Redhawks remain on course for spot in OVC tourney

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team, despite losing two of three games over the weekend at Eastern Illinois, continues to rank among the Ohio Valley Conference's biggest surprise squads this year.

Southeast, after losing most of its top players from 2012 and suffering some key pitching injuries before the campaign even started, was picked eighth in the OVC preseason poll. Only the top six finishers qualify for the conference tournament.

But, with more than two-thirds of their OVC schedule completed, the Redhawks stand fifth in the 11-team conference and are in strong shape to extend their league record of 18 consecutive OVC tournament appearances.

Southeast's 20-21 overall record is nothing glamorous, but it's actually on pace to be a considerable improvement from last year's 23-36 mark.

And the Redhawks, 12-9 in OVC play, already have matched their conference victory total from a year ago, when they went 12-15.

The Redhawks, with nine OVC games left, haven't yet locked up a conference tournament berth.

But at this point it will be a surprise if first-year coach Steve Bieser's club doesn't make it -- and getting into the postseason event would be a nice reward for one of the OVC's surprise teams.

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I'm not convinced a significant crowd will show up, but I like the idea that Southeast will be part of the first football game ever to be played at the new Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

The Redhawks will face longtime rival Southern Illinois at 1 p.m. Sept. 21 in a contest that originally was scheduled for Cape Girardeau.

Other than the fact Southeast loses a home game, I don't see any downside to the matchup that should bring plenty of favorable attention and publicity for the university.

It remains to be seen if the Redhawks and Salukis squaring off at Busch Stadium will be a regular occurence, but I do know that the seven-year-old facility is trying to branch out by hosting sporting events other than Cardinals baseball.

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Some former Southeast football players with professional aspirations should have their potential NFL futures clarified a bit when the NFL draft is held this week.

It's a virtual certainty that none of Southeast's players who completed their eligibility in 2012 will be selected, but once the draft is finished NFL teams begin to zero in on the free agents they want to invite to training camps.

Receiving the most interest from the NFL has been long snapper Brandon Gabbard.

Among others hoping to earn a training-camp invitation is linebacker Blake Peiffer, the former Jackson High School standout.

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Last week's announcement that Scott County Central graduate Otto Porter was passing up his final two seasons of collegiate eligibility to enter the NBA draft came as no surprise.

I fully expected it, as I believe just about everybody else did.

Porter, the Big East Conference player of the year as a sophomore forward at Georgetown, is widely projected to be a top-five selection in the June draft.

It's hard to pass up something like that, especially since next year's draft is supposed to be considerably stronger at the top so there is no guarantee Porter would have been rated among the top five if he waited to come out.

I don't know whether Porter will become an NBA star, but with his work ethic, character, attitude and all-around basketball skills, I'll be surprised if he doesn't at least wind up being a solid NBA contributor for at least a decade.

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Longtime Plaza Tire Capahas manager Jess Bolen officially entered his fourth hall of fame last week.

Bolen, selected in December for induction into the 2013 class of the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame, was enshrined during a ceremony Thursday in St. Louis. He entered the hall with 17 other inductees.

Bolen has said he rates his biggest honor as being inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. He also is in the NBC Hall of Fame and the Southeast Missouri Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame.

Bolen soon will begin building on his incredible 1,433-388 record in his 46 seasons managing one of the nation's oldest amateur baseball teams.

The Capahas, who have made 31 consecutive appearances at the NBC World Series in Wichita, Kan., are scheduled to open the 2013 campaign May 31 at home against Valmeyer, Ill.

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It's early, of course, but the Cardinals are off to a solid start led by a starting pitching staff that has been impressive -- with the exception of a few hiccups.

I don't know if the Cardinals can beat out Cincinnati for the National League Central Division title, but I'll be surprised if they don't present the Reds a strong challenge.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.