TEAM NOTES
AUSTIN PEAY (40-22, 19-8 OVC): Austin Peay claimed its sixth OVC regular season crown by taking two of three games from Eastern Kentucky over the final weekend of the regular season. The Governors finished one game ahead of Jacksonville State in the tight race. The Govs were also OVC regular season champions in 1971, 1994, 1996, 2003 and 2004. APSU finished 19-8 in the Conference this season and all eight of the losses came against the five other teams who made the 2007 OVC Tournament. After starting the year 3-4 in OVC play, Austin Peay finished the season 16-4 in League action. Overall APSU’s 36 regular season wins were fourth all-time in APSU history, trailing three other teams that were OVC Champions. Austin Peay then swept all three games at the O’Reilly OVC Championship, beating Samford and then Jacksonville State twice to win its third OVC Tournament title. Matt Reynolds was named Tournament MVP after 8.1 innings of great pitching in the semifinal win over JSU; Tyler Farrar, Jake Lane, Rafael Hill and Shawn Kelley were also named to the All-Tournament team. The OVC Championship victory was special for head coach Gary McClure who notched his 600 career victory with the win. Austin Peay earned the OVC’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament and were seeded No. 4 in the Nashville Regional. The Govs took the No. 1 -ranked ’Dores to the limit in the first game, losing 2-1 in 11 innings when Vandy scored an unearned run. Kelley dueled with consensus National Pitcher of the Year David Price, going 10 innings and getting a no-decision. The Govs then topped Memphis in the second game, ending an 11-game losing streak for the OVC in the NCAA Tournament and netting the first NCAA win in APSU history. The Govs run came to an end when they lost 11-5 to Vandy in the next game. Farrar, Matt Smith and Kelley were named to the Regional All-Tournament Team. Austin Peay ended the year with 40 wins, the second time they had reached that plateau in school history (they won a school-record 44 games in 1996). For only the second time in school history the Govs had three pitchers with seven or more wins (which ranks in the top 20 in school history). Kelley (11 wins, 5th all-time), Reynolds (11 wins, 8th) and Ryne Mantooth (7 wins, 20th) matched the feat also done by the 1989 trio of Jesse Cash, Jon Frazier and Bill Kooiman. Austin Peay’s defense fielded at a .972 clip during the season, which set a new school record (besting the .965 mark of the 2004 team). The team did not commit and error during the three-game OVC Tournament run. Kelley was named OVC Pitcher of the Year while McClure was named OVC Coach of the Year. Lane and Kelley were first-team All-OVC selections while Smith, Farrar and Hill were second-team picks. Trey Lucas was tabbed an All-Freshman selection.
EASTERN ILLINOIS (23-28, 12-14 OVC): Eastern Illinois was one of nine schools that had a chance of making the six-team OVC Tournament field entering last week of the regular season. The Panthers did everything they had too - sweeping a three-game road series at Morehead State - but did not get the necessary help from other teams and finished seventh in the OVC race, a half game behind Murray State (the No. 6 seed). EIU finished with the same number of Conference wins as the Thoroughbreds (12) but Murray had one more game cancelled due to snow and earned the sixth spot by winning percentage. Ironically the third game of the EIU-Murray series was cancelled by poor weather and could have made a difference had Eastern won that game. The Panthers also lost a pair of non-conference games at the beginning of last week, falling at Southern Illinois and to Northern Illinois in a neutral site contest. Senior Erik Huber, a first-team All-OVC selection, finished his season in style, hitting .435 (10-for-23) with six RBI during the week. He finished the season with an OVC-best .409 batting average (the only player over .400 on the year) and recorded back-to-back years with .400+ batting averages. He became the first player in EIU’s Division I Era to accomplish that feat. Huber also led the OVC in slugging (.679) and on-base percentage (.473). His .424 average in OVC-only games also led the Conference. Following the season he was named a CoSIDA Academic All-American for his work in the classroom and on the field. Mark Chagnon finished sixth in the OVC in batting (.365) and was also a first-team All-OVC pick. Richie Derbak was a second-team All-OVC pick and an All-Freshman Team choice. Kory Peppenhorst joined Derbak on the All-Freshman Team. Coach Jim Schmitz finished the season with 517 total victories in his 20 years of coaching, 323 of those coming at EIU.
