Baseball team begins Red & Black Fall Series

Last week, the Southeast Missouri State baseball team began its head-to-head team competition in the annual Red & Black Fall Series. Every year during the offseason, the series is held as a way to showcase the athletes to the coaches.

During the seven-game series, the athletes are separated into two teams and compete against each other.

"The winning team of the series gets fed steak at our Christmas dinner and are served by the losing team who only gets to eat beans," coach Steve Bieser said.

The Red & Black Fall Series, or "Steak and Beans World Series" as it was originally called, has been a tradition at Southeast for quite some time.

It began under the direction of the university's winningest coach in history, Mark Hogan. Completing 18 years with the Redhawks, Hogan resigned after the 2012 season.

Although the team's members are competing against one another, the series brings the team together using a competitive strategy.

"There's a lot on the line," Bieser said. "We try to create an atmosphere of competition."

The coaches aren't the only ones who realize how intense the series can be. Although the Red & Black series is a fun way to encourage competitiveness and effort, it is more than just fun and games.

"We all take it pretty serious," sophomore third baseman Trevor Ezell said. "We want to win."

Senior shortstop Branden Boggetto also enjoys the competition of the series.

"We are fighting for spots to play in the spring. It gets competitive and it's really good for us to play against our team," Boggetto said.

Boggetto was on the winning team last year.

The teams are selected based on position and ability so both teams have an equal chance.

A perfect series would be set up in a 3-3 matchup with the winning team taking the final game to a 4-3 win.

"Although we are somewhat low on position players, we feel that we have two very equal teams," Bieser said.

Although the Redhawks are low on position players, having just enough athletes to fill the spots, the coaching staff realizes that the health of the athletes is high priority.

Because the baseball team doesn't get a chance to play competitively in the fall, the Red & Black series is a good way for the athletes to stay focused and keep up the competition.

"The series is a good way to evaluate the athletes in game situations," Bieser said. "We want to maintain a high level of competition year round."

The Red team clinched an important first-game win in a 13-3 final. The game was an even matchup with the Black team just trailing behind the Red at 4-3 going into the eighth inning.

Redhawks baseball is getting a lot of attention in light of recent success and Bieser remains excited about the great start to opening the series.

Last Thursday, a pro day was held at Capaha Field where several college coaches and professional-level recruiters were in attendance.

"We have a good group of guys that have the opportunity to play at the next level," Bieser said. "That's why we are growing so much."

About 10-12 scouts were interested in attending the pro day, according to Bieser. Bieser was excited to hear the feedback from the scouts.

In light of the 2016 season quickly approaching, the athletes and the coaches are all on the same page when it comes to the goals of the team.

"We don't want to settle for an OVC Championship. We want to make it on a regional, super-regional, world series level," Ezell said.

The athletes have high hopes for the team and are ready to work hard toward personal and team goals.

"I just want to come out here every day and give my best. I want to be a leader for the team and see it grow," Boggetto said.

The Redhawks encourage students as well as members of the community to be engaged this season. The team hopes to play in front of a large crowd and enjoy the opportunity for people to come see the ball club.