• OVC Baseball Report - Final (PDF)
Highlights From Around the League: Eastern Illinois won five games in four days to claim the 2023 OVC Tournament Championship, its third overall and first since 2008 ... The Panthers were only the second No. 5 seed to win the tournament (joining the 2009 TTU team), making them the lowest seed to ever win the event ... EIU finished the year with 38 wins, the most in school history ... EIU also won the OVC Softball Tournament, making them the first OVC school to win both in the same year since 2010 ... Morehead State won the OVC Regular Season Championship, the first time the team had won a title since 1985 (when it won a North Divisional Title)...Little Rock finished second in the standings in its first year in the league ... Little Rock pitcher Jackson Wells led all of Division I with a 1.65 E.R.A.; It was the lowest ERA by an OVC pitcher since Christian Friedrich (Eastern Kentucky) posted a 1.43 mark in 2008 over 81.2 innings pitched ... UT Martin earned its highest OVC seed with No. 3 (its previous high was 6th)...TTU's John Dyer finished the year with 23 home runs this season, tied for ninth in OVC single-season history; his 47 career home runs ranks him 17th in OVC history (sixth in TTU history).
Eastern Illinois Wins OVC Tournament Championship: No. 5 seed Eastern Illinois tied for the lowest seed to ever win the OVC Tournament, winning five games in four games to claim the 2023 title, which was the program's third title and first since 2008. EIU won its first two games (in the single elimination part of the bracket), before losing to No. 1 seed Morehead State. Then the Panthers won three-straight games, including topping MSU in the "Winner Take All" final to claim the title.
Eastern Illinois in the NCAA Tournament: Eastern Illinois is now 1-6 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, appearing in the 1999, 2008 and 2023 events. The Panthers lone win came against Arizona in 1999.
Recent NCAA Success: OVC teams have won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament in eight of the past 16 tournaments. OVC teams have reached the Regional Final round in four of the last 10 events. In 2018, for the first time the OVC sent two teams to the NCAA Baseball Championship. In addition to Morehead State, who won the OVC Tournament and received the league's automatic bid, Tennessee Tech became the first OVC team to receive an at-large bid. After winning an OVC record 27 Conference games during the regular season, TTU had a RPI of 23 to secure the at-large bid and a No. 2 seed in the Oxford Regional. The Golden Eagles were the second OVC team to earn a No. 2 seed, joining the 2013 Austin Peay team. TTU would win back-to-back games against No. 4 national seed Ole Miss to become the first team to advance to a Super Regional (which began in 1999). Tennessee Tech beat Texas in game one of the Super Regional before falling in the final two games.
Morehead State Wins Regular Season Title: Morehead State finished OVC play 16-7 (including winning six of its last eight games) to claim the 2023 OVC Regular Season Championship. It was the 12th overall regular season title (divisional or overall) for the Eagles and first since 1985 (a North Division Title). It was the team's first outright title since 1979.
All-Americans: Following the season, Little Rock pitcher
Jackson Wells, the OVC Pitcher of the Year, was named a second-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball and the NCBWA. In addition, UT Martin pitcher
Zach Wager, the OVC Freshman of the Year, was named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball.
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wo OVC Players Named Academic All-Americans: Southern Indiana catcher/utility player
Lucas McNew and Morehead State graduate pitcher
John Bakke has been honored by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) academic awards program. McNew was a first-team selection while Bakke was a third-team pick. The duo were the 311th and 312th OVC student-athletes to earn Academic All-America honors since the program began in the 1970s, and the 55th and 56th all-time OVC baseball selection, the most of any sport. The long-running program honors student-athletes, and this year the criteria was raised to include student-athletes who excel on the court and who have maintained at least a 3.50 grade point average, up from the original 3.3 GPA criteria.
Five OVC Players Named ABCA All-Region: Five OVC players were named to the ABCA All-Region Teams following the season. The picks were Morehead State's
Ryley Preece, SIUE's
Brennan Orf, Eastern Illinois'
Ryan Ignoffo and
Zane Robbins and Little Rock's
Jackson Wells.
2023 OVC Tournament: The 2023 OVC Baseball Championship was held May 24-27 at Mtn Dew Park (formerly Rent One Park) in Marion, Illinois. It marked the second time the event has been held at the venue (2019 being the other). For the second year in a row, the bracket included four single elimination games on Wednesday, with the winners advancing to the double elimination portion of the bracket which will include the No. 1 and 2 seeds (who receive a bye until Thursday games). Saturday’s Championship Game was a one-game “Winner Take All” matchup. Mt Dew Park is home to the new Prospect League Team the Thrillville Thrillbillies. The venue opened in 2007 and has a Sportexe Turf synthetic surface and features 3,400 chairback seats and lawn seating for over 2,000. The venue includes a brand-new high-definition LED video board, 14 suites, a banquet facility, an entertainment plaza and kids’ play area. The stadium is located directly off Interstate 57. This year marks the 44th OVC Baseball Championship. The first elimination style OVC Baseball Tournament was held in 1980, most usually being played at the site of the regular season championship. Beginning in 2001 the tournament switched to a neutral site for the first time.