EASTERN KENTUCKY (24-29-1, 12-12 OVC): Eastern Kentucky won one of three games at OVC Champion Austin Peay during the final week of the regular season and finished the season at 12-12 and earned the fifth seed for the O’Reilly OVC Tournament. EKU lost to Samford in the opening game of the tournament but rebounded to top Murray State and stay alive. However, they met up with Samford once again and were eliminated from the tournament. Sophomore ace Christian Friedrich, who tossed his second one-hitter of the season during the final week of the season and got losses in both of those contests, was named to the All-Tournament team after striking out 10 in the win over Murray State. Friedrich was also a first-team All-OVC pick while Tyler Barnett was a second-team selection. Friedrich finished the year with 101 strikeouts, which was the most in the OVC. Despite not getting a lot of run support (he was just 5-4 overall), Friedrich finished the year with an OVC-best 2.09 ERA in 81.2 innings of work.
JACKSONVILLE STATE (33-27, 18-9 OVC): Jacksonville State finished one game behind Austin Peay in the regular season standings and earned the No. 2 seed in the O’Reilly OVC Tournament. The Gamecocks, however, were unable to defend their tournament championship, as they fell to Austin Peay in the title game. JSU topped Southeast Missouri 15-2 in its opening game but lost 2-1 to Austin Peay in the semifinals behind a strong pitching performance from Tournament MVP Matt Reynolds. The Gamecocks topped Samford in the loser’s bracket and made it back to face Austin Peay but lost another one-run game to the Govs. Jake Ball and OVC Player of the Year Clay Whittemore were named to the All-Tournament team for their efforts. Whittemore, Ball and Bert Smith were all first-team All-OVC selections while Nick Cleckler, Alex Jones and Donovan Hand were second-team picks. Four JSU players - Josh Sanders, Daniel Adamson, Ben Tootle and Kyle McCreary - were each named to the All-Freshman team. Hand finished the year by being named OVC Pitcher of the Week four times during this season (which brought his career total to six awards). The four awards in one season is the most since Southeast Missouri’s Todd Pennington won an OVC-record five in 2001; the six career awards is believed to have also set an OVC record. Hand, a junior, now ranks in the top five in JSU history for career strikeouts During the season the senior Ball became the program’s all-time hits leader (249). Ball also holds the Jax State record for career games played (223), career starts (218), career at-bats and career walks. Whittemore finished the regular season with 31 multiple-hit games (tops in the OVC) and 93 total hits, just one short of the JSU career record (94, set by Bobby Hicks in 2004).
MOREHEAD STATE (16-36, 9-18 OVC): Morehead State entered the final week of the regular season with an outside chance of making the six-team OVC Tournament field but a sweep at home at the hands of Eastern Illinois ended any hope the Eagles had. MSU lost five of its last six OVC games of the year and finished ninth in the final standings. The Eagles "ran away" with the OVC stolen bases title this season, stealing a school record 110 bases in 156 attempts. No other OVC school was over 100 swipes during the regular season (although EKU finished with 102 after the OVC Tournament). Senior Dustin Miles led the team with 23 steals, a mark that ranked him tied for second in the Conference; his 14 steals in OVC games was the tops in the Conference. Senior centerfielder Nick Bobrowski had a memorable end to his final game at Morehead State; he had three hits, two doubles and a triple, and knocked in eight runs in Saturday’s game. Eagle shortstop Nick Nail was injured in pre-game practice for the Southeast Missouri series and missed the last six games of the season. Drew Lee, who ended the season as MSU’s top hitter (.362) among regulars, suffered a sprained ankle in infield practice before the first game of the EIU series and missed all three games. Lee was named an All-Freshman Team selection. Following the season it was announced that John Jarnagin’s contract will not be renewed after 12 years as head coach. MSU alum Jay Sorg was named the program’s head coach in June.
MURRAY STATE (18-35, 12-13 OVC): Murray State lost two of its final three regular season games and earned the No. 6 seed in the O’Reilly OVC Tournament. It was the team’s second appearances under head coach Rob McDonald; MSU last won an OVC Tournament Championship in 2003. The team made a quick exit at the tournament, losing to Southeast Missouri State in its opening game and falling to Eastern Kentucky the next night. Jamie Leidolf hit over .600 in his short time at the tournament and was named to the All-Tournament team. Outfielder Tyler Pittman was a first-team All-OVC selection while James Akin, Seth Hudson and Tyler Owen all earned second-team honors. Hudson finished the year with a .359 batting average, the sixth best in the OVC. Owen, who hit .353 finished the year in eighth place.
