Southeast Missouri State University Women's Softball

Mark Redburn begins his 12th year as Southeast Missouri's head softball coach in 2026.  Redburn orchestrated an outstanding turnaround that has seen the Redhawks win three Ohio Valley Conference regular-season titles (2019, 2021, 2023), two OVC Tournament crowns (2019, 2024) and earn a pair of NCAA Tournament berths (2019, 2024) since the start of the 2019 campaign. In 2025, SEMO led the OVC with a .313 batting average and ranked second in ERA (2.94) and fielding percentage (.964) en route to an overall record of 27-19 and third place finish with a 17-9 conference mark. Along the way, Redburn picked up his 500th career victory as a head coach when SEMO beat Tennessee Tech on Apr. 18. The year before that, Redburn reached the decade mark of his SEMO career and celebrated that milestone by leading the Redhawks to their seventh OVC Tournament title in program history and third NCAA Division I Tournament appearance during the 2024 campaign.  SEMO put together an overall record of 28-26 and 19-8 in the OVC. The Redhawks went undefeated at 3-0 and won the OVC Tournament as a #2 seed for the first time in program history. Along the way, SEMO upended #1 Eastern Illinois twice giving Redburn his second OVC Tournament Championship. After starting the 2024 season at 4-15 during a rugged non-conference stretch that featured matchups against six Power Four teams and included 12 games against opponents ranked among the nation’s Top-75 in RPI, SEMO’s momentum suddenly shifted in April. The Redhawks knocked off then-#11 Missouri in Columbia on Apr. 3 for the biggest win in their NCAA Division I history. The huge upset catapulted SEMO to 16 wins in its final 22 games. Additionally, it marked the second win over a ranked opponent for Redburn. The Redhawks joined Arkansas, Arizona and Villanova at the NCAA Regional in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Redburn picked up his 250th career win as SEMO’s head coach against Southern Indiana on Mar. 29, 2024. He then surpassed 350 career wins as an NCAA Division I head coach when the Redhawks swept Western Illinois in their final home series of the season. SEMO registered six series wins in 2024, four of which were sweeps. In OVC play, the Redhawks led the league in batting average (.314), runs (147), slugging percentage (.443), on-base percentage (.376), hits (239), RBI (131), doubles (42), total bases (337) and at-bats (761). SEMO outscored OVC opponents by a +79 margin (147-68). Six Redhawks garnered All-OVC honors. Paige Halliwill and Marissa Peek took first-team accolades, while Aubrie Shore, Abigail Rickermann and Paytience Holman were second-team picks. Maddie Carney landed a spot on the OVC All-Newcomer Team. In the last nine seasons, SEMO won a total of 258 games. The Redhawks notched a program record 46 wins in 2019 and won 30 games in back-to-back seasons (2021, 2022) for the second time in Redburn's tenure.  In terms of winning percentage, softball has been the winningest program in SEMO Athletics with a .604 clip since the beginning of the 2017 season. During the first 11 years with Redburn at the helm, SEMO has produced one National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American, 10 NFCA All-Region selections, 38 All-OVC picks, two OVC Players of the Year, one OVC Pitcher of the Year, two OVC Tournament Most Valuable Players and two College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-Americans. In 2023, Redburn led SEMO to its eighth OVC regular-season championship in program history and third since the 2019 campaign. Redburn was named OVC Coach of the Year for the third time. The Redhawks went undefeated at home (13-0) for the second-straight season posting unbeaten records at home in back-to-back years for the first time ever.  