This Week's Schedule
2011 Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship
Pringles Park - Jackson, Tenn.
Wednesday May 25
Game 1 - #4 Tennessee Tech vs. #5 Eastern Kentucky, 3:00 p.m.
Game 2 - #3 Jacksonville State vs. #6 UT Martin, 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, May 26
Game 3 - Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 11:00 a.m.
Game 4 - #2 Southeast Missouri vs. Highest Seed Games 1/2 Winners, 3:00 p.m.
Game 5 - #1 Austin Peay vs. Lowest Seed Games 1/2 Winners, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, May 27
Game 6 - Winner Game 3 vs. Lowest Seed Games 4/5 Losers, 11:00 a.m.
Game 7 - Winner Game 6 vs. Highest Seed Games 4/5 Losers, 3:00 p.m.
Game 8 - Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 28
Game 9 - Winner Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8, 12:00 p.m.
Game 10 - Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9, 3:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 29
Game 11 - Winner Game 10 vs. Loser Game 10 (if necessary), 12:00 p.m.
This Week's adidas® OVC Players of the Week
PLAYER
Trenton Moses, 3B • R-Jr., 6-4, 228 • Advance, Mo. • Southeast Missouri
In four games last week Moses hit .692 (9-for-13) with six runs scored, two doubles, a home run, six RBI and a stolen base and Southeast Missouri State went 3-1 overall and locked up the No. 2 seed (and a first round bye) for this week's OVC Tournament. The junior had a 1.077 slugging percentage and .722 on-base percentage for the week and finished the regular season hitting .405, the first Redhawk player to do that since the 2003 season. Moses started the week by going 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI in a non-conference loss at Ole Miss. He followed that game up with another three-hit performance in the first game of the Eastern Illinois series, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored, a double and RBI. In game two against EIU he was 1-for-3 with a run scored, a double and a RBI and capped the series sweep of the Panthers by going 2-for-2 with two runs scored, two walks, an opposite field home run and two RBI. This marks the third time this season Moses has been named OVC Player of the Week.
Others Nominated: Greg Bachman, Austin Peay; Zach Borenstein, Eastern Illinois; Richie Rodriguez, Eastern Kentucky; Erik Underwood, Jacksonville State; Taylor Davis, Morehead State; Zach Noonan, Murray State; Chad Hayes, Tennessee Tech; Drew Mason, UT Martin.
PITCHER
Todd Hornsby, RHP • Jr., 6-4, 220 • Clay, Ala. • Jacksonville State
Hornsby earned his fourth OVC Pitcher of the Week honor of the season after setting the OVC single-season saves record last week. The junior recorded his 13th save of the season in game one of Friday's doubleheader, breaking the record of 12 previously held by two Eastern Kentucky players. In that game Hornsby entered the game in the seventh inning with JSU holding a 6-3 lead and pitched the final three frames, not allowing a hit while striking out two batters to earn the save. In the second game of Friday's doubleheader he entered the game with his team clinging to a 7-6 lead and needed just 10 pitches to record three outs and pick up his 14th save of the season. Overall Morehead State hit just .077 in four innings against Hornsby, who has not walked a batter in his last 9.2 innings of work on the mound. The junior has also not allowed an earned run in his last nine appearances, a stretch of 23.2 innings.
Others Nominated: Jeremy Dobbs, Austin Peay; Brad LaBruyere, Southeast Missouri.
Team Notes
Austin Peay (30-22, 17-6 OVC): Entering the last week of the regular season, Austin Peay had already locked up the OVC Championship (its first since 2007) and the No. 1 seed for this week's OVC Tournament...The Governors started the week by finishing off non-conference action with a 6-5 road victory over Lipscomb...In that game senior Eric Davis struck out a career-high seven batters in relief...Senior outfielder Michael Blanchard recorded his 25th stolen base of the season in the game, becoming the 12th player in APSU history to have 25 or more stolen bases in a season; Blanchard leads the OVC in stolen bases/game (0.50)...The team then traveled to UT Martin for the final three games of the regular season and got off to a strong start on Friday by sweeping a doubleheader from the Skyhawks by scores of 11-6 and 14-3...Despite leading 5-0 in the seventh inning of the finale with UTM, errors cost the team as they dropped the game 7-6...Despite losing the final game of the year, Austin Peay finished the regular season by not losing an OVC series during the year, a first in program history; the seven-straight series wins ties the mark also established by the 2007 squad...Sophomore Reed Harper saw his OVC-best hitting streak come to an end at 29 games in the regular season finale; the streak was the third-longest at Austin Peay since 1996 and one of 11 streaks of 25 or more games in the OVC since the 2003 season...Sophomore John Hogan homered in each of the final two games of the UTM series and finished the regular season with 12 blasts, the eighth-most in program history and most by an Austin Peay player since 2002; Hogan currently leads the OVC with 18 multiple-RBI games this year...Greg Bachman finished the week 5-for-11 (.455) with four runs scored, two doubles, a home run and seven RBI...After not qualifying for the OVC Tournament field each of the past two seasons, Austin Peay is back in the field for the 21st time this season; the 21 appearances are second-most in OVC history (behind EKU's 27 trips)...The Govs received a first round bye and will play Thursday night at 7:00 p.m.