SAMFORD (32-28, 14-13 OVC): With just two weeks left in the regular season, Samford had its back against the wall, as the Bulldogs - the preseason OVC favorites - found itself in ninth place overall with just six games to play. But the team did exactly what it had to do, winning its final six Conference games, including sweeping UT Martin on the road the last week of the season, to finish fourth in the final league standings. After not sweeping an OVC opponent through the first seven season series, the Bulldogs swept its final two of the year. The Bulldogs topped Eastern Kentucky in its OVC Tournament opener then lost to No. 1 seed Austin Peay to slip into the loser’s bracket. The Bulldogs battled back with wins over Eastern Kentucky and Southeast Missouri to come within one game of reaching the championship game. But despite having a lead on Jacksonville State in that game, the Bulldogs eventually lost 10-8. The five games in the OVC Tournament were the second most all-time (six is the record). Michael Marseco, Bear Burnett and Garrett Rice were each named to the All-Tournament team for their performance in the tournament. Marseco and closer Joseph Edens were both first-team All-OVC selections. Marseco finished the season ranked 10th (.350) in the OVC in batting average while Edens 11 saves were tops in the League.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI (32-24, 16-10 OVC): Southeast Missouri State entered the final weekend of the season with an outside chance at the OVC regular season crown but dropped two of three games at Tennessee Tech to finish the season 16-10 in League play. That earned them the No. 3 overall seed for the tournament and they topped No. 6 seed Murray State in the opening game. The Redhawks were pushed into the loser’s bracket after a 15-2 loss to Jacksonville State in the second round and were eliminated from the tournament by Samford the next day. Freshman catcher Jim Klocke had a great tournament and was named to the All-Tournament Team. Klocke was also named the OVC Freshman of the Year and an All-Freshman Team selection. Pitcher/outfielder Asif Shah was the only ’Hawk on the All-OVC first-team, while starting pitcher Dustin Renfrow was named a second-team selection. Pitcher Josh Syberg and third baseman Nick Harris joined Klocke on the All-Freshman team. Southeast ended the year with 31 regular season victories, the most since 2002 when the squad won 32 times, won the OVC Tournament Championship and defeated Alabama on its home field in the opener of the NCAA Regional. The Redhawks broke the school single-season record for times hit-by-pitch during a year, doing so for the 75th time over the final weekend of the regular season. The team’s .965 fielding percentage set a new school record (the old record was .964 set in 2005). Southeast Missouri has qualified for the OVC Tournament in each of the past 13 years (every year under head coach Mark Hogan), which tied the OVC all-time record (shared with Eastern Kentucky).
TENNESSEE TECH (26-28, 12-15 OVC): Despite winning two of its final three games of the season, Tennessee Tech saw Samford pass it in the final standings and the Golden Eagles were on the outside looking in for the 2007 O’Reilly OVC Tournament. Junior Sean Reilly continued his hot streak, hitting in each of his final four games (Tech lost to Tennessee to begin the week) and finished the season with a 22-game hitting streak that he will look to extend at the beginning of the 2008 season. Senior catcher Steve Soper finished the year third in the OVC in hitting (.373), second in doubles (18) and RBI (59) and third in home runs (10), was named a first-team All-OVC selection. Tech had outfielder Jake New named to the second-team All-OVC squad and pitcher Jared Dobbs named to the All-Freshman Team.
UT MARTIN (19-36, 7-19 OVC): Tennessee-Martin saw its season come to an end by dropping three games at home to Samford. The Skyhawks also dropped a neutral site game to Memphis and ended the season on a four-game losing streak. UTM finished the year 16-14 overall at Skyhawk Field, the team’s second straight winning season at home. Eleven UT Martin seniors were honored before the season’s final game against Samford, with 10 of the 11 seeing action in the game. Senior William Blackmon had five strikeouts in the second game against Samford and finished the year with 64, the eighth most in UTM single-season history. Pitcher Travis Webb ended the year with 29 appearances, the second most in school history. Teammate Calen Sutton made 21 appearances on the mound during the season, the ninth most in single-season school history. Junior Kyle Dudley finished the season with 62 hits, the 10th most in school history. Senior Chad Green swiped his 20th base of the season over the final weekend and finished the year sixth in school history for a season. Bryce Carden finished the season as UT Martin’s leading hitter (.329), one point ahead of Dudley who claimed the team lead for hits. Lance Renton’s 34 RBI led the squad. Freshman Shayne Martin was named to the OVC All-Freshman Team.
