THE LATEST LINE: SE BASEBALL SET FOR FINAL SHOWDOWN

If you're a fan of good college baseball, a down-to-the-wire conference finish and Southeast Missouri State University's Indians -- not necessarily in that order -- then be at Capaha Field today.

You're not likely to be disappointed.

At 2 p.m., SEMO and Eastern Kentucky will square off in the regular-season finale for both squads.

And, as luck or fate -- or whatever you want to call it -- would have it, the winner of today's contest will be crowned Ohio Valley Conference champion.

For a regular-season game, it simply doesn't get any bigger -- or any more exciting -- than this.

The excitement actually began at Capaha Saturday. The Indians entered their doubleheader with the Colonels knowing they needed a sweep of the three-game weekend series to overhaul EKU in the OVC standings.

After a 10-4 SEMO win in the opener, the two talented and well-coached teams waged a classic battle in the nightcap. There was plenty of heart and courage on display by both squads.

First, EKU showed its mettle by rallying from a 5-0 deficit with a five-run rally in the seventh that forced extra innings.

Then SEMO displayed its gumption by overcoming that emotional letdown of seeing a big lead slip away to squeeze out an unbelievable 6-5, 10-inning victory.

And now it has come down to this: One victory for all the marbles.

For the Colonels, it would be their first OVC regular-season title since 1989.

For the Indians, it would be their first OVC regular-season championship ever. SEMO has been close before, finishing second three times in the previous five seasons under coach Mark Hogan. And the Indians won the league's tournament title in 1998.

SEMO, with a 35-14 record, has already set the school's single-season victory mark.

But a triumph today would write a new chapter in SEMO baseball and give the Indians all kinds of momentum heading into the conference tournament that they'll host Thursday through Saturday.

The crowds at Capaha have been great all season and yet another big, boisterous gathering today would do nothing but give the Indians a tremendous boost as they attempt to go where no other SEMO baseball team has ever gone.

See you at the park.

* Even though the national letter of intent signing period ends Monday and SEMO's men's basketball team is not likely to sign anybody else prior to that time, it doesn't mean the Indians' recruiting class is totally finalized.

Players are still eligible to receive scholarships after the signing period ends and, as of the weekend, standout junior-college forward Jason Wilson had not yet signed, so the Indians are still technically in the hunt for him.

Even if the Indians don't land Wilson, they would still have a scholarship available to either dole out at a later time or even perhaps save for next year if they can't get somebody they truly like.

* Major congratulations are in order for the Cape Central boys tennis team -- coached by Bud Craven -- for winning the program's first district title in a long, long time.

Also, congrats to Central's doubles team of Mick Metzger and Trevor Blattner, who qualified for state by winning districts.

* Charleston High product Matt Whiteside, who has spent more than five years in the majors during the past decade, is back in the big leagues after the San Diego Padres recalled him Friday from their Las Vegas Triple A Team.

~Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian