Southeast Softball

ORAN, Mo. — Becoming successful in athletics takes hard work and dedication, along with time and commitment. For multiple sports, it takes even more. Oran senior and three-sport athlete Kaylee Payne showed what all four characteristics lead to after a successful athletic year with the Lady Eagles, earning her the 2020 Standard-Democrat Girls Athlete of the Year...

Calling Dr. Jerry Westbrook an original may be an understatement on a par with saying Cape Girardeau gets a bit warm in the summer. Westbrook, on the Southeast Missouri State faculty since 1995, is a fervent supporter of SEMO softball specifically and of women’s athletics in general...

When Southeast Missouri State athletic director Brady Barke was asked last month what it took to build a successful sport at his institution, he was very specific about the core of what was needed.

Southeast Missouri State softball coach Mark Redburn recently – and unexpectedly – got four commitments for the 2021 season and one of those players he feels pretty confident will be the best player in the Ohio Valley Conference next spring. When the NCAA recently voted to allow seniors from the 2020 class to return next year, due to the cancellation of spring sports, the Redhawks got a commitment from four seniors, most notably outfielder Rachel Anderson.

The only thing spreading more rapidly than the COVID-19 public health threat Thursday was the sporting events and leagues that were ceasing operations for the time being.

The Southeast Missouri State softball squad won three of five games over the weekend at the Bulldog Slamboree at Mississippi State.

Playing consistently is important regardless of the sport and if a team doesn’t, then it hampers its chances for success.

When a softball team has won eight consecutive games, it’s hard to narrow down precisely what that group is doing well because more than likely, it is good at a lot of things. That is the case with Southeast Missouri State.

Southeast Missouri State junior pitcher Rachel Rook tossed a one-hit shutout with a career-high 13 strikeouts as the Redhawks swept their way through the Stinger Classic in Montgomery, Alabama with a 2-0 win over South Carolina State (0-7) Sunday.

In the first game of a doubleheader in girls softball action in Troy, Alabama, it was the pitching of Southeast Missouri State pitcher Paytience Holman that would be the story leading the Redhawks to a 7-0 win.

In the first game of a double-header at Troy University it was a four-run third inning by the Owls of Kennesaw State that would spell doom for the Southeast Missouri State Redhawk softball team in its season opener.

Getting to the top of the mountain in Ohio Valley Conference play was a challenging trip for the Southeast Missouri State softball program. To ensure that the Redhawks have an opportunity to remain at – or at least within sight of – the top of the league, sixth-year coach Mark Redburn has to continually reload his roster with talent.

Summers are supposed to be centered on beaches, baseball, and barbecue, but certainly NOT biology. However, when you are a student-athlete at Southeast Missouri State, summer may mean several things, but classwork IS a part of it.

It’s easy for a fan or recruit of the Southeast Missouri State softball program to have confidence in the job that coach Mark Redburn has done today. After all, the Redhawks have made history over the last two seasons. However, take a step back a few years and what becomes clear is just how foretelling the vision of the Southeast leadership was.