OTHER NOTES FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE
Austin Peay Wins Sixth OVC Regular Season Crown: Austin Peay claimed its sixth OVC regular season crown by taking two of three games from Eastern Kentucky over the final weekend of the regular season. The Governors finished one game ahead of Jacksonville State in the tight race. The Govs were also OVC regular season champions in 1971, 1994, 1996, 2003 and 2004. APSU finished 19-8 in the Conference this season and all eight of the losses came against the five other teams who made the 2007 OVC Tournament. After starting the year 3-4 in OVC play, Austin Peay finished the season 16-4 in League action. Overall APSU’s 36 regular season wins is fourth all-time in APSU history, trailing three other teams that were OVC Champions. Head Coach Gary McClure was named the OVC Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career and senior pitcher Shawn Kelley was tabbed as the OVC Pitcher of the Year. Kelley is the seventh APSU pitcher to earn that honor and the third in four years.
Close Race: Since the league switched a 27-game Conference schedule, this year’s race was one of the closest. From top to bottom in the league the difference was 11.5 games, the closest during a 27-game schedule, edging out a 12.5 top-to-bottom difference in 2005. The top three teams ended the year separated by only 2.5 games (Jacksonville State was one back on Austin Peay and Southeast Missouri was 2.5 back of the Govs). The closest race occurred in 2003 when Austin Peay topped Southeast Missouri by 0.5 games and were 1.5 games ahead of Tennessee Tech (who they topped on the final day of the season).
Govs Claim 2007 OVC Tournament Championship: Austin Peay claimed its third Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship, winning all three of its games at Brooks Stadium in Paducah, Ky. The Governors topped Samford (5-1) in the opening round, Jacksonville State (2-1) in the semifinals and JSU once again in the championship (3-2). The Govs also won the tournament title in 1996 and 2005.
APSU Makes Third NCAA Tournament Appearance: Austin Peay made its third NCAA Tournament appearance in 2007, as it was assigned the No. 4 seed in the Nashville Regional. The Govs gave the national No. 1 overall seed Vanderbilt all it could handle in the opener, falling 2-1 in 11 innings. Shawn Kelley matched consensus National Pitcher of the Year David Price, going 10 innings but getting a no-decision. Vandy scored an unearned run in the 11th to score the victory. Austin Peay claimed its first NCAA Tournament victory the next day, topping Memphis 18-7 in a game that was delayed over three hours by rain. The win in the OVC Tournament was the first for an OVC school since Southeast Missouri State beat Alabama in 2002, snapping an 11-game OVC losing streak in the event. Austin Peay lost once again to Vanderbilt the next day, this time by an 11-5 margin as they were eliminated from the tournament. Kelley, Tyler Farrar and Matt Smith were each named to the All-Regional Team. The Govs first appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 1996, playing in the Baton Rouge Regional. APSU lost 9-3 to eventual national champion LSU and were eliminated the next day by Georgia Tech. The team last appeared in 2005, losing to Tennessee and Wichita State in the Knoxville Regional.
10 OVC Players Selected in 2007 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft: Ten Ohio Valley Conference players were selected in Major League Baseball’s First-Year Player Draft held in June (7-8). Six different schools had at least one player selected with Austin Peay leading the way with a school-record four players selected. Eastern Illinois’ Erik Huber was the first player taken, pick No. 368 overall (round 12) by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Austin Peay’s first player went in the 13th round (No. 405), when the Seattle Mariners picked Shawn Kelley. Other Govs taken included Matt Reynolds (20th, No. 612 by the Colorado Rockies), Jake Lane (32nd, No. 965 by the Kansas City Royals) and Ben Wilshire (40th, No. 1201 by the San Francisco Giants). Also drafted were Jacksonville State’s Donovan Hand (14th, No. 431 by the Milwaukee Brewers), Eastern Kentucky’s Lucas Waters (14th, No. 436 by the Florida Marlins), Morehead State’s Henry Mabee (19th, No. 599 by the Chicago White Sox), Jacksonville State’s Garrett Bass (42nd, No. 1249 by the Washington Nationals) and Samford’s Joseph Edens (44th, No. 1305 by the San Francisco Giants).
Whittemore Named Louisville Slugger All-American: Jacksonville State junior outfielder Clay Whittemore was named a third-team Louisville Slugger/TPX All-American by Collegiate Baseball News. Whittemore, the OVC Player of the Year, led the Conference in hits (93), multiple-hit games (31), multiple-RBI games (20), RBI (69) and doubles (20) during the year. He was also second in batting average (.391), third in on-base percentage (.456) and eighth in slugging (.513).
Klocke, Harris and Derbak Named Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-Americans: A trio of OVC baseball players were named Freshman All-Americans in 2007 by Louisville Slugger. Southeast Missouri State catcher Jim Klocke, the 2007 OVC Freshman of the Year, and teammate Nick Harris were two of the recipients while Eastern Illinois utility man Richie Derbak was the third.
Eight OVC Players Honored by Ping!: Following the season, three OVC players were named to the Ping! All-American Team and five were selected to the Freshman All-American Squad. Jacksonville State outfielder Clay Whittemore, Austin Peay pitcher Shawn Kelley and Eastern Kentucky hurler Christian Friedrich were the three named to the All-American squad. The freshman honored were Southeast Missouri catcher Jim Klocke, Jacksonville State pitcher Ben Tootle, Morehead State infielder Drew Lee, Eastern Illinois utility player Richie Derbak and Eastern Illinois catcher Kory Peppenhorst.
EIU’s Huber Earns CoSIDA ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American Honors: Eastern Illinois senior first baseman Erik Huber capped his career by being named a first-team CoSIDA ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American. Huber, a physical education major, had a 3.65 GPA in the classroom and was the first EIU baseball player to earn Academic All-American honors. On the field Huber hit .409 this season, marking back-to-back years of .400-plus batting for the slugger. He led the OVC in batting, slugging and on-base percentage this year. Three other players - Morehead State’s Donald Cheney and Nick Nail and Southeast Missouri’s Josh Parham - were named CoSIDA Academic All-District selections, but did not make the All-American team.
Govs One of Few to Claim OVC Regular Season and Tournament Title in Same Year: Austin Peay became only the third team in the past 12 years (and fifth in 19 years) to win both the OVC regular season and tournament championships in the same year. The Govs became the first team since 2002 (Southeast Missouri) to accomplish the feat. The other teams to do it over the past 20 years are: Eastern Kentucky (1989), Middle Tennessee (1990), Middle Tennessee (1995) and Eastern Illinois (1999).
Pitching Was Tops in Paducah: Austin Peay’s pitching was superb at this year’s OVC Tournament, allowing only four total runs and netting a 1.33 E.R.A. for the tournament. OVC Pitcher of the Year Shawn Kelley opened with a complete game against Samford, allowing seven hits and one earned run in nine innings. Senior Matt Reynolds, the Tournament MVP, followed that up with an 8.1 inning outing against Jacksonville State in the semifinals, four-hitting the League’s No. 1 offensive team. Kelley struck out five and did not walk any in his outing while Reynolds struck out seven without issuing a walk. Ryne Mantooth lasted 7.1 innings in the championship game, striking out six and walking only one. For the weekend, APSU needed only 2.1 innings from its bullpen staff.
Jacksonville State Earns OVC Sportsmanship Award for Baseball: Jacksonville State was named the winner of the OVC’s Team Sportsmanship Award for Baseball this season. The awards are currently in their second season after being awarded for the first time during the 2005-06 school year. Murray State won the inaugural award for baseball.
McClure Wins 600th Game: The championship game victory over Jacksonville State was especially sweet for head coach Gary McClure, who is in his 20th year as skipper for the Governors program. At the end of the 2007 season, McClure has a 601-544-4 career record, a mark that puts him second all-time in OVC history. He trails only Murray State’s Johnny Reagan (776-508-11 from 1958-93) in the all-time wins list. McClure has won 30 or more games in each of the last four years and in seven of the last eight seasons.