Seeding Success: Since the OVC Tournament switched to a neutral site in 2001 (22 total tournaments),the No. 1 seed has won eight championships, the No. 2 seed has six titles (including SEMO last year), the No. 3 seed has won four times, the No. 4 seed has won twice and the 5 seed has claimed two titles (Tennessee Tech in 2009 and Eastern Illinois in 2023).
SIUE Tosses Combined No-Hitter: SIUE pitchers
Jake Bockenstedt and
Hayden Cooper combined to throw the first no-hitter in SIUE's Division I history on May 18 at Lindenwood, a 4-0 victory. Bockenstedt pitched the first eight innings with Cooper throwing the final frame. It was the first no-hitter in the OVC since February 24, 2018 (when three JSU players combined for one against Radford). The last solo no-hitter in the OVC was on March 22, 2013 (Murray State's Cameron Finch).
Ranked Wins: Here is a look at OVC teams with wins over nationally-ranked teams this season. From 2018 to the present OVC teams have 26 wins over nationally-ranked non-conference opponents.
Feb. 26 - Eastern Illinois 12, #3 Arkansas 3
Apr. 12 - Little Rock 11, #5 Arkansas 4
Apr. 18 - Tennessee Tech 12, #19 Tennessee 5
SEMO Wins OVC Team Sportsmanship Award: Southeast Missouri State was named the recipient of the 2022-23 Team Sportsmanship Award for baseball. Voted on by the student-athletes and coaches of the respective sports, the team awards are bestowed upon the Conference squads deemed to have best exhibited the standards of sportsmanship and ethical behavior as outlined by the OVC and NCAA. Included in the areas for evaluation are the conduct of student-athletes, coaches, staff and administrators and fans.
Ignoffo Named Finalist for John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award: Eastern Illinois utility player
Ryan Ignoffo was named one of five finalists for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Watch List. The award is given to the best player in the country that contributes both on the mound and in the batters box. Ignoffo, known for his play as a utility player, has excelled not only has a hitter but also on the mound.
Two OVC Shortstops Named to Brooks Wallace Award Watch List: Morehead State's
Colton Becker and SIUE's
Chase Bloomer were named to the initial 2023 Brooks Wallace Award watch list, the College Baseball Foundation announced Tuesday. The award honors the nation's top shortstop and will be presented by the College Baseball Foundation later this year. It is named for former Texas Tech shortstop Brooks Wallace, who played for the Red Raiders from 1977 to 1980. Wallace died of leukemia at the age of 27.
Four OVC Players on Stopper of the Year Watch List: Four OVC baseball players were among the 81 players nationally named to the initial Watch List for the 18th Annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I Baseball. The OVC players included Morehead State's
John Bakke and
Jarrett Miller, Southeast Missouri's
Kyle Miller and Eastern Illinois'
Zane Robbins. Of the initial 81 members, 17 were featured on last year’s midseason watch list. In total, 21 conferences are represented on this list with at least two players coming from 15 different leagues.
Wright on Buster Posey Award Watch List: Little Rock senior catcher
Jake Wright is currently on the Buster Posey Award Watch List. The award is given to the top collegiate catcher. The watch list will be narrowed down to the semifinalists, who will be announced May 22, 2023. Ballots will be sent to the national voting committee at the end of May for a vote to determine the three finalists. The finalists will be announced June 6, 2023. A final vote among the national committee will occur during the College World Series.
Bockenstedt Named National Pitcher of the Week (May 22): SIUE's
Jake Bockenstedt was named the National Pitcher of the Week by Collegiate Baseball on May 22. He threw eight no-hit innings to lead the Cougars to their first-ever combined no-hitter and first no-hitter of any kind since making the move to Division I. Bockenstedt threw eight innings in the start against Lindenwood, striking out eight and walking four. From the end of the second inning through two outs in the eighth inning he recorded 18 consecutive outs. He made way for Hayden Cooper in the ninth; Cooper would strike out the side to complete the no-hitter.
Dyer Named National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball (May 1): Tennessee Tech senior 1B
John Dyer was named National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball on May 1 after he smashed five home runs with nine RBI in 14 plate appearances against EIU. The senior hit .462 (6-for-13) while slugging 1.615 and scoring five runs while making plenty of history. He became the 29th member of the OVC's 40-home run club for a career and tied the Tech program record for consecutive games with a home run (5).
Becker Named National Hitter of the Week by NCBWA and D1Baseball (April 10): Morehead State junior shortstop
Colton Becker was named National Hitter of the Week by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and D1Baseball after leading MSU to four wins. For the week he hit .625 (10-for-16) with nine runs scored, a double, two triples, four home runs, 15 RBI, three stolen bases, a .667 on-base percentage and 1.688 slugging percentage. He had four multi-hit and multi-RBI games during the week.
