A Crucial Final Stretch
Southeast Missouri State’s baseball squad is wrapping up its regular‑season slate with a three‑game series at Little Rock, Arkansas, beginning Thursday, May 14 and running through Saturday, May 16. The matchup marks the Redhawks’ last road swing and carries immediate conference implications.
With a 35‑16 overall record and a 15‑9 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference, the team sits just one game behind the Trojans in the league standings. A four‑game winning streak has lifted the club’s confidence, and a victory would bring them within striking distance of the program’s all‑time single‑season win total of 39 set in 2016.
Coach Andy Sawyers, now in his 15th year at the helm, has guided the Redhawks to a 7‑3 record against Little Rock and a 23‑5 home record in Cape Girardeau. Under his direction, the team has also snapped a four‑game skid by sweeping Southern Indiana, a performance that underscores the squad’s resilience.
Key contributors include senior right‑hander Gavin Johnston, who returned from injury to post three solid relief appearances, and Nathan Mertens, whose 16.67 strikeout‑to‑walk ratio tops the nation. Caleb Klein’s league‑leading 19 hit‑by‑pitches and Ryan Lopetegui’s fourth grand slam of the season highlight a lineup that has drawn an OVC‑best 255 walks.
The upcoming series also offers a platform for other standouts such as Carson Schrack, Andrew Carroll, Tank Sims, Demitri Shakotko, Eddie White, Cal Sullivan and the emerging duo of Jason Blum and Liam Bushey, all of whom have contributed to the Redhawks’ surge.