Samford Picked as League Preseason Favorite: Defending Ohio Valley Conference regular season champion Samford has been picked to win the 2007 OVC baseball crown this season by a narrow margin over rival and 2006 OVC Tournament Champion Jacksonville State, according to a preseason poll of the league’s 10 head coaches. The Bulldogs, who won an OVC-record 21 Conference games a season ago, received six first-place votes (78 points in total), two more than second-place Jacksonville State. Jacksonville State (74 points), who won the OVC regular season title in 2005 and represented the OVC in the NCAA Tournament a year ago, fell just four points behind Samford in the poll, as the two teams racked in all 10 first-place votes. Eastern Kentucky (58 points) was picked third for the second straight year, edging out Austin Peay (53 points) and Eastern Illinois (53 points), who tied for fourth, and Southeast Missouri (44 points), who were fifth. Tennessee Tech (28 points) was tabbed seventh, Murray State (24 points) eighth, UT Martin (20 points) ninth and Morehead State 10th (15 points).
Several OVC Players Named to Preseason All-American Teams/Watch Lists: The OVC had several players named to preseason All-American teams and Award Watch lists. Eastern Kentucky’s Christian Friedrich (6’3, So., LHP) was named a third-team preseason All-American by both the NCBWA and the Collegiate Baseball News (Louisville Slugger). He was also one of 62 pitchers named to the Roger Clemens Award Watch List (given to the nation’s top pitcher) and the Brooks Wallace Watch List (given to the nation’s top player by the College Baseball Foundation). Samford’s Josh Ehmke (5’9, Sr., LHP) and Jacksonville State’s Nick Clecker (5’10, Sr., OF) were also selected to the Brooks Wallace Watch List. In a revised Wallace List released in late April, those three players were no longer on the list but had been replaced by Jacksonville State’s Clay Whittemore (6’1, Sr., OF), Southeast Missouri’s Asif Shah (6’1, Sr., RHP/DH) and Eastern Illinois Erik Huber (6’6, Sr., 1B/OF). Ehmke was also named to the Louisville Slugger Preseason All-American team while teammate Joseph Edens (5’10, Sr., RHP) was one of 35 pitchers named to the NCWBA’s Stopper of the Year Award Watch List (given to the nation’s top closer). Morehead State senior catcher Donald Cheney was named to the Watch List for the 2007 Coleman Company Johnny Bench Award, delivered by AT&T; the award is given to the top catcher in the nation and it marks the third straight year Cheney has been on the list.
OVC Players in Major League Baseball: The Ohio Valley Conference currently has four former players playing Major League Baseball this season. Those players include Austin Peay’s Jaime Walker (Baltimore) and George Sherrill (Seattle), Jacksonville State’s Todd Jones (Detroit - although Jones played at JSU before they were members of the OVC) and Morehead State’s Jon Rauch (Washington). Southeast Missouri’s Kerry Robinson began the year with Boston but was released in May.
OVC Against Ranked Teams: In 2007, OVC schools matched up in 31 games against ranked foes. The League schools were a combined 9-22 in those contests, including winning five of the last nine. The teams that scored victories so far this season include Austin Peay (twice over No. 13 Mississippi State), Eastern Illinois (over No. 30 Evansville and No. 30 College of Charleston), Morehead State (over No. 27 Kentucky), Murray State (twice over No. 39 Memphis), Tennessee Tech (over No. 13 Alabama) and Samford (over No. 22 Alabama).
