INDIANS AIM SLINGSHOTS AT SHOCKERS; SPILLE STARTING OPENING NCAA CONTEST

WICHITA, Kan. -- It will be a classic David vs. Goliath matchup tonight when Southeast Missouri State University's baseball team makes its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division I Tournament.

In one corner is host Wichita State, the No. 1 seed in the six-team Midwest Regional, the nation's second-ranked squad and owner of a national-best .375 team batting average.

In the other corner we have upstart Southeast, the sixth and final regional seed which has been playing Division I baseball for the exact number of seasons as Wichita State has College World Series appearances -- 7.

But, as one might recall, longshot David did upset Goliath. The Indians are hoping their slingshot packs a mighty wallop against the Shockers.

"We're going up against a tremendous team with an unbelievable program over the years," said Southeast coach Mark Hogan. "But you never know what might happen when you tee it up for nine innings."

Southeast (32-22) and Wichita State (55-5) will square off at 7 p.m. at Eck Stadium in the final first-round game of the day.

Today's other two opening-round games in the double-elimination event will feature third-seeded Arizona State (34-21) vs. fourth-seeded Arkansas (37-19) at 11 a.m. and second-seeded Georgia Tech (38-20) vs. fifth-seeded Oklahoma State (38-19) at 3 p.m.

There will be three more games Friday. If Southeast wins tonight, it would play the loser of Arizona State-Arkansas at 3 p.m. If the Indians lose tonight, they would face the loser of Georgia Tech-Oklahoma State at 11 a.m.

Friday's other game will pit the winners of Georgia Tech-Oklahoma and Arizona State-Arkansas.

The regional will continue Saturday and conclude Sunday. The winner earns a berth in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., May 29-June 6.

"It's an unbelievable experience for our guys and we're looking at this as a great opportunity and a great thing for our program," said Hogan of his squad's first-ever regional berth, which came by winning the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament and a play-in series against Southern.

Wichita State, led by veteran coach Gene Stephenson, is one of the favorites to win the national championship. The Shockers have one title to their credit, in 1989, and they have made seven College World Series appearances under Stephenson, who is 1,164-344 in his 22nd season.

Of this year's squad and how it relates to teams of the past, Stephenson said, "We've had a great year. We're playing well. But I'm really hesitant to compare teams from the past until everything is done."

The Shockers certainly have gaudy credentials, with that .375 batting average, 121 home runs and an average of more than 12 runs per game.

Ten Shockers are batting at least .325, led by Pat Magness (.467), Jeff Ryan (.454), Zach Sorenson (.419), Casey Davis (.390), Kevin Hooper (.375) and Tim Hayes (.356).

Leading sluggers are Ryan (23 homers, 105 runs batted in), Magness (21 homers, 99 RBIs) and Sorenson (15 homers, 91 RBIs).

And the Shockers' pitching staff is certainly no slouch as its earned-run average of 3.95 is among the nation's best.

Top starting hurlers have been Steve Foral (10-1, 5.51 ERA), Ben Christensen (9-0, 3.84), Erich Bryan (8-2, 3.38) and Brandon Sloan (6-1, 5.15).

The Shockers also have one of the nation's top relief specialists in Marc Bluma, who is 5-0 with 10 saves and a 1.89 ERA.

"They've really got about everything," said Hogan. "They're just an offensive machine from what I understand and their pitching is also very good."

Southeast counters with a solid lineup of its own, although the numbers certainly can't compare to Wichita State's.

The Indians bat .303 as a team, led by Kyle Yount (.355), Jeremy Johnson (.337), Charlie Marino (.335), Jeff Bourbon (.324), Steve Lowe (.324) and Darin Kinsolving (.303).

Southeast has a school-record 85 home runs, led by Marino with a school-record-tying 20 and Robert Kern with 15. Johnson and Kinsolving both have 12. Marino has 50 RBIs while Johnson has 44.

In the pitching department, Hogan said he'll start left-hander Ryan Spille, the OVC Pitcher of the Year who had a brilliant season, going 11-1 with a 2.39 ERA.

Jason Swearingen (7-5, 4.18), the team's lone senior, would be available in relief tonight and would be a likely game two starter. Dan Huesgen (7-3, 5.22) has been the Indians' other primary starter this season.

"Ryan has had good success against some of the better hitting teams," said Hogan. "I also want to have Jason in relief because he'll be able to bounce back much quicker."

Despite the apparent mismatch, Stephenson said his team certainly won't take anything for granted, particularly not after Southeast upset the Shockers in Wichita last year to split a two-game series.

"If there was ever a chance we might overlook them, what happened last year would certainly bring us back to reality immediately," said Stephenson. "We're expecting a very, very good game.

"Spille has some tremendous numbers and every team generally has at least one very good pitcher. That's what you see so many great games between the one and six seeds every year."

Wichita State is 33-0 at home this year, which made Hogan laugh.

"That's ridiculous. I've never heard of that," he said with a chuckle. "But then again, maybe they're due (for a loss)."

Hogan said his players would not be human if they didn't feel some nervousness tonight. But he wants the Indians to be as relaxed as possible.

"It's going to be very loud, with a pro-Wichita State crowd, and it will be a challenge for our guys to handle it," Hogan said. "But I don't want our kids to feel like they have the weight of the world on their shoulders. I want it to be an enjoyable experience."

NCAA MIDWEST REGIONAL

Today's Games

11 a.m. -- Arizona State (34-21) vs. Arkansas (37-19)

3 p.m. -- Georgia Tech (38-20) vs. Oklahoma State (38-19)

7 p.m. -- Wichita State (55-5) vs. Southeast Missouri (32-22)

Radio: KAPE-1550