• Championship Central | Digital Program | Follow Us on X/Twitter | Facebook | Bracket (PDF)
The 2024 Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship presented by SERVPRO continued with two games on Friday. This year marks the 45th OVC Baseball Tournament (the first elimination style event was held in 1979).
The event is being held May 22-25 at Mtn Dew Park in Marion, Illinois. The venue opened in 2007 and was previously known as Rent One Park. It is now home to the Prospect League Team the Thrillville Thrillbillies, who began play last summer. This year marks the third time the event has been held at the venue (2019, 2023, 2024); the Championship will also be held there in 2025.
Southern Indiana is in year two of a four-year reclassification process to Division I. Should they win the OVC Tournament Championship, the NCAA AQ shall be awarded to the tournament runner-up.
The event has been held at five neutral site locations after moving from the campus of the regular season champions in 2001. The event has been held in Paducah, Kentucky (2001-09), Jackson, Tennessee (2010-16, 2021), Oxford, Alabama (2017-18), Marion, Illinois (2019, 2023-present) and Lexington, Kentucky (2022).
Tickets will be $30 for an all-session pass, $10 per adult per day and $5 per day for children (18 and under) and college students with valid ID and can be purchased online or in-person at Mt Dew Park. All seats are general admission for the OVC Championship.
Fans can watch the entire 2024 OVC Baseball Tournament live on ESPN+. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for $10.99 a month (or $109.99 per year) or as part of the Disney Bundle. ESPN+, the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment, is an integrated part of the ESPN App and (on mobile and connected devices) and ESPN.com.
Game 8: #2 Southeast Missouri 11, #4 Southern Indiana 5
Box Score |
Live Video |
Live Stats |
Photo Gallery | Postgame:
SEMO
Game 9: #3 Morehead State 6, #4 Southern Indiana 4
Box Score |
Live Video |
Live Stats |
Photo Gallery | Postgame:
MSU,
USI
#2 SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 11, #4 SOUTHERN INDIANA 5
MARION, Ill. - #2 Southeast Missouri Baseball (33-24) advanced to the 2024 Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship with an 11-5 victory over #4 Southern Indiana (27-31) on Friday afternoon from Mtn. Dew Park.
Second baseman Brooks Kettering led the Redhawks offensive with a 2-for-3 day at the plate, including his seventh and eighth home run of the season, as SEMO exploded for 11 runs on 13 hits. Kettering also drew two walks in the contest and came around to score three times.
Designated hitter Kenoi Coloma, catcher Nolan Ackerman, and first baseman Bryce Cannon all finished with a multi-hit day as well. Coloma finished 3-for-5 at the plate with four RBIs including his third home run of the season.
The Redhawks pitching staff was solid once again beginning with RHP Payton Lawrence who pitched 4.2 innings, striking out four Screaming Eagles. He allowed four runs on six hits, but the Redhawks never trailed during his outing.
LHP Ethan Osborne, RHP Collin Wilma, Alex Hayes, and Kyle Miller closed the door combining to allow just one run after the fifth inning. Wilma pitched another perfect inning as he's now retired all 12 batters he's faced in the tournament.
SEMO got out to the first lead of the ball game in the bottom of the second inning with the first of Coloma's four RBIs as he doubled in Cannon for the early 1-0 lead.
An RBI single from left fielder Ty Stauss brought in the second run of the day for SEMO as his single brought in Kettering to make it 2-0 after the third inning.
USI got on the board in the fourth inning with a two-run home run by Jack Ellis in the fifth inning to tie the game at two.
But the Redhawks responded in the home half immediately with a four-run inning starting with Coloma's home run with one out in the frame.
A walk to Cannon put a runner on as Coloma's third home run went to right field to give SEMO a 4-2 lead.
Catcher Nolan Ackerman lined a single into center field one batter later to continue the inning and with two outs, Brooks Kettering roped his seventh home run of the year to right field to give SEMO an 6-2 lead after the fourth inning.
USI's Cameron Boyd hit a home run with one out in the fifth inning to cut the SEMO lead to 6-3, and an RBI double by Tucker Ebest got USI to within a pair of runs after the fifth.
The Redhawks would seal the deal in the seventh inning with a five-run frame after a leadoff single by Caleb Corbin got the rally going. Coloma's fourth RBI of the day came with a double to left center that would score Corbin from first to make it 7-4.
An RBI triple by center fielder Ian Riley, his first hit of the day, after a single from Ackerman brought in both Coloma and Ackerman to give the Redhawk two more runs.
Kettering's eighth home run of the year came one batter later, a two-run home run that would score Riley to make it 11-4 Redhawks.
A scoreless eighth, and a run in the ninth for USI was all the game had as the Redhawks all-time career appearances leader Kyle Miller pitched the final two outs of the game to seal the deal.
#3 MOREHEAD STATE 6, #4 SOUTHERN INDIANA 4
MARION, Ill. - The Morehead State baseball team broke through after a 4-4 tie in the seventh inning to knock off the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles 6-4 Friday.
Junior Will Grimmett (4-3) picked up the victory out of the bullpen for Morehead State (36-23). The right-hander went 1.2 shutout innings while giving up two hits, allowing one walk and striking out one. Junior Trevor Callahan also made an impact on the mound for the Eagles, throwing 1.1 scoreless innings while allowing no hits, with no walks and one strikeout.
In the batter's box, the Eagles were led by freshman Hayden Robbins, who went 2-for-4 on the day with two RBI. Senior Ryan Grabosch put together a noteworthy day at the dish as well, going 1-for-5 with a triple and an RBI. Senior Logan Castleman also helped out for Morehead State, putting together two hits in four trips to the plate while adding a walk and an RBI.
The Eagles were trailing 2-0 in the second inning when they first put runs on the board.
The Eagles then held the Screaming Eagles scoreless before getting back on the board the very next inning. Morehead State scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Robbins, which brought the score to 4-2 in favor of the Eagles.
Southern Indiana fired back to even the ballgame at four before Morehead State reclaimed a 6-4 advantage in the eighth inning. The Eagles scored twice, with one run coming across on Castleman's single. The score remained 6-4 for the rest of the game, as Morehead State held on for the win. Nick Gooden's hit -- his first of the tournament -- scored Colton Becker from second to give Morehead State the lead.