MOREHEAD, Ky. – For the first time this season, the Morehead State softball team's Ohio Valley Conference weekend series will go ahead as originally scheduled. The Eagles will play Southeast Missouri on Saturday (1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. ET) and Sunday (1 p.m. ET) at the Southeast Softball Complex in Cape Girardeau, Mo. It will be the team's second-to-last road swing of the year and the third, fourth and fifth contests of a five-game trip.
Morehead State (4-33/2-12) will look to snap a seven-game slide and 12 consecutive defeats on the road. MSU is just 1-27 away from home this year, including 1-15 in true road games and 0-12 in neutral site contests.
The Eagles attempt to do so while facing the reigning OVC Tournament champions. Southeast Missouri (16-13/9-5) is just 3-3 at home this season.
"We need to keep their hitters off balance," said MSU coach
Megan Griffith. "We need effective defense and to be dynamic hitters at the plate."
The Blue and Gold dropped both outings against UT Martin on Monday (11-2 in five innings and 9-5). The first game of the series was canceled. Prior to that, the Eagles fell in a home doubleheader to Eastern Kentucky (15-9 and 15-1 in five innings) and were swept by Tennessee State in Nashville (8-0 in five innings twice and 12-2 in five innings). Morehead State's games have only gone five innings in eight of its last 14 outings since March 17.
However, the Eagle offense has been stellar throughout the campaign. It has recorded double-digit hits in eight games, the most times it has accomplished that feat since 2016. MSU has notched at least five hits 26 times, four or more five additional times and at least three in all but four contests this spring. It sports a .270 team batting average, the highest mark since 2013 (minus the 2020 Covid-shortened campaign, when it hit .272). It has hit five home runs in the last four games, including two from sophomore infielder
Kendra Lewis, who bashed two in the second contest against UT Martin, which ties a school record for most in a single game.
As a team, Morehead State is averaging 3.54 runs per game, with 12 home runs, 21 stolen bases, an 8.11 ERA and a .935 fielding percentage. Its opponents sport a .363 batting average, 8.51 rpg, with 37 home runs, 78 stolen bases, a 2.99 ERA and a .951 fielding percentage.
Sophomore infielder
Kendra Lewis tops the Eagle offense. She ranks among the OVC leaders in walks (4th at 19), on-base percentage (4th at .467), slugging percentage (5th at .631), home runs (T-6th at 5), hits (6th at 38), runs (6th at 26), doubles (T-7th at 8) and batting average (8th at .369). She adds two triples, five stolen bases and 17 RBI.
Sophomore outfielder
Maddy Christopher has continued to climb the leaderboard. She has a .348 batting average, with a team-best 40 hits, plus 16 runs, five stolen bases and a .365 on-base percentage. Senior outfielder
Darlene Montoya is next with a .284 batting average, 15 runs, five doubles, three homers, 17 RBI, a .413 slugging percentage and a .328 on-base percentage. Sophomore infielder
Sela Pickford is batting .283 with six doubles, two triples, two homers, a team-best 20 RBI, plus a .425 slugging percentage, 10 walks a .352 on-base percentage and a .972 fielding percentage.
The Eagles used five pitchers in Monday's second game, in what was believed to be the first time ever. Junior
Rylie Burney owns a 2-16 record, with a 6.59 ERA, 35 strikeouts and 61 walks in 114.2 innings. Junior
Emma Solis is 2-13, with a 9.04 ERA, 36 strikeouts and 41 walks in 67.1 innings. A pleasant surprise, although only pitching 8.1 innings, is redshirt freshman
Delaney Overstreet, who has a 3.36 ERA.
Southeast Missouri enters the weekend having won its last two games, defeating Lindenwood 2-1 and 5-0 on the road. The Lions grabbed the opener 3-1. Before that it split with Eastern Illinois on the road, winning 3-0 and falling 8-5. The third game of the series was canceled.
