Southeast Missouri State cleans up at OVC baseball awards

~ Conference champs rewarded with postseason honors at OVC banquet

For Southeast Missouri State baseball coach Steve Bieser, first baseman Matt Tellor, pitcher Travis Hayes and left fielder Derek Gibson, the recognition they each received at the Ohio Valley Conference Awards Banquet on Tuesday night in Jackson, Tennessee, was the result of something much bigger than each of them.

Bieser was named the OVC Coach of the Year; Tellor the OVC Player of the Year; Hayes the co-OVC Pitcher of the Year; and Gibson was a first-team All-OVC selection.

They all acknowledged the individual recognition, which is voted on by OVC coaches and sports information directors, came from the success that made Southeast the conference's regular-season champions.

In his second season as coach, Bieser led his team to a 23-7 conference record and the program's second OVC regular-season title.

"To me, the coach of the year award represents our team and our coaching staff," Bieser said. "I don't think that there's a single coach of the year that's ever been named coach of the year that's ever done it on his own. For me, this staff -- coach [Lance] Rhodes, coach [Dillon] Lawson, coach [Jacob] Wente, all the way down to Sean [Stevenson] our [sports information director] -- everyone that's involved with this program is what makes things click. You know, our strength and conditioning guys, just everybody that's had input on this program is why I received that award.

"It's our players. They go out and do the work every single day, and when you've got a good team and you play well and you win ball games, then you get awards, and that's really what I relate that award to. It's nice to be noticed but more so to me it's a team award. It's the Southeast Missouri State baseball program as opposed to just one individual."

Tellor, a senior, earned Player of the Year after batting .392 (.431 in OVC) with 71 RBIs, which broke Southeast's single-season RBI record that had stood since 1995. He had 87 hits, including 15 home runs and 18 doubles and boasted a .676 slugging percentage.

"I was more just working on stuff to improve my game and then just let this kind of stuff take care of itself," Tellor said.

Tellor hit .311 last year with 73 hits, eight home runs and 46 RBIs.

"He's always been a smart hitter," Bieser said about Tellor. "The biggest thing that Matt's learned to do is not be so anxious at the plate and wait and get his pitch. When he gets a pitch in the strike zone he does a lot of damage, and that's been the biggest adjustment that he's made."

Hayes, a junior, shared the pitcher of the year with Murray State's Brock Downey. It is the first time since the award was first given in 1992 that the honor has had co-recipients.

Hayes has a record of 8-1 with a 3.22 ERA in 16 appearances.

He started the season in the bullpen but worked his way into the starting rotation by the Redhawks' first conference series against Belmont.

He pitched two complete games, including a three-hit shutout in a 1-0 victory against Jacksonville State on April 26.

"It's a pretty good feeling just to know that I've been on a team that put me in such a good position to win games pretty much every time I go out," Hayes said. "Even on days when I don't have my best stuff, you've got guys like Matt and Derek that are always going to hit.

"It's nice to win it, but at the same time a lot of it comes because I'm in such a good position with the guys that are behind me. It's a happy moment, but we all know the biggest thing is to win this tournament this weekend. I think everybody's looking forward to winning that award as well."

Tellor and Hayes both were part of the first-team all-OVC, as well as Gibson.

The senior, who was named first-team all-OVC his sophomore season, has a .411 batting average, which is the nation's sixth-best. He leads the nation with 11 sacrifice flies and has 88 hits and 66 RBIs.

"Nobody would have any individual awards without the team being successful," Gibson said. "I can't say enough about my teammates and what they've done to get me here. Any time you can get individual awards is great. It's just such a good feeling to be able to share with my team and to come in here and be the No. 1 seed and have the player of the year, the pitcher of the year and the coach of the year -- it's just a good feeling."