February 21 - Murray State at No. 25 Kentucky - L, 8-5
February 23 - Jacksonville State at No. 24 Texas A&M - L, 15-5
February 23 - Tennessee Tech at No. 25 Kentucky - L, 10-2
February 24 - Jacksonville State at No. 24 Texas A&M - L, 6-4
February 24 - Tennessee Tech at No. 25 Kentucky - L, 6-4
February 25 - Jacksonville State at No. 24 Texas A&M - L, 12-0
February 25 - Tennessee Tech at No. 25 Kentucky - L, 10-3
February 25 - Eastern Illinois at No. 25 Evansville - W, 8-6
February 27 - Austin Peay at No. 1 Vanderbilt - L, 8-0
February 27 - Samford at No. 24 Auburn - L, 4-1
March 6 - Murray State vs. No. 25 Evansville - L, 19-1
March 6 - Austin Peay at No. 16 Mississippi - L, 4-3
March 7 - Austin Peay at No. 16 Mississippi - L, 9-3
March 7 - Tennessee Tech at No. 13 Alabama - W, 8-6
March 9 - UT Martin at No. 17 Kentucky - L, 6-4
March 10 - UT Martin at No. 17 Kentucky - L, 27-0
March 11 - UT Martin at No. 17 Kentucky - L, 16-7
March 14 - Eastern Illinois at No. 30 College of Charleston - W, 7-5
March 14 - Samford vs. No. 22 Alabama - W, 4-3 (10)
March 20 - Morehead State at No. 23 Arizona - L, 5-4
March 21 - Morehead State at No. 23 Arizona - L, 7-6
April 4 - No. 1 Vanderbilt at Austin Peay - L, 4-1
April 10 - No. 39 Memphis at Murray State - W, 14-12
April 11 - Murray State at No. 39 Memphis - W, 7-6
April 18 - Morehead State at No. 27 Kentucky - W, 9-6
April 24 - Murray State at No. 18 Mississippi - L, 9-0
April 25 - Tennessee Tech at No. 1 Vanderbilt - L, 12-10
May 8 - No. 13 Mississippi State at Austin Peay - W, 3-2 (11)
May 9 - No. 13 Mississippi State at Austin Peay - W, 7-5
June 1 - Austin Peay at No. 1 Vanderbilt - L, 2-1 (11)
June 3 - Austin Peay at No. 1 Vanderbilt - L, 11-5
National Letters of Intent: Below is a list of players who have signed national letters of intent to play baseball at an OVC school next season. Austin Peay: Brian Bernatowicz (P, 6’1, 175 - Aurora, Ill. - Wabash Valley CC); Brian Brooks (P, 6’1, 175 - Lacey, Wash. - Green River CC); Ryne Harper (RHP, 6’2, 170 - Clarksville, Tenn. - Clarksville HS); Jeffery Hughes (P, 6’2, 175 - Franklin, Tenn. - Page); Scott Kuhns (RHP, 6’4, 225 - Prospect Heights, Ill. - Parkland College); Eastern Illinois: Zach Carney (RHP, 6’3, 198 - Carol Stream, Ill. - Glenbard North); Sean Estand (3B/RHP, 6’2, 190 - Evergreen Park, Ill. - St. Rita); Mike Hoekstra (RHP, 6’2, 160 - Lansing, Ill. - TF South); Ryan Lindquist (OF, 5’10, 190 - Hinsdale, Ill. - Elgin CC); Josh Mueller (RHP, 6’4, 190 - Columbia, Ill. - Columbia); Mike Recchia (RHP, 6’2, 200 - Palos Heights, Ill. - Shepard); Zach Skidmore (3B/2B, 6’0, 195 - Cary, Ill. - Parkland College); Cameron Strang (Champaign, Ill. - Champaign Central); Ben Thoma (C, 6’2, 195 - Columbia, Ill. - Columbia HS); Neil Wright (OF, 5’10, 182 - Mahomet, Ill. - Mahomet-Seymour HS); Eastern Kentucky: Patrick Cooper (RHP, 6’2, 180 - Danville, Ky.- Boyle County HS); Paul Duncan (LHP, 6’3, 195 - Winnetka, Ill. - New Trier HS); Ryan Faidley ( OF/INF, 6’3, 185 - Crystal Lake, Ill. - Crystal Lake South HS); Jayson Langfels (INF, 6’3, 190 - Lexington, Ky. - Lafayette HS); Trey Lenear (RHP, 6’3, 220 - Owenton, Ky. - Owen County HS); Jordan Root (INF, 6’2, 180, Lexington, Ky. - Lexington Catholic HS); Jacksonville State: Todd Cunningham (OF, 6’0, 190 - Jacksonville, Ala. - Jacksonville HS); Jay Davis (C, 6’0, 180 - Northport, Ala. - Tuscaloosa Academy); John David Smelser (P/IF, 5’11, 165 - Tuscaloosa, Ala. - Hillcrest HS); Jason Zylstra (P/OF, 6’4, 190 - Sylacauga, Ala. - Sylacuaga HS); Jordan Biesltline, (RHP, 6’2, 180 - LaGrange, Ga. - Troup HS); Spencer Brandes (C, 6’1, 210 - Kennesaw, Ga. - Kennesaw Mountain HS); Jake Sharrock (P/OF, 5’11, 175 - Rossville, Ga. - Gordon Lee HS); Matt Tidwell (OF, 6’0, 170 - Cumberland, Tenn. - Creek