MSU and SEMO have both played UT Martin, SIU Edwardsville and Eastern Illinois. The Redhawks are 4-4 in those matchups, while the Eagles are 0-8.
As a team, Southeast Missouri is batting .315, with 5.43 rpg, 13 home runs, 36 stolen bases, a 3.00 ERA and a .966 fielding percentage. Its opponents are hitting .251, with 3.82 rpg, 13 home runs, 34 stolen bases, a 4.41 ERA and .959 fielding percentage.
The Redhawks have both OVC weekly honorees. Sophomore infielder Brooklyn Saysoff was the Player of the Week, while sophomore Tegan Livesay was the Pitcher of the Week.
Senior infielder Sydney Dennis leads the offense with a .464 batting average, 20 runs, 10 doubles, 18 RBI, a .588 slugging percentage, a .476 on-base percentage and seven stolen bases. Saysoff is hitting .380, with 20 runs, 11 doubles, 32 RBI, a .533 slugging percentage, a .418 on-base percentage and six stolen bases. Senior catcher Sydney Melton is hitting .370, with 19 runs, eight doubles, four homers, 18 RBI, a .617 slugging percentage and a .435 on-base percentage. Senior outfielder Tatus Gerwitz owns a .318 batting average, 22 runs, 14 walks, a .414 on-base percentage and a team-best 10 stolen bases. Junior outfielder Madison Winkler adds a .317 batting average, with 17 runs, 11 walks, a .400 on-base percentage and seven stolen bases.
Six regulars are hitting above .300, with two others surpassing that mark in limited appearances, while a seventh regular is batting .293. Only three players of the 16 who have come to the plate have double digit strikeouts. The team has 96 strikeouts, far and away the fewest in the OVC.
Sophomore Maddie Carney boasts a 1-4 record, a 2.41 ERA, with 16 strikeouts and 20 walks in 40.2 innings. Livesay is 3-2, with a 3.08 ERA, 30 strikeouts and 9 walks in 46.2 innings. Senior Delaney Kell is 5-3, with a 3.00 ERA, 29 strikeouts and 22 walks in 46.2 innings. Sophomore Willow Van Haren (35.0) and junior Elliott Stinson (25.2 innings) also pitch regularly.
Mark Redburn is in his 11th year as the head coach and owns a 282-224 record.
Southeast Missouri swept the 2024 series in Morehead, winning 10-1, 14-4 and 13-3, with the latter two games lasting six innings. The Redhawks lead 74-21 and have won the last 14, including 12 straight in Cape Girardeau. Only Tennessee Tech, with 79 victories, has more wins against the Eagles than SEMO.
MSU's last victory in the series came in 2018, when the club posted a 4-1 result in the OVC Tournament. Its last road win was on Apr. 22, 2017 (6-2). Overall, SEMO has a 39-7 advantage in games played on its own field.
From 2019-23 every series was played in Cape Girardeau, Mo. In 2023, the Redhawks came out on top 4-1, 9-1 in six innings and 1-0. The two have faced each year from 1992 onwards, except the Covid-shortened 2022 campaign.
All three games will be televised with live stats available online. The tv links are:
https://www.espn.com/espnplus/player/_/id/422fc94a-46b0-49cb-b8a3-af136dcba0f9 (Game 1),
https://www.espn.com/espnplus/player/_/id/a746a937-ae0d-4bf9-826c-096ef73e96da (Game 2),
https://www.espn.com/espnplus/player/_/id/b05ac7db-a68f-4771-8e7b-d2df5bbc17ad (Game 3).
The stat links are:
https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=577251 (Game 1),
https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=577252 (Game 2),
https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=577253 (Game 3).
Morehead State will return to University Field at Prefontaine Park for its longest home stand of the season, hosting both Lindenwood (Friday-Saturday, Apr. 18-19) and Western Illinois (Saturday-Sunday, Apr. 26-27). Starting times for the LU series are noon and 2:30 p.m. on Friday and noon, on Saturday, respectively.
