COLUMN: Senior trio leaves lasting legacy within SEMO baseball

Given that the core of this year's Southeast Missouri State baseball senior class has ushered in a dynasty in the Ohio Valley Conference, it was only proper that they go out with one big bang.

Thanks to the trio of Collin Wilma, Kyle Miller, and Ty Stauss, who have been at SEMO since their freshman years, the Redhawks end the 2024 season where no other team has been before.

All three of them had a hand in bringing down No. 5 Arkansas 6-3 at their place to advance to their first ever regional final. They joined second baseman Brooks Kettering, outfielder Josh Cameron, and pitchers Payton Lawrence, and Logan Katen in the All-Fayetteville Regional Team.

"For a school like SEMO to come to one of the Taj Mahals of college baseball and to win a game like that in an elimination setting, it's gonna require some heroics," SEMO head coach Andy Sawyers said.

Ty Stauss hit a solo home run to give the Redhawks a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Stauss entered SEMO with a lot of potential and promise. After a rocky career, he goes out leading the Redhawks with a .329 batting average, while establishing career highs in home runs (9), and RBIs (52) in his final season.

The Redhawks' win over Arkansas was a special one for Sawyers and associate head coach Trevor Ezell, who was a member of the Razorbacks' 2019 College World Series team. Both coaches played under UA head coach Dave Van Horn and have fallen in each rematch since, up until this point.

"I was a little emotional," Sawyers said. "I had some tears in my eyes behind the sunglasses because I got to beat my coach."

Wilma started the game throwing 4.1 innings and holding the Razorbacks to a single hit, a solo home run by Peyton Holt that ultimately had Sawyers turn to the bullpen. Sawyers said he originally recruited Wilma for his slow breaking ball and on his final outing as a Redhawk, he saw the best of it.

"We get into this environment against a really good team like Arkansas, a bunch of bat-speed hitters, and suddenly that slow pitch becomes even more important," Sawyers said. "He's been with us for five years, I thought that's the best he's thrown that pitch."

Wilma recalled throwing offspeed pitches against the Razorbacks "70 percent" of his outing.

"[Pitching coach Matthew Kinney] asked if I could slow it down even more," Wilma said. "It's the last go that I could probably start, so I just wanted to give it my all and give my boys a chance to go out there and do some damage with the bats."

Wilma was given the nickname "Simba" when he first arrived at SEMO with long blonde hair. It took longer than the "Hakuna Matata" montague but the fans who followed the Redhawks for the last five years saw this bullpen pitcher grow up into a well-groomed postseason hero.

"He was a freshman so he was the young lion," Sawyers said. "I guess we should call him "Mufasa" after this point."

Wilma wasn't meant to spend his senior season in the bullpen. He started the first game of the season on the road against a Dallas Baptist team that won the C-USA tournament championship.

"This young man has gone through two surgeries in his time at SEMO and has never really been healthy," Sawyers said, "and he worked his absolute fanny off for two years to be our Friday starter."

Sawyers said he originally designated him as the Friday starter (college baseball's version of staff ace) but with the bullpen crumbling and causing the Redhawks to lose games late during the non-conference slate, he had to send him back there to be a combination of a long reliever and set-up man for Miller.

"A month into our season due to injuries I went to him and said I need to put in the bullpen," Sawyers said. "To his credit, while I'm sure he was disappointed, I never saw, he continued to be an excellent leader. He continued to be an excellent teammate. He cheered and tried to help and tried to lead our younger guys who were starting in his spot."

Wilma threw two outings in the OVC Tournament and held opposing hitters without a hit in four total innings. He also came in relief against Arkansas for three innings in the first game of the regional which resulted in a 17-9 loss.

"I'm a firm believer the game of baseball paid him back for how he handled that."

Sawyers said he put in "the guy who cares the most" during the regional, and that's where Miller comes in. The school's all-time leader in saves and appearances blew a save against Arkansas back in 2021 as a freshman and could not complete an upset started by Dylan Dodd (now with the Atlanta Braves) throwing 10 strikeouts.

Four years later he finally got his chance at redemption.

"Doddy punched out 10 Razorbacks, we had a lead in the ninth inning and I put our true freshman closer in the game in 2021 and y'all beat Kyle Miller," Sawyers said. "He has remembered that for four years and there was not a doubt that if we had a save situation he wanted to come in."

The Redhawks continue to reload year after year through their juco-heavy recruiting strategy, and will likely be back next year. The legacy these seniors left will last forever within the program.