Season Outlook

The reigning back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference Champion Southeast Missouri softball team carries a lot of momentum into its upcoming 2022 campaign.

SEMO, this year’s preseason OVC favorite, has its sights set on a three-peat, something that’s been done only once in school history since the program turned Division I in 1991-92.

If there’s any difference from last season to this year, it is that the Redhawks will field a much younger team under eighth-year Head Coach Mark Redburn this spring.

“We want to keep our expectations high due to all the recent success we’ve had in our program,” said Redburn. “At the same time, we are a really young team. We still want to go out and win the OVC, conference tournament and even make it to an NCAA Regional. I look forward to seeing how this young squad comes together.”

SEMO has a 22-member roster predominantly full of underclassmen, including nine sophomores and eight freshmen. The Redhawks also return five position starters and their top three pitchers from 2021. In addition, SEMO has a pair of veteran fifth-year seniors back in OVC Pitcher of the Year Rachel Rook and outfielder Kaylee Anderson, the team’s second-leading home run hitter.

SEMO secured 16 of the possible 20 first-place votes in this year’s OVC Preseason Poll assembled by the league’s Head Coaches and Communication Directors. Austin Peay, Murray State, Eastern Illinois and UT Martin filled out the top five. SIU Edwardsville, Tennessee Tech, Belmont, Tennessee State and Morehead State completed the voting.

The Redhawks wrapped up their 2021 season with an overall record of 30-17 and topped the OVC with a 23-6 mark. Statistically, SEMO led the conference in on-base percentage (.369), opposing batting average (.213), strikeouts looking (69), saves (8), fewest hits allowed (247), fewest runs allowed (139) and fewest earned runs allowed (121). Additionally, the 23 OVC wins were a school record.

In the last two-plus seasons alone, SEMO compiled an overall record 121-60 and 55-18 in the OVC with Redburn at the helm, a two-time OVC Coach of the Year. Since 2019, the Redhawks won a pair of OVC regular-season titles, one conference tournament crown and advanced to one NCAA Tournament.

Here is an extensive look at this year’s Redhawks:

Marshall University transfer Kat Sackett (Erie, Colo.) looks to assume the starting role as SEMO’s catcher in her first season with the Redhawks this spring.

Sackett is a shutdown catcher with a great arm and, according to Redburn, has all the potential to be one of the best arms behind the dish the Redhawks have had.

She started 19 of 24 games for Marshall as a freshman in 2021. Sackett hit .254 with seven runs, seven doubles, five home runs and 16 RBI.

Sophomore Karsyn Davis (Harrisburg, Ill.) will complement Sackett after playing in 36 games and making 27 starts at catcher last season.

Pena shared starting duties with Davis a year ago and is another possibility.

Meanwhile, freshmen Tori

and Sydney Melton (Eddyville, Ky.) stretch the depth at catcher.

Junior Alyson Tucker (Farmington, Mo.) and sophomore Kynzie Wrigley (Mt. Zion, Ill.) are the two returning starters on SEMO’s infield.

Tucker is back at shortstop after starting 41 games there during her first season of Division I softball a year ago. She hit .289 with 17 runs, 28 hits, four doubles, four home runs, 12 RBI and three stolen bases. Tucker (.338) was one of nine Redhawks who hit over .300 in league play.

Wrigley, after spending a strong rookie season as SEMO’s starting second baseman, moves to third this spring. She ranked third on the team with a .336 batting average as a true freshman. Wrigley added 20 runs scored, eight doubles, two home runs and 13 RBI in 34 starts.

At first base, SEMO has a huge hole to fill following the departure of its all-time career home run and RBI leader Ashley Ellis. Ellis will remain with the Redhawks as a volunteer assistant coach after her remarkable playing tenure.

True freshman Aubrie Shore (Mahomet, Ill.) is the leading candidate to take over at first base.

Shore was a First-Team All-Conference pick at Mahomet-Seymour High School, where

she hit .526 with 40 runs scored, 14 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 27 RBI as a senior.

Fellow freshman Kileigh Grisham (Eureka, Mo.) has made good strides after redshirting last season. Grisham will also look to contribute after shifting from third to first.

Either sophomore Abigail

or freshman Sydney Dennis (Eureka, Mo.), both left-handed hitters, will get the starting nod at second base.

Rickermann saw action in 35 games and made six starts as a freshman in 2021.

Dennis was an All-Conference and All-District honoree during all four of her prep seasons at Eureka High School.

Junior Chelsy Pena (Columbia, Ill.) is also in the mix and could see time at shortstop or third base.

Another big loss for SEMO comes in center field, where the Redhawks are working to fill the void left by Rachel Anderson, arguably the greatest player in program history.

