Southeast Missouri State softball team begins OVC tourney play today

When Southeast Missouri State softball coach Mark Redburn addressed his team as a whole for the first time he explained a concept to them that he calls "Team 39."

Put simply, this year's team is the 39th in program history. But for Redburn and the Redhawks it also is the belief that the success or failures of those 38 previous teams have no bearing on what the team would do this year.

"As I mentioned very early on in our very first meeting back in the August, September area there, we talked about Team 39 and Team 39's concept being that at any point in time your moment of opportunity will call, you'll be called upon and it's a matter of them being prepared, and I think that's kind of the statement of this season," Redburn said.

The Redhawks, who have battled through multiple injuries, have taken that mantra to heart and Redburn believes it's in large part responsible for Southeast reaching the Ohio Valley Conference tournament for the first time since 2011.

Southeast, the seventh seed in the double elimination tournament, will face No. 2 Jacksonville State at 12:30 p.m. today in a first-round game on the campus of regular-season champion and top-seeded SIU Edwardsville in Edwardsville, Illinois.

The Redhawks will face No. 3 Murray State or No. 6 Eastern Illinois at either 10 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. Thursday.

It's taken several different players filling it at different times and in different positions as well as others playing through pain to put the Redhawks at 19-25 overall and 12-12 in the conference.

Center fielder Kayla Fortner, who leads the OVC with 16 home runs -- Southeast's new single-season record -- an .863 slugging percentage, .531 on-base percentage and 35 walks, is second with a .403 batting average and third with 48 RBIs, has played the entire season with a partially severed Ulnar nerve in her right throwing arm, according to Redburn.

He added that it takes third baseman Savannah Carpenter "everything she's got in her to throw the ball across the diamond," due to injury and a handful more haven't been able to play any or most of the season.

One player in particular that Redburn is impressed with who has adapted to a teammate's injury was freshman outfielder Taylor McDannold, who had to make a move to an unfamiliar position at shortstop when India Davis sustained a concussion during a doubleheader against Saint Louis on April 22.

"That's why I'm so proud of them. We've got so many issues, so to speak, but they don't let it phase them," Redburn said with a laugh.

While he's excited for the entire program to earn the berth in the conference tournament, Redburn's particularly thrilled that the seniors get the chance to participate in the postseason. Lindsey Patterson and Jamie Woolworth are the only seniors that have spent their entire collegiate career at Southeast and have never competed in the conference tournament.

The Redhawks lost to Jacksonville State in the winner-take-all final in 2011.

Southeast takes a four-game winning streak into today's contest and has won eight of its last 10 games.

"We talked about that from the very beginning about whenever we end, we want it to be at the highest point of our season, and I think that's what they're doing," Redburn said. "We didn't peak earlier in the year or we didn't let these injuries and adversity bring us down and just roll over. So yes, absolutely, I think we're playing our best ball right now."

Redburn expects pitching and the staff's stamina in the circle to be the main key to success for any team in the conference tournament, and he has been impressed with the progression of freshman pitcher Madeline Krumrey throughout the entire season.

She's 13-10 in 24 starts with two saves and a 3.66 ERA. Sophomore Keaira Schilling is 5-10 with a 6.36 ERA, and sophomore Aubrey Denno is 1-5 with a 7.28 ERA.

"There is a little bit more finagling I think at times with how you want to try to set up your pitching staff and that sort of thing, but I think for us and where we're at in the program, I think we're just going to kind of stick to what we do and what's gotten us to this point and we're not going to try to disrupt that or maybe overcoach things or overthink things," Redburn said. "But yes, I would anticipate highly that Maddie would start Game 1 for us and then, win or lose, we'll come back the next day and we'll attack the next day at that point in time."

The Gamecocks (36-15, 18-6 OVC) take a five-game winning streak into the tournament and have won 10 of their last 12 games.

First baseman Sara Borders is second in the conference with an .800 slugging percentage, .505 on-base percentage, 49 RBIs and 34 walks, and is tied with Fortner for most home runs with 16.

She's tied for third in the league with 42 runs and a .386 batting average.

JSU pitcher Logan Green has the league's fifth-best ERA at 2.36 and has a record of 13-5. Taylor West has a 12-4 record with a 2.47 ERA, while Whitney Gillespie is 11-5 with a 2.52 ERA and is the OVC saves leader with four.

The Gamecocks swept a doubleheader against the Redhawks on March 23. They won Game 1 10-4 behind five home runs and a complete-game from West.

The Redhawks erased a four-run deficit to take a 5-4 lead in the sixth inning of Game 2, but Borders hit a two-run walk-off home run to win it.

"We competed with them in that first series*...and we feel like at this point in the year we're a different team, we're a better team," Redburn said. "To be honest with you, we don't really care [who we're playing], we're just happy about getting in, and again the way we're playing.

"You know, you just tell us what time to be at the field and who we're playing and we'll play them," Redburn said with a laugh.