to Pittsburgh and also lost to Jacksonville State (3-1) and Birmingham Southern (7-1) before earning their second victory of the season over Gardner-Webb. In that game, Amy Thompson hit her first homerun of the season and Erica Bonilla had three-hits to spark the Otahks to an 8-1 victory. Freshman pitcher Rachel Van Fleet threw a complete game in earning her second victory of the season.

On the way back from their Spring Break trip, the Otahkians split a doubleheader at the College of Charleston and were to play a doubleheader with the Billikens of Saint Louis University, but cold cancelled the seventh and eighth games of the season off the Southeast schedule.

With a 3-10 record, Southeast began Ohio Valley Conference play against eventual regular season and tournament champion Eastern Kentucky. And Southeast played the Colonels close, dropping a pair of one-run games on Saturday (3-2 and 2-1) thanks in part to a combined 22 strikeouts from EKU pitchers Jonelle Csora and Jessica Soto. Eastern also took the Sunday game to sweep the three-game series and drop the Otahkians to 0-3 in the OVC.

After a doubleheader with SMS was cancelled because of cold weather (the 10th total game of the season lost to inclement weather), Southeast traveled to Nashville to battle Tennessee State, a team the Otahks had never lost to. All streaks must come to an end some time as in took TSU nine innings, but the Lady Tigers pulled out a 7-6 victory. Disappointing by the loss, Southeast responded in game two of the double-dip, pounding out season highs of 20 hits and scoring 15 runs to blast TSU 15-7. Several Otahkians had multi-hit and multi-RBI games, and the emergence of freshman Kelly Birk at the plate began. The pitcher, who had not hit until that point of the season, was 3-3 in the game, including two doubles and also scored three runs. Her hitting would be important for the team down the line and for her own cause when she was on the mound.

The two teams returned to Cape Girardeau and played a single-game three days later, with Southeast winning 9-3. The game marked the first homerun for senior catcher Jennifer Cobin, while at Southeast.

Stepping out of conference, the Otahkians dropped a doubleheader at Missouri before hosting Austin Peay. A doubleheader sweep by Southeast on Sunday ran their record to 32-1 versus the Lady Govs in the last 33 total games. The lone loss had been a 1-0 blanking in last season's regular season finale that cost Southeast a share of the 2001 OVC Regular Season Championship. APSU would win one game in the series, taking Sunday's single game by a 6-5 margin, thanks to a seventh inning Lady Gov homerun.

When it looked like Southeast was about ready to climb over the .500 mark in conference action, Eastern Illinois scored three runs in the seventh inning and Southeast lost for the first time on the year when leading after six innings, falling 5-4 to the Panthers at home. That loss led to a 6-0 blanking by EIU in game two, as Southeast fell to 7-19 overall and 4-6 in the OVC.

The road was not looking much easier, as defending league and tournament champion Tennessee Tech came to town. It was the first-game of that series that helped turn Southeast's tide and avoid a total league collapse. Birk pitched a masterful game, allowing only five hits, in recording the team's first shutout of the season, in a 2-0 win over the Golden Eaglettes. Birk got some masterful defense from her teammates, as they turned three double plays and made countless good defensive plays. Southeast barely lost game two of the doubleheader (3-2) before falling 7-0 in the series finale.

Needing some victories to assure a berth in the OVC Tournament, Southeast made the most of its final two weeks of the regular season winning four of six crucial league games in the next to last week of the regular season. Kelly Birk recorded a victory at Tennessee-Martin (3-2), a shutout at Eastern Illinois (4-0) and another victory at Morehead State to push Southeast back into the thick of the OVC Standings. The week ended with Southeast winning two of three from Morehead State, and the series saw senior first baseman Reagan Hamlin hit two homeruns, including a grand slam against the Eagles.

The last week of the regular season saw Southeast lose a single-game to Southern Illinois before rain and storms cancelled the second game, marking the 11th game of the season the Otahkians lost to weather. The season concluded with the third and final game on the UT-Martin conference series, a 5-1 win for the Skyhawks. Southeast did claim a 5-1 victory in the second game against UTM, although the game acted as a non-conference contest. The victory ended the regular season for Southeast with a 13-25 record and 9-12 mark in the OVC, which was good enough for fifth place in the tournament.

Had it not been for seven, one-run losses in OVC play, Southeast would have been 16-5, which would have been good enough to win the conference title.

At the OVC Tournament, Southeast built a 5-0 lead in the opener against Austin Peay before eventually winning 5-3. But the team ran into a buzzsaw in EKU pitcher Jonelle Csora in game two. Csora threw a no-hitter as EKU blanked Southeast 7-0 and sent the Otahks into the consolation bracket. It was there that Southeast should have pulled a victory over UT-Martin to move into the consolation bracket championship. Southeast led 1-0 entering the seventh inning in what was a pitcher's duel between Birk and UTM's Kendra Kosco. But a seventh inning run by the Skyhawks tied the game and three runs in the eighth inning pushed them to a victory ending the Southeast season at 14-27 overall.

Individually, Southeast claimed several league honors. Cobin was named the All-OVC first-team catcher, marking the third consecutive season that Southeast had that position represented by its team. The two previous years, now assistant coach, Renee Enos walked away with that honor. Junior infielder Brooke Nett, who was also named to the OVC All-Tournament team, garnered All-OVC second team honors along with senior outfielder Courtney Eklund. Hamlin, who started and played in all 91 games in her two-year career at Southeast, was named to the All-OVC Honorable Mention squad. Senior shortstop Dawn Piantino, who led the team in several categories and ranked high in several OVC statistical categories, was named Team MVP at the year-end banquet.

Following the season, two other team members were awarded for excelling on-and-off the field, as senior utility player Emmy Kisaka and junior outfielder Katie Cerneka were named to the Verizon Academic All-District VII team. The awards only solidified the team's outstanding academic achievement, as last season that squad's overall team G.P.A. ranked third in the nation amongst all Division I softball teams.

Statistically, Nett led the team with a .312 average for those with enough bats to qualify. Cerneka had a .315 average but did not have enough at-bats (two per team game) to qualify. Cobin led the Otahkians in OVC play, batting .339 and throwing out almost 60% of the runners that tried to steal against her. Birk finished the season with a 7-12 record and 2.69 E.R.A. In conference games she was 6-5 with a 2.08 E.R.A. and the way she ended the season should mean good things in the future for Southeast.

Next season, 12 players will return for Southeast, including two of three pitchers. Those players along with some talented newcomers will look to put Coach Lana Richmond back on track with another winning season, after she suffered her first-ever losing season during 2002.