Eastern Illinois (18-33, 9-12 OVC): Eastern Illinois entered the final week of the season needing just one OVC victory to lock up a berth in the OVC Tournament field for the 13th time in the last 15 years...The team began the week with a non-conference win over Bradley which snapped a four-game losing streak...In that victory Zach Borenstein and Cameron Berra had key RBI to give the Panthers the victory...At Southeast Missouri the Panthers were unable to come up with a needed win, losing by margins of 9-5, 9-6 and 8-7...That left Eastern Illinois in seventh place in the OVC standings, just .007 points out of sixth place (which would have put them in the tournament field)...EIU finished the season by losing eight of its last 10 (eight of which were on the road) and 11 of its last 15 overall...For the week Nick Priessman led the team with a .412 (7-for-17) batting average while Borenstein had a team-best six RBI to go along with his .357 batting average and two home runs...Borenstein finished the season by leading the Panthers in hitting (.349) while adding seven home runs and 29 RBI; the junior eclipsed the 100 RBI mark for his career, and is just 18 shy of cracking the EIU Top 10 lists...Ben Thoma had the team lead with 11 home runs and 37 RBI...Despite posting a 10.23 E.R.A. in the weekend series at Southeast Missouri, the Panthers pitching staff finished the year leading the OVC in team E.R.A. (4.56)...That included Brent McNeil who led the OVC in E.R.A. at 2.18; McNeil appeared in 21 games, pitching 53.2 innings and allowing just 13 earned runs....He started his only game of the season on Saturday in the season finale; he surrendered his first earned run in 24.1 innings (since April 16) in that game...Matt Miller ended the year with a team-high seven saves.
Eastern Kentucky (21-34, 11-13 OVC): Eastern Kentucky wrapped up the OVC-portion of its schedule the prior week, taking one of three at Jacksonville State before hosting Dayton in a non-conference game and then traveling to future OVC foe SIU Edwardsville this past week...The Colonels started the week with a 10-5 win in the Dayton contest as shortstop Richie Rodriguez was 4-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI in the win; it marked Rodriguez's fourth four-hit game of the season...Rodriguez finished the game with two triples and was just a home run short of the cycle...For the week Rodriguez hit .333 (6-for-18) with four runs scored, two doubles, two triples, a home run and three RBI...The weekend saw the Colonels play at SIUE and get swept in the three-game series by scores of 2-1 (in 10 innings), 5-1 and 4-1...Despite not playing an OVC series the last weekend, EKU was able to secure a spot in the OVC Tournament field as others teams lost, giving the Colonels the No. 5 overall seed...The team qualified for the OVC Tournament for the 27th time in its history (in the 33-year old event); the 27 appearances is an OVC all-time record...After not appearing in the tournament in 2008 or 2009, the Colonels are back in the field for the second year in a row...The team is looking for its first OVC Tournament Championship since 1989; the team claimed five titles in six-year time from 1984-89...As the No. 5 seed Eastern Kentucky will play No. 4 Tennessee Tech on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. to open the event.
Jacksonville State (33-21, 14-9 OVC): Jacksonville State entered the final week of the season half a game behind Southeast Missouri for second place in the OVC and the right to a first round bye in the OVC Tournament...The Gamecocks took care of business on its end, sweeping Morehead State 7-4, 7-6 and 6-3 but were unable to secure the No. 2 seed as Southeast Missouri swept Eastern Illinois...Instead the defending champions will enter the OVC Tournament as the No. 3 seed and play No. 6 seed UT Martin on Wednesday night to open tournament play...It marks the eighth-straight appearance for the Gamecocks since joining the league prior to the 2004 season; Jax State has an all-time record of 19-9 in OVC Tournament play and has advanced to the Championship Round in six of the last seven years...In Friday's sweep of Morehead State, junior reliever Todd Hornsby recorded his 13th and 14th saves of the season to pass a pair of Eastern Kentucky players (Joe Witten in 1995 and Ryne Purcell in 2010) for the OVC single-season record (previously 12)...Hornsby pitched the final three innings of the first game on Friday, throwing 39 pitches and not allowing a hit...Hornsby has not walked a batter in his last 9.2 innings on the mound and has not allowed an earned run in his last nine appearances (23.2 innings); he was named OVC Pitcher of the Week for the fourth time this season for his efforts...Junior Erik Underwood hit .500 (7-for-14) last week with two runs scored, two doubles and three RBI...This season JSU has posted 21 come-from-behind wins and has 10 wins in its final at-bat after topping Morehead State 7-6 on Friday; the Gamecocks are 23-3 when holding opponents to five runs or less this season...The Gamecock pitching staff has allowed just 3.2 walks per nine innings this year (465.2 innings), the lowest mark in the team's Division I history (since 1995)...Junior Sam Eberle leads the team with 23 multiple-hit and 14-multiple-RBI games...JSU head coach Jim Case has a career record of 99-52 in the month of May (including OVC Tournament games)...JSU's first game at the OVC Tournament will be the 2,400th in the program's 62-year history...The program has reached the 30-win plateau for the ninth-straight season, tied for the longest stretch in school history.
Morehead State (10-39, 6-16 OVC): Morehead State entered the final weekend of the regular season having already been eliminated from OVC Tournament play...The Eagles had the tough task of traveling to defending tournament champion and preseason favorite Jacksonville State to end the year...The team played the Gamecocks tough in a Friday doubleheader, losing 7-4 and 7-6...Michael Fear had two of MSU's eight hits in the first game...In game two the Eagles led 6-2 in the top of the fourth inning (of a seven-inning game) but saw Jax State score three times in the fourth and twice more in the sixth to win 7-6...For the week (which also included a Monday game with Murray State) junior catcher Taylor Davis hit .571 (8-for-14) with two doubles, three runs scored, a home run and eight RBI...Davis finished the season with an OVC-best .414 batting average in 47 games...Davis also leads the OVC in hits/game (1.53), home runs/game (0.28), total bases/game (2.72), slugging (.736) and on-base percentage (.510)...Davis also ended the season with a 16-game hitting streak, which was the longest active streak in the Conference...Teammate Andrew Deeds ended the year as the OVC leader in triples/game (0.14); Deeds ended the year with 25 multiple-hit games, the most in the OVC.
Murray State (19-32, 9-13 OVC): Entering the final week of the season Murray State knew it needed to win all of its games and get a little help from some other teams if it wanted to make the OVC Tournament field...The Thoroughbreds started the right way, sweeping a Friday doubleheader (winning each game by one run) from Tennessee Tech to stay alive...MSU started Friday with a 6-5 victory in 11 innings as senior Elliot Frey had a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 11th to lift his team to victory...That capped a three-run 11th inning as Murray State had to overcome two runs the Golden Eagles scored in the top half of the inning...Although he did not factor into the decision Jake Donze pitched 8.1 innings and allowed just three runs (two earned) while striking out five...In the nightcap Frey and Zach Noonan combined to drive in six runs in a 7-6 victory...On Sunday the 'Breds fell behind 9-0 after three innings but managed to make the game 10-8 before falling by that margin and coming up just short of making its 21st appearance in the OVC Tournament...During the series Noonan hit .529 (9-for-17) with four runs scored, a double and six RBI...Brandon Elliott finished the season as the team's leading hitter at .384.
Southeast Missouri (32-20, 14-8 OVC): After a non-conference loss at Ole Miss to begin the week, Southeast Missouri had lost three of its last four games entering the regular season finale weekend at home with Eastern Illinois...The Redhawks entered that series with a half game lead over Jacksonville State in the race for the No. 2 seed and a first round bye in the OVC Tournament field and finished a half game above JSU after sweeping EIU by scores of 9-5, 9-6 and 8-7...It marks the first time in the seven-year history of the first round bye that the Redhawks have finished first or second in the OVC...Overall Southeast is appearing in the OVC Tournament for the 17th-consecutive year, which extends its OVC record; the team has appeared in the tournament in every year under head coach Mark Hogan...Hogan reached another milestone in his career on Friday, when he won his 500th game as the Redhawks head coach; overall Hogan has 886 victories in 30 years as a head coach...Trenton Moses finished the year as one of two OVC player to hit above. 400 on the year, finishing second in the league at .405; the last week of the season Moses hit .692 (9-for-13) with six runs, two doubles, a home run, six RBI and a 1.077 slugging percentage to earn his third OVC Player of the Week honor of the season...Moses is the first Redhawk to finish the regular season with a .400 or better average since 2003...As a team Southeast led the OVC in team batting average (.314) during the regular season...Senior Brad LaBruyere picked up his eighth victory of the season (which is tied for the league-lead) on Saturday, scattering five hits over six innings in picking up the victory...As the No. 2 seed the Redhawks will not begin play in the OVC Tournament until Thursday afternoon...The team is looking for its third OVC Tournament Championship and first since the 2002 season.
