OERMANN A FIXTURE FOR SEMO SOFTBALL

Jenny Oermann has accomplished just about everything imaginable during her brilliant Southeast Missouri State University softball career -- but one thing had been missing.

It's missing no longer.

Oermann has the final notch to her already impressive belt as she and her teammates have qualified for the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first time in school history. The Otahkians earned an automatic berth by winning the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament last weekend.

"I'm extremely grateful and I'm really excited," said Southeast's senior shortstop, who was recently named the OVC Player of the Year. "We're really excited as a team because that's been what we've been shooting for for four years."

What Oermann has accomplished during her four years at Southeast is certainly remarkable. Stepping into the lineup from day one of her freshman season, the product of St. Clair High School has rarely come off the field. She played every inning of every game for three straight seasons before finally missing a few games due to injury this year.

"She's been our Cal Ripkin," said Southeast coach Lana Richmond with a laugh. "She's just a tremendous player, definitely one of the best I've ever coached."

Just how talented Oermann is -- she is batting .410 this season after also hitting .410 a year ago -- was demonstrated last December, when she was drafted as the 25th overall selection by the Virginia Roadsters of the Women's Professional Softball League.

"Those 60 seniors drafted by the pro league are the best in the nation and she was the 25th pick," Richmond said. "That says a lot. She's earned respect throughout the country.

"And she's not just a tremendous player. She's a tremendous person. She's been one of our school's scholar-athletes every year and she's a 3.8 student."

Oermann says she is a bit uneasy receiving all those accolades. For one, she wants to give plenty of credit to her teammates.

"This team has done such a good job of sticking together. We've had a lot to overcome," she said, citing a key early-season injury to Josie Earnest. "Our pitching staff has just been awesome and it seems like we've had different people step up all the time."

The thoughtful, reflective Oermann gives much of the credit for her success to God, who she says she has had a deep and personal relationship with for a long time.

"I give all the glory and honor and praise to God," she said. "I have had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ since I was 6 years old. I always said that was the best decision I made in my life, and the second best decision was coming to SEMO."

Oermann said her faith had a lot to do with helping her get through a recent wrist injury -- she actually broke a bone in her left wrist -- that forced her to miss several games and threatened to keep her out of the OVC Tournament.

"It was a really hard time for me," she said. "I was prepared to be told that my season was over. The only thing that got me through was my relationship with God. There were so many people praying for me, the people at my church, my family, my teammates."

Oermann did admit with a laugh that it wasn't only her faith that helped her overcome the injury.

"The trainers did an awesome job taking care of me," she said. "They taped it up really good and all weekend pretty much babied it. It hasn't given me hardly any problems. I definitely did not want to miss the OVC Tournament."

The slick-fielding Oermann, a four-time all-OVC first-team selection, came to Southeast in large part because former Otahkian standout Amy Evers is also a graduate of St. Clair High School. Oermann certainly hasn't regretted her decision.

"Amy was a big part of it," Oermann said. "She kind of directed me. It's easy to make a bad decision when you're in high school because you don't know anything. But I've had such a great time here. I've enjoyed it thoroughly."

Oermann was an instant success on the field, hitting .356 as a freshman. She followed that up with .317 as a sophomore. Then came a .410 performance last year, a season that saw her named OVC Tournament MVP. And she will carry an identical .410 average into the NCAA Tournament that will begin in about two weeks.

"She's just had a tremendous career for us," said Richmond.

Oermann, an elementary special education major, ranks high on many of the career lists at Southeast. She is the all-time leader in hits at 227 and, with 107 runs batted in, is just four off the record in that department.

But individual accomplishments don't occupy many of Oermann's thoughts. She and her teammates are preparing for the softball program's first-ever trip to the Division I tourney. And Oermann doesn't think the Otahkians will simply be a token entry.

"I think we're definitely at our peak right now," she said. "I think we can do well. I think if we get a good draw, we can make some noise in the regional."