Mann Named National Pitcher of the Week by Collegiate Baseball (April 10): Tennessee Tech pitcher
Hunter Mann was named one of the National Pitchers of the Week by Collegiate Baseball on April 10 following his outing against Lindenwood. Mann struck out 11 batters without issuing a walk over six innings in the 4-3 victory.
Recent NCAA Success: OVC teams have won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament in eight of the past 16 tournaments. OVC teams have reached the Regional Final round in four of the last 10 events. In 2018, for the first time the OVC sent two teams to the NCAA Baseball Championship. In addition to Morehead State, who won the OVC Tournament and received the league's automatic bid, Tennessee Tech became the first OVC team to receive an at-large bid. After winning an OVC record 27 Conference games during the regular season, TTU had a RPI of 23 to secure the at-large bid and a No. 2 seed in the Oxford Regional. The Golden Eagles were the second OVC team to earn a No. 2 seed, joining the 2013 Austin Peay team. TTU would win back-to-back games against No. 4 national seed Ole Miss to become the first team to advance to a Super Regional (which began in 1999). Tennessee Tech beat Texas in game one of the Super Regional before falling in the final two games.
OVC Professional Success: Former OVC baseball players have found professional success at the Major League. Former UT Martin pitcher
Alec Mills tossed the 16th no-hitter in Chicago Cubs history (and 305th in MLB history) against the Milwaukee Brewers on September 13, 2020. Former Belmont standout
Matt Beaty was a member of the 28-man playoff roster for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who defeated the Tampa Bay Rays four games to two to win the World Series. Since the OVC was formed in 1948, he is the first former OVC player to be on the active roster of a World Series Champion (most recently former SIUE pitcher Spencer Patton was a member of the 2016 Chicago Cubs championship team, but was not active for the World Series). In 2021, Eastern Illinois SS
Trey Sweeney was selected in the First Round by the New York Yankees (No. 20 overall), becoming just the third First Round pick in OVC history. SEMO pitcher
Dylan Dodd was then selected in the Third Round by the Atlanta Braves, marking the first time in OVC history two players were selected in the Top 3 rounds of the same draft.
Southeast Missouri Picked as 2023 OVC Preseason Favorite: Two-time defending OVC Tournament Champion Southeast Missouri has been picked as the 2023 OVC preseason baseball favorite in a vote of OVC head baseball coaches and communications directors. The Redhawks picked up 16 of 18 first-place votes (schools could not vote for themselves) and 128 points to be a unanimous first-place pick. Morehead State received the other two first-place votes to tally 100 points and be picked second. Eastern Illinois was tabbed third (89 points) and followed by Little Rock (86), Tennessee Tech (78), SIUE (76), UT Martin (41), Southern Indiana (26) and Lindenwood (24).
Morehead State's Feltner and Bakke Earn Preseason OVC Player/Pitcher of the Year Honors: Morehead State junior first baseman
Jackson Feltner was named OVC Preseason Player of the Year while MSU graduate left-handed pitcher
John Bakke was tabbed OVC Preseason Pitcher of the Year. In all 16 players were selected to the Preseason All-OVC team, seven of who were All-OVC picks a season ago. The 16 players represented eight of the nine teams who will compete for the OVC championship this season. Morehead State, Southeast Missouri and SIUE led the way with three selections apiece.
New Teams: The OVC welcomes three new teams this year in Lindenwood, Little Rock and Southern Indiana. Little Rock moves over from the Sun Belt while Lindenwood and USI are reclassifying from Division II and the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). The trio marks just the 22nd, 23rd and 24th full-time members in the 75-year history of the OVC.
Western Illinois to Join OVC on July 1: On May 12 it was announced that Western Illinois University would join the OVC on July 1, 2023, giving the OVC 11 member institutions for the 2023-24 academic year. The Leathernecks are just the 25th all-time member of the OVC and will be joining in all sports (football joins in 2024).
All Teams Eligible for OVC Tournament: Both reclassifying teams, Lindenwood and Southern Indiana, are eligible to compete and win the OVC Tournament Championship this season. Should a transitioning school win an OVC Tournament Championship, the AQ shall be awarded to the tournament runner-up. Should the tournament runner-up also be a transitioning school, the AQ representative shall be the third-place team (where the third-placed team cannot be determined, the AQ shall be the semifinal team that had the highest remaining seed going into the tournament).
ESPN+: This year marks the fifth of the OVC’s media rights deal with ESPN to air games on ESPN+, the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company Direct-to-Consumer & International segment. This season over 200 men’s and women’s basketball regular season Conference games and non-conference games will be streamed on ESPN+. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for $9.99 a month (or $99.99 per year) or as part of a bundle with Disney+ and ad-supported Hulu ($15.99/month). ESPN+ is an integrated part of the ESPN App (on mobile and connected devices). More information can be found at
www.OVCSports.com/ESPN.