NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee State softball team will travel to Cape Girardeau, Missouri for the Ohio Valley Conference opener against Southeast Missouri for a three-game weekend slate.
 
The Matchup: Tennessee State Tigers (9-13, 0-0 OVC) at Southeast Missouri Redhawks (11-10, 0-0 OVC)
Date/Time: Saturday, March 19 – 3:00 p.m. // Sunday, March 20 –­ 11:00 a.m. / 1:00 p.m. (DH)
Location: Southeast Softball Complex || Cape Girardeau, Mo.
 
Watch: All three games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Live Stats: To follow through live stats, head to TSUTigers.com or click here.
 
Series Record: TSU trails in the series, 62-10, while the two teams have not met since 2019. In 2020, the conference schedule was canceled due to COVID-19 and last year's meeting was erased by weather. SEMO's won 19 of the last 21 games over the Tigers, including a current 11-game winning streak.

Last Time Out for TSU: The Tigers spilt Wednesday's doubleheader against Bellarmine with the two programs swapping 1-0 victories. Caitlyn Manus posted her third seven-inning complete game shutout while Jasmine Brown registered two hits, two walks and three stolen bases in Wednesday's DH. Peyton Fointno tallied the go-ahead RBI single in the sixth inning of game two. Francys King tossed a complete game for the first time in 2022; the Ohio native went the distance in four games last season.
 
About the Tigers: Tennessee State is searching for its first win over SEMO since 2014. TSU's pitching staff logged their fifth shutout of 2022 on Wednesday afternoon. Brown leads the team with nine stolen bases after three against Bellarmine, ranking third in the conference. Fointno leads the Tigers in batting average (.274), hits (17), RBI (10) and tied at the top in doubles (5) with Anayah Baker. Baker, the 2022 OVC Watch List selection, ranks second in RBI (8) while she leads the way for TSU with one home run and one triple. Manus has recorded back-to-back complete game shutouts in consecutive starts, with one run allowed over the last three appearances (16.1 innings pitched). The freshman from Murfreesboro, Tennessee ranks eighth in the OVC with a 1.77 ERA.
 
About the Redhawks: Southeast Missouri was picked to win the OVC in the preseason poll as the Redhawks' are the reigning back-to-back conference champions. SEMO's played its first 21 games on the road. Southeast Missouri's coming off a victory over Iowa, 4-3, in the seventh inning. It was SEMO's first win over a Big Ten opponent in 21 years. Kaylee Anderson leads the team in batting average (.456), hits (26), doubles (6), walks (10), runs scored (20) and tied for the team-best in home runs (3) with Aubrie Shore. Shore ranks second on the Redhawks with 18 hits, four doubles, and seven walks while the freshman leads the way in RBI (18). In the circle, Rachel Rook owns a 7-4 record (3.52 ERA) in 15 appearances, tossing six complete games and 89 strikeouts in 69.2 innings pitched. Rook, a senior from Republic, Mo., is 13 strikeouts away from the SEMO all-time record (501).
 
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