SIU Edwardsville (28-24): SIUE ended its season by topping Evansville and then sweeping Eastern Kentucky a three-game series to end the year on an eight-game winning streak...The Cougars finished the season 28-24 overall, marking the first time the team ended the year above .500 since beginning its reclassification to Division I (the team was last above .500 in 2008, its last year of Division II)...SIUE finished the year 15-4 (.789) against OVC teams; had the team been eligible for the OVC regular season championship, it would have finished in first place...Instead the Cougars will have to wait until next season to claim a regular season crown, and it will not be eligible for postseason play until the 2013 season...Head coach Gary Collins, in his 33rd season at his alma mater, won his 1000th career game on Friday, making him the 55th coach in NCAA history to reach that milestone; he is one of just 17 active coaches with 1,000 or more wins, finishing the 2011 season with 1,001 wins and a 1001-738-7 career record...Senior Spencer Patton finished the year 9-2 on the mound; the nine wins were the third most in a single-season in SIUE history...Patton also had 109 strikeouts, which was the second-most in SIUE single-season history.
Tennessee Tech (24-27, 12-12 OVC): Tennessee Tech finished out the season with a win at Murray State on Saturday, which locked up the No. 4 seed for the Golden Eagles...A year after winning the OVC regular season crown, Tech finished 12-12 in OVC play this season and will appear in the OVC Tournament for the 14th time and fourth year in a row; the program has won the event three times, most recently in 2009...After being swept in Friday's doubleheader (both were one-run losses), TTU ended the season with a 10-8 victory...Tech got off to a hot start, building a 9-1 lead after three innings before seeing Murray State creep back into the game...But Justin Alexander pitched the final 3.2 innings of the game to net his first career save and send the team a winner into the OVC Tournament...Outfielder Casanova Donaldson drove in three runs while Frankie Beech and Chad Hayes added two RBI apiece on the night...As the No. 4 seed Tennessee Tech will play No. 5 seed Eastern Kentucky in the first game of the tournament, which will be Wednesday at 3:00 p.m...TTU won two of three against EKU during the regular season...When Tennessee Tech won the OVC Tournament Championship in 2009, they were the No. 5 seed and came out of the opening matchup to win the title.
UT Martin (19-34, 10-13 OVC): When all was said and done UT Martin overcame all odds to pull off an improbable victory over league champion Austin Peay on Saturday to clinch the sixth and final spot in the OVC Tournament field...UT Martin started the week with a 6-2 loss at No. 23 Arkansas and then dropped the first two games of the APSU series by margins of 11-6 and 14-3...Having lost five OVC games in a row (and eight-straight games overall), the Skyhawks needed a win against the Governors (a team they were 4-32-1 against over the past 13 years) and had to have Tennessee Tech beat Murray State and Southeast Missouri top Eastern Illinois...UTM fell behind 5-0 to Austin Peay and trailed by that margin entering the seventh inning...But the Skyhawk bats awoke and the team scored three times in the seventh and added four runs in the eighth inning and then withstood a APSU rally in the ninth by getting a double play to end the game...Shortly after the game was over Tennessee Tech held on to beat Murray State by two runs and then 30 minutes after the game had gone final, Southeast Missouri beat Eastern Illinois, giving UTM the tournament berth...It marks only the second OVC Tournament berth for the Skyhawks (who joined the league prior to the 1993 season), who last qualified for the event in 1996 (when the format was different)...In its only other appearance in the OVC Tournament, UTM lost two games, so the team is searching for its first NCAA Division I postseason wins this week...Sophomore Alec Mills came up big for the Skyhawks on Saturday, tossing a career-best 8.1 innings after pitching in relief in game one of the series; Mills tied his career-high with seven strikeouts and did not walk a single Austin Peay batter...Jordan Owen, whose hit in the eighth inning on Saturday led to the winning run, has now hit safely in 11-straight games...The team finished the season with 10 OVC victories, which tied the program record also set in 2009...As the No. 6 seed the Skyhawks will open play at the OVC Tournament on Wednesday with defending champion and No. 3 seed Jacksonville State...In the meeting between the two teams earlier this season UTM claimed a 9-3 game one victory before losing the final two games 7-4 and 13-12.