A four-time First-Team AllOVC pick and the league’s Player of the Year in 2019, Anderson broke 11 different career records during her phenomenal career, where she never missed a start in 231 games.

Ohio), a transfer from Marshall University, should settle nicely into that position.

Halliwill, who was teammates with Sackett, started all 33 games for the Thundering Herd last season. She hit .263 with 14 runs, four doubles, a team-high two triples, four home runs

and 15 RBI.

Halliwill will be between returning starters Jillian Anderson (Rochester, Ill.) and

Mo.).

J. Anderson started 43 games in left field and hit .268 with 22 runs scored, 11 doubles, one triple and 15 RBI en route to claiming OVC All-Newcomer Team accolades.

K. Anderson garnered OVC All-Tournament laurels last season. She hit .311 as one of five players hitting over .300. Anderson led the team in runs scored (33) and ranked second in hits (42), home runs (14) and RBI through 47 games and 46 starts.

Returnees Kelby Robinson (Wentzville, Mo.) and Kimmy Fleming (Park Hills, Mo.), and newcomer Tatum Gerwitz (O’Fallon, Mo.) are the rest of SEMO’s outfielders.

SEMO was among the top two in the OVC in earned run average (2nd, 2.76), opposing batting average (1st, .213), strikeouts (2nd, 285), strikeouts looking (1st, 69), wins (2nd, 30) and saves (1st, 8). Redhawk pitchers gave up the fewest runs, earned runs and hits out of anyone in the league, as well.

Fifth-year senior Rachel Rook (Republic, Mo.) is back as SEMO’s ace in the circle after a spectacular 2021 campaign which saw her become only the second Redhawk in program history to claim the coveted OVC Pitcher of the Year honor.

Also a First-Team All-OVC and Third-Team National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Mideast Region selection, Rook went 20-9 with a 2.36 ERA in 35 appearances and 28 starts. She tossed seven shutouts and 13 complete games to go along with a team-high four saves. Rook recorded 196 strikeouts in 163 innings and pinned opponents to a .191 batting average.

In conference play alone, Rook fashioned a 14-3 record and 1.53 ERA. She broke SEMO’s all-time single-season record in strikeouts per seven innings (8.4) and led the OVC in wins, innings pitched, strikeouts, shutouts and opposing batting average.

Mo.) and left-hander Marisa Davis (Kansas City, Mo.) are the Redhawks other two returning pitchers.

Holman put together a 7-7 record and 3.02 ERA as SEMO’s number two starter in 2021. She appeared in 24 games and logged 18 starts, while ranking second behind Rook with 53 strikeouts in 92.2 innings. Holman came on strong in OVC play, where she posted a 6-2 mark with four shutouts. She is currently out with an injury and could return as early as the conference season if not sooner.

Davis saw her innings increase significantly out of the bullpen a year ago. She compiled a 3-0 record with three saves and 30 strikeouts in 40 innings over 23 relief appearances.

Freshmen Delaney Kell (Salem, Ill.) and Emma Rote (Broken Arrow, Okla.) are the newest additions to SEMO’s pitching staff, while Kaylee

is another option if the need arises.

Southeast Missouri has 56 games scheduled, including 15 at the Southeast Softball Complex this upcoming 2022 season.

SEMO will play its first 26 contests outside of Cape Girardeau with trips to six different tournaments and a midweek visit to Southeastern Conference member Ole Miss (Mar. 2).

The Redhawks will participate in the Southeastern Lousiana (Feb. 11-13), Western Kentucky (Feb. 18-19), Arkansas (Feb. 25-27), Lipscomb (Mar. 4-6), Kansas (Mar. 11-13) and Kansas City (Mar. 15) tournaments.

SEMO also has five teams which made the NCAA Tournament a year ago on its 2022 slate. Those opponents are Western Kentucky (Feb. 19), Arkansas (Feb. 25, Feb. 26), Ole Miss (Mar. 2), Wichita State (Mar. 11) and Southern Illinois (Mar. 23, Mar. 30).

The Redhawks will play a 28-game OVC schedule which opens with a three-game home series vs. Tennessee State (Mar. 19-20). Morehead State (Apr. 2-3), Eastern Illinois (Apr. 9-10), UT Martin (DH, Apr. 7) and Belmont (May 7-8) also come to Cape Girardeau this season.

The road portion of SEMO’s league schedule consists of trips to Tennessee Tech (Mar. 26-27), UT Martin (DH, Apr. 6), Austin Peay (Apr. 15-16), Murray State (Apr. 23-24) and SIU Edwardsville (Apr. 30-May1).

Postseason play will begin with the OVC Tournament, May 11-14, in Oxford, Alabama. This year marks the sixth where the tournament will be held at Choccolocco Park in Oxford.

SEMO opens its season in Louisiana on Feb. 11-13.