Wood HS); Morehead State: Michael Fear (IF/P, 6’3 - Versailles, Ind. - South Ripley HS); Daniel Pugh (INF/OF - Paintsville, Ky. - Paintsville HS); Kyle Robertson (RHP - Hopkinsville, Ky. - Hopkinsville HS); John Schneider (P, 6’2 - Oxford, Pa. - Oxford Area HS); Trey Smith (P, 6’8 - London, Ky. - South Laurel HS); Murray State: Steven Bayko (C, 6’2, 220 - Clinton, Ky. - Hickman County HS); Tyler Hall (LHP, 5’8, 155 - Wingo, Ky. - Graves County HS); Zach Noonan (OF, 5’11, 182 - Louisville, Ky. - Ballard HS); Samford: Jonathan Stephens (RHP, 6-8 - Crestview, Fla. - Alabama Southern CC); Niko Navarro (C, 5’11 - Pembroke Pines, Fla. - Flanagan HS); Alex Godshall (IF, 5’9 - Jupiter, Fla. - Palm Beach Gardens HS); Michael Johnson (IF, 5’9 - Naples, Fla. - Gulf Coast HS); Bronson McGriff (RHP, 6’2 - Birmingham, Ala. - Oak Mountain HS); Michael Jarry (RHP, 6’0 - Sanford, Fla. - Seminole CC); Robby Scott (LHP, 6’1 - Miami, Fla. - St. Thomas Aquinas HS); Andrew Jones (RHP, 6’3 - Marietta, Ga. - Pope HS); Southeast Missouri: Kieran Bradford (C/INF - Brisbane, Australia - Three Rivers CC); Brandon Craig (SS ? Orange, Calif. - Kirkwood CC); Jake Kemper (RHP - Hillsboro, Mo. - Jefferson JC); Brad LaBruyere (RHP - Cape Girardeau, Mo. - Cape Central HS); Trenton Moses (UTIL - Advance, Mo. - Advance HS); Tony Spencer (INF - Hillsboro, Mo. - Mineral Area CC); Justin Wheeler (OF - Lakewood, Calif. - Golden West College); Tennessee Tech: Antwoin Kirby-Jones (INF/OF - Knoxville, Tenn. - Webb School of Knoxville); Adam Miller (P/INF - Jefferson, Ohio - Jefferson Area HS); Chad Obernacker (P/OF - Erie, Pa. - McDowell HS); UT Martin: Ryan Lantz (LHP, 5’10, 160 - Springfield, Ill. - Parkland CC); Cody Terry (SS - St. Louis, Mo. - Oakville HS).
EIU’s Schmitz Picks Up 500th Career Victory: Eastern Illinois head coach Jim Schmitz picked up his 500th career victory on Saturday, March 24 as EIU topped Tennessee Tech 9-7 in the opening game of a doubleheader. Schmitz, who is in his 13th year at EIU after stints at Wilmington and Cincinnati, has recorded 336 of his victories at Eastern Illinois. Schmitz has been tabbed OVC Coach of the Year three times in his career (1998, 1999, 2001). Schmitz finished the year with a 517-500 career record.
Hogan Sets Southeast Missouri All-Time Victories Mark: Southeast Missouri State head coach Mark Hogan established a new Southeast Missouri State head coaching victories mark with his 374th victory at SEMO in a 17-3 victory over Murray State on Saturday, March 31. The victory put his past Joe Uhls, who had 373 victories in his career. Hogan, in his 13th season at Southeast Missouri, has amassed more than 750 career victories in 26 years, which included stops at Lurleen B. Wallace Community College and West Alabama before coming to Cape Girardeau.
Southeast Ties NCAA Grand Slam Record: With hitting three grand slams in a 27-16 victory over Freed-Hardeman on March 28, Southeast Missouri State tied the NCAA record for grand slams in a single game. The Redhawks are the eighth team to hit three grand slams in a game and first since Youngstown State did so against Oakland University on May 6, 2001. The grand slams came off the bats of Asif Shah, Phillip Riley and Nick Harris. The 27 runs in the game was a Southeast Missouri record (breaking a mark of 24 set in 1985 and equaled in 2001) as was the combined 43 runs by the two teams (breaking a record of 38 set in 1977).
Austin Peay’s Win Streak Reaches 11 Before Ending: Austin Peay saw its winning streak of 11 games come to an end in the second game of a doubleheader at Murray State on May 12. When it ended the streak was the second longest nationally, trailing only a 13-game streak by Rice. The 11 wins in a row tied a school record for the Governors.