Notes From Around the League
OVC Overview/This Week's Highlights: The 33rd OVC Baseball Championship gets underway this week as six teams will battle for the OVC's automatic bid into the NCAA Championship...Austin Peay won the OVC Regular Season Championship (its first since 2007) and claimed the No. 1 seed after not making the tournament field each of the past two years...Southeast Missouri earned the No. 2 seed and a first round bye (the first time the Redhawks have done that in the seven years the bye has existed in the tournament)...Preseason favorite Jacksonville State is the third seed, 2009 tournament champion Tennessee Tech is the No. 4 seed, Eastern Kentucky is fifth and UT Martin is sixth...UT Martin is appearing in the tournament for the first time since the 1996 season and only the second time since joining the league prior to the 1993 season...This year's Championship is the second to be played at Pringles Park in Jackson, Tenn. and marks the 11th year in a row the event has been played at a neutral site...Two OVC coaches reached career milestones last week as Southeast Missouri State coach Mark Hogan won his 500th game at SEMO on Friday and SIUE head coach Gary Collins won his 1000th career game the same day...Jacksonville State reliever Todd Hornsby set the OVC record for single-season saves on Friday with his 13th in the first game of a doubleheader; he would add his 14th save in the second game of that twin bill.
Pringles Park to Host 2011 OVC Baseball Championship: For the second year in a row Pringles Park in Jackson, Tenn. will host the Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship. The Championship was held there for the first time last year as part of a three-year contract with the venue, which is the home of the Jackson Generals (formerly the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx), the AA affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. This year the six-team, double-elimination tournament will be held May 25-29 and marks the 33rd OVC Baseball Championship. The first elimination style tournament was held in 1979, most usually being played at the site of the regular season champion. Beginning in 2001 the tournament switched to a neutral site for the first time (and was held at Brooks Stadium in Paducah, Ky. for nine years). Pringles Park opened in 1998 and has a seating capacity of 6,000. The venue hosted the 1999 Southern League All-Star Game and will also host that event in 2011. Pringles Park also has luxury suites, a video board and merchandise shop that will be used for the championship. Jackson, Tenn. is located 130 miles from Nashville and 77.2 miles from Memphis on Interstate 40. Tickets for the event will be $10 per day or $30 for an all-session pass (up to 11 total games). There is also an $8 a day rate for students/faculty of OVC-member schools or groups. All seats at the 6,000-seat park are general admission for the OVC Championship. Fans can purchase tickets in person at the Generals box office or by calling (731) 988-5299.
OVC and Jackson Generals to Hold Youth Clinic in Conjunction with OVC Baseball Championship: The Ohio Valley Conference and the Jackson Generals will hold a free Youth Clinic in conjunction with this year's OVC Baseball Championship. The clinic will be held on Tuesday, May 24 (the day before the tournament begins) from 5-6:15 p.m. at Pringles Park. The clinic will feature OVC coaches and student-athletes interacting with youth in hitting, pitching and fielding drills. The clinic is free and open to boys and girls 12 years of age and under. All participants are asked to wear athletic attire (shorts, t-shirt, tennis shoes) and bring their own glove. Registration will take place at Pringles Park on May 24 (there is no pre-registration).
Austin Peay Wins 2011 OVC Regular Season Championship: After not qualifying for the OVC Tournament (by finishing in the top six in the league) each of the last two seasons, Austin Peay completed quite the turnaround in 2011 going from seventh place (8-13) in the OVC to being regular season champions in 2011 (17-6). It marks the sixth time since divisional play ended that Austin Peay has been the regular season champions; the team also won in 1994, 1996, 2003, 2004 and 2007. Austin Peay also claimed divisional crowns in 1971 and 1984; in 1971 the Govs went on to win a three-game playoff series and were deemed "OVC Champions" but in 1984 the team lost in the four-team OVC Tournament and was not deemed the "champion" that season.
More on Austin Peay: After not qualifying for the six-team OVC Tournament last year, Austin Peay rebounded to win the OVC Regular Season Championship this season. The Governors are one of just two OVC teams to fail to qualify for the tournament one year (meaning they finished seventh or worst in the league) and win the regular season the following year. The other team was Samford in 2006. Only once had a team failed to make the OVC Tournament one year and gone on to win the Tournament Championship the following year (Tennessee Tech in 2001).
OVC Tournament History: This season marks the 33rd OVC Baseball Tournament, as the first event was held in 1979. Prior to the 1979 event, the winner of each division matched up in a three-game series to determine who the OVC champion was in that season. Since 2001 the tournament has been played at a neutral site (prior to that, the event was held at the No. 1 seed and regular season champion). From 2001-09 that neutral site was Brooks Stadium in Paducah, Ky.; the 2010 event was the first at Pringles Park in and this year is the 11th time the event has been held at a neutral site.