SEMO concluded the year with a 29-14 overall record and 20-2 mark in OVC play. The Redhawks claimed series sweeps against six of their eight league opponents en route to their second-best conference season in program history. The Redhawks ripped through the conference portion of their schedule outscoring OVC foes by a staggering +107 margin (149-42). SEMO led the conference in batting average (.358), on-base percentage (.441), slugging percentage (.547), runs (149), hits (209), triples (12), doubles (41), RBI (138) and total bases in OVC games only. Additionally, the Redhawks had a 16- game conference winning streak from Mar. 18-Apr. 30. Overall, SEMO topped the OVC with a .311 batting average, 2.70 ERA, 13 triples and a .230 opposing batting average. Redhawk pitchers also had the fewest hits (244), runs (128), earned runs (107) and walks (82) allowed in the league. Shore shared the 2023 OVC Player of the Year honor with Southern Indiana’s Allie Goodin. Shore, also a First-Team All-OVC pick, became the sixth SEMO player to win the coveted award. Halliwill, Delaney Kell and Kat Sackett joined Shore as first-team picks. Alyson Tucker and Sydney Dennis earned Second-Team All-OVC accolades, while Zoe Schulte landed a spot on the league's All-Newcomer Team. Sackett later made the OVC All-Tournament team, as well. SEMO's 2022 club became the first in program history to go undefeated at home with a 14-0 record. Overall, the Redhawks compiled a 30-24 mark and placed fourth in the OVC. As the #4 seed in the league's postseason tournament, SEMO advanced to the semifinals where it dropped a close one-run game to #2 Belmont.  As a team, SEMO ranked among the top three in the OVC in doubles (t3rd, 67), stolen bases (2nd, 58), steal attempts (73), opposing batting average (3rd, .244), batters struck out (2nd, 323), batters struck out looking (1st, 84), saves (t3rd, 5) and fielding percentage (2nd, .967). The Redhawks came from behind to take down Big Ten Conference member Iowa, 3-2, on Mar. 15, 2022 for their first win over a Big Ten team in 21 years. In 2021, Redburn carried the Redhawks to another 30-win campaign. SEMO finished 30-17 overall and registered a program record 23 OVC wins en route to its second-straight regular-season conference title. The Redhawks headed into the OVC Tournament as the #1 seed and ended the year with a pair of one-run losses to Eastern Kentucky. SEMO led the league in on-base percentage (.369), opposing batting average (.213), strikeouts looking (69), saves (8), fewest hits allowed (247), fewest runs allowed (139) and fewest earned runs allowed (121). All of the Redhawks success during the 2021 campaign culminated with him claiming his second-straight OVC Coach of the Year award. Rachel Rook was tabbed OVC Pitcher of the Year becoming only the second player in program history to win the coveted award. Offensively, SEMO outscored its opponents by a +100 (165-65) margin in conference games. The Redhawks’ 165 runs were the most scored by any OVC team in conference play. The year before in 2020, SEMO was off to a great start and had all the makings for a big season, but a global COVID-19 pandemic abruptly shut things down only 17 games in. The Redhawks won nine in a row and posted a 9-1 record in their first 10 games of the season. SEMO finished with an overall record of 12-5 and did not get a chance to play any OVC games when play was canceled. Although the 2020 season lasted just 23 days (Feb. 14-Mar. 8), the Redhawks accomplished a lot in a short amount of time. SEMO led the OVC in slugging percentage (.528), on-base percentage (.411), triples (14), stolen bases (41), hits allowed (84) and earned runs allowed (40). The Redhawks also rated second in the league in batting average (.310), home runs (19), opposing batting average (.204), runs allowed (51), stolen bases per game (2.4) and triples per game (0.8). Nationally, SEMO was among the top 25 in triples per game (2nd), stolen bases per game (8th, 2.4), scoring (16th, 6.7), slugging percentage (21st) and on-base percentage (24th). Individually, Rachel Anderson led the OVC in batting average (.480), slugging percentage (.880), on-base percentage (.541) and triples (5) following a season that culminated with her winning the league’s Player of the Year honor. Anderson, who didn’t strike out all year, capped her 2020 campaign as only the sixth player in program history to garner First-Team CoSIDA Academic All-America accolades. Rook was atop the OVC in earned run average (0.70) and opposing batting average (.119), while Ashley Ellis ended the year as the league’s leader in home runs (8). Rook left SEMO as the program's