UT Martin Qualifies for OVC Tournament For First Time Since 1996: With a win on the final day of the season (and some help from Southeast Missouri and Tennessee Tech), UT Martin clinched a spot in the 2011 OVC Tournament field. It marks only the second time the Skyhawks have qualified for the Championship since the program joined the league prior to the 1993 season. UTM had previously only been in the field in 1996, a tournament that was played under a different format than the league currently uses.
Southeast Missouri Makes Record 17th Straight OVC Tournament Appearance: Southeast Missouri State is appearing in its 17th straight OVC Baseball Tournament in 2011, which is an all-time OVC record for consecutive appearances. The Redhawks set the record three years ago, passing Eastern Kentucky's mark of 13-straight appearances from 1981-93. Southeast Missouri has made the tournament field in every season under head coach Mark Hogan.
Eastern Kentucky Makes Record 27th OVC Tournament Appearance: Eastern Kentucky is appearing in the OVC Tournament for the 27th time this season, which is an OVC all-time record. Austin Peay's 21 all-time appearances ranks second in league history.
All-OVC Teams to Be Announced on Tuesday: The 2011 All-OVC Baseball teams will be announced on Tuesday night at 7:15 p.m. CT. The awards will be handed out at the league's annual awards banquet.
Hornsby Sets OVC Single-Season Saves Mark: Jacksonville State closer Todd Hornsby recorded his 13th save of the season on May 20, which set a new OVC record, passing Eastern Kentucky's Joe Witten (1995) and Ryne Purcell (2010). Hornsby would go on to add his 14th save in the second game of May 20's doubleheader.
Coaching Milestones: OVC coaches have hit several victory milestones during the 2011 season while several others are nearing in on records. Jacksonville State head coach Jim Case (now in his 10th season overall) won his 300th career game on March 13 with a victory over Southern Illinois. With a win over Austin Peay on April 2, Eastern Illinois head coach Jim Schmitz reached career victory No. 600 in his 24th year as a head coach. Austin Peay head coach Gary McClure, now in his 24th season, reached win No. 700 on May 1 with a 24-5 victory over Morehead State. Southeast Missouri State head coach Mark Hogan won his 500th game at SEMO on May 20 while SIUE head coach Gary Collins won his 1,000 in his 33th season as a head coach also on May 20.
Hitting Streaks: Austin Peay sophomore Reed Harper had a 29-game hitting streak come to and end on the final day of the regular season. The streak was the longest in the OVC this year. The all-time OVC mark is 42 games by Austin Peay's Chuck Abbott, set in the 1996 season (that streak is the fifth longest in NCAA history). Although a full list of all-time OVC hitting streaks are not available, below are a list of streaks of 25 or more games over the last nine years (2003-present).
36 - Ryan Kane, Austin Peay (2006)
32 - Miles Hartsfield, UT Martin (2009)
31 - Scott Gladstone, UT Martin (2009)
30 - Chris King, Tennessee Tech (2009)
30 - Michael Marseco, Samford (2009)
29 - Reed Harper, Austin Peay (2011)
28 - Nick Cleckler, Jacksonville State (2006)
28 - Clay Whittemore, Jacksonville State (2008)
26 - Rafael Hill, Austin Peay (2008)
26 - Eric Horstman, Southeast Missouri (2005)
25 - Jim Klocke, Southeast Missouri (2010)
Morehead State's Davis Named to Johnny Bench Award Watch List: Morehead State junior catch Taylor Davis is one of 49 collegiate catchers who have been named to the 2011 Johnny Bench Award Watch List. The award is given to the top catcher in the nation. Presented by the Greater Wichita Sports Commission, the award winner will be announced on June 30, 2011.
Three OVC Baseball Student-Athletes Named to Capital One Academic All-District Team: Three Ohio Valley Conference baseball student-athletes have been named to the Capital One Academic All-District Teams as selected by CoSIDA. The selections included UT Martin senior Cody Terry and Southeast Missouri State senior Michael Adamson (both were first-team selections) and Austin Peay sophomore Reed Harper (who was a second-team selection). For making the first-teams, Adamson and Terry will now appear on the national ballot for consideration for Academic All-America honors. To be eligible for nomination, a student-athlete must be a sophomore academically and have at least a 3.30 GPA.
Moses Earns Pair of National Player of the Week Honors (April 25): Southeast Missouri State redshirt junior 3B Trenton Moses was named the Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and the National Hitter of the Week by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) on April 25-26. The honors came after hitting .778 (7-for-9) with six runs scored, a double, four home runs and 11 RBI in three Southeast Missouri State games. Moses had a 2.222 slugging percentage and a .833 on-base percentage during the week, reaching base in 10-of-12 total plate appearances. Moses began the week by going 3-for-4 with three runs scored, two home runs, a walk and six RBI in a 13-7 victory over Arkansas State. In the first game of a doubleheader with Jacksonville State, Moses was 2-for-2 with two runs scored, a home run, two walks and three RBI in a 9-8 Redhawk victory. He finished out the twin bill by going 2-for-3 with a run, double, home run and two RBI. For the week his 11 RBI were almost half the total of the entire Redhawk team (23).
College Baseball Foundation National All-Star Lineup: Each week the College Baseball Foundation and Diamond Sports releases a "National All-Star Lineup" which gives accolades to the past week's top performers around the country. The "National All-Star Lineup" is nominated by college coaches, staff, and baseball media contacts. Below is a list of OVC players who have been honored by the CBF this season.
March 7 - Zach Noonan, Murray State
April 4 - Jacob Rhodes, Murray State & Jim Schmitz, Eastern Illinois (600th win)
April 25 - Trenton Moses, Southeast Missouri
May 2 - Gary McClure, Austin Peay (700th win)
JSU's Hornsby Added to NCBWA Stopper of the Year Mid-Season Watch List: Jacksonville State junior closer Todd Hornsby was one of 45 players named to the midseason watch list for the seventh annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, given to the top relief pitcher in all of Division I baseball. Hornsby is the OVC leader in saves and approaching the OVC single season record in that category. Of the 45 pitchers on the list, he is the lone representative from the OVC. Eastern Kentucky University senior closer Ryne Purcell was on the preseason watch list but not on the most updated list. Nominations for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award were made by baseball sports information/media relations contacts. At the conclusion of the regular season, the Division I national saves leader and four other relief pitching standouts will be selected as finalists and released Wednesday, June 1, prior to start of NCAA regional tournament competition. The NCBWA's All-America Committee then will select the winner, with this year's recipient to be announced in Omaha on the opening day of the College World Series on June 18.
OVC Players in Major League Baseball: Entering the 2011 season, there were five players from OVC schools on Major League Baseball Opening Day rosters. Austin Peay has the distinction of having four former players on teams including 2008 All-Star reliever George Sherrill (Atlanta Braves), reliever Matt Reynolds (Colorado Rockies), catcher A.J. Ellis (Los Angeles Dodgers) and relief pitcher Shawn Kelley (Seattle), who starts the season on the DL and should return in May or June. Former Morehead State pitcher Jon Rauch is now with Toronto and starts the season as the Blue Jays closer. One OVC school - Eastern Illinois - has two alumni who are coaching at the highest level of professional baseball. Former Panther Kevin Seitzer is the Kansas City Royals hitting coach with Tim Bogar is the Boston Red Sox third base coach.
2012 OVC Schedule to Switch to Friday-Saturday-Sunday Format: In February 2011 the OVC announced a change in its Conference series format for the 2012 season. Currently the OVC plays a three-game series spread over two days, with the teams playing a doubleheader on Saturday (with one of those games being a 7-inning game, the other a 9-inning affair) and a single 9-inning game on Sunday. Starting in 2012 the series schedule will move to a three-game series over three days (Friday-Saturday-Sunday), with a single 9-inning game being played each day. Games on Friday will begin no earlier than 3 p.m. local time and no later than 6 p.m. local time. The item was unanimously approved by the OVC Board of Presidents at its meeting in early February. The OVC was previously one of just six Division I Conferences that consistently played a three-game series over just two days. One of the biggest advantages of the new schedule is the improvement of student-athlete welfare. The new format will lessen the burden of long Saturday doubleheaders (that in the past could last up to 9-10 hours) and help protect the teams from an increased risk of injury. It will also give OVC programs a competitive advantage as it will allow them to use their ace pitchers (who will normally pitch during the Friday contest) during important mid-week contests with the appropriate amount of rest, thus improving the league's performance in those key matchups. Another advantage is the flexibility in playing the three-game series when weather becomes an issue. Previously when the Saturday doubleheader was rained out, the teams played a doubleheader on Sunday if possible and missed at least an entire game in the series. Should weather be a factor with the new schedule, teams could play a doubleheader on either Saturday or Sunday and avoid missing as many key Conference games.
NCAA Institutes Pace of Play Rules for 2011 Season: Last July the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee voted to mandate the use of a timing device and implemented penalties for non-compliance this season (after the rules were used experimentally last season). The rule will require pitchers to start their delivery in no more than 20 seconds without runners on base. Pitchers who do not comply initially receive a warning with additional violations resulting in a ball being added to the count of the current batter. If the batter is at fault for the pitch not being thrown in 20 seconds, a warning will be given initially and additional violations will add a strike to the count. Additionally, in non-televised games, umpires will enforce a 90 second limit between innings. The new ruling allows conferences to choose to use a visible clock or assigned an umpire to administer the rules (in OVC games, the umpires will keep the clock).
College Baseball Gets New Bats for 2012: In NCAA baseball this season the Ball-Bat Coefficient of Restitution (BBCOR) standard has gone into effect (the standard was announced in Sept. 2008). The new BBCOR formula provides a better measure of the bat's performance and therefore allows the rules committee and bat testing laboratories to better predict field performance based on lab tests. The goal is that non-wood bats that meet this new standard will perform similarly to wood bats.
TTU's Oberacker Named Candidate for Lowe's Senior CLASS Award: Tennessee Tech senior All-American outfielder Chad Oberacker is one of 30 NCAA baseball student-athletes named as a candidate for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition. The list of candidates follows this release. Oberacker, the preseason OVC Player of the Year, is the only returning All-American from the OVC last season. Despite being drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 19th round, the outfielder decided to return to school for one more season. Last year he was third nationally with a .452 batting average while setting OVC single-season records for hits (108) and doubles (29). An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Six OVC Coaches Coaching at Their Alma Mater: This season six of the 10 OVC head baseball coaches are currently coaching at their alma maters. That lists includes third-year head coach Jason Stein who played at Eastern Kentucky from 1992-95 and graduated in 1997. He played against Morehead State head coach Jay Sorg who was at MSU from 1992-94. Ironically in the 1994 season, Sorg was named OVC Player of the Week on April 11 while Stein earned the same honor on May 2. The other coaches currently at their alma mater are Austin Peay's Gary McClure (1987), Murray State Rob McDonald (1984), Southeast Missouri's Mark Hogan (1977) and SIUE's Gary Collins (1970).
Jacksonville State Picked as Preseason Favorite: Despite not having a preseason All-OVC selection, OVC head coaches still believed Jacksonville State was the top team in the league. After finishing 1.5 games out of first place in the regular season in 2010, JSU swept through the OVC Tournament, including besting regular season champion Tennessee Tech twice on its way to its third OVC Championship (2004, 2006, 2010) since joining the league in 2004. The Gamecocks did lose five positional starters from that team (three who were All-OVC selections). Jax State claimed four first-place votes and 59 total points to be picked as the favorites. Southeast Missouri finished next with three first-place votes and 55 points while Tennessee Tech, last year's regular season champions, were third with two first-place votes and 54 points. Eastern Illinois was picked fourth (36) and was followed by Eastern Kentucky (33), Murray State (28), Austin Peay (25), Morehead State (19) and UT Martin (10).
TTU's Oberacker, EIU's Hoekstra Earn Preseason OVC Player/Pitcher of the Year Honors: Tennessee Tech senior All-American outfielder Chad Oberacker was named OVC Preseason Player of the Year while Eastern Illinois junior hurler Mike Hoekstra was tabbed OVC Preseason Pitcher of the Year in a vote of OVC head coach. Oberacker is the only returning All-American from the OVC last season. Despite being drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 19th round, the outfielder decided to return to school for one more season. Last year he was third nationally with a .452 batting average while setting OVC single-season records for hits (108) and doubles (29). Hoekstra started last season as EIU's No. 3 pitcher on paper and finished the season with a team-best 4.16 E.R.A. while winning four games in 11 starts. Hoekstra had a pair of complete games and a shutout on his resume during the season and walked only five batters in 67 innings of work (a mark that set a new OVC single-season record and ranked him first nationally in walks allowed per nine innings - 0.67).
SIU Edwardsville Joins the OVC: On July 1 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville became the 11th member of the Ohio Valley Conference. SIU Edwardsville, who is in the reclassification process to Division I, will begin regular season competition in the OVC next season (2011-12) and will be eligible for postseason competition in 2012-13. The exception is the SIUE softball program, which will be eligible for both regular season and tournament competition this year; the softball program was the department's women's sport designee to be fast-tracked to Division I, making it eligible to compete at Division I prior to other SIUE sports. SIUE is located in Edwardsville, Ill., which is just northeast of St. Louis (the 18th largest media market in the United States).
Belmont Also Joins the OVC: On May 13, 2011 the OVC announced that Belmont University is joining the Ohio Valley Conference beginning with the 2012-13 season (they will compete for the final time in the Atlantic Sun in 2011-12). Belmont, located in Nashville, will become the 12th member of the OVC, marking the first time the league has ever had 12 members. Belmont's campus is just nine miles north of the OVC's Brentwood headquarters and the University will be the second OVC school located in Nashville, joining Tennessee State. Belmont competes in 17 sports (8 men's sports and 9 women's sports), 16 of which will compete in the OVC (the exception being men's soccer which is not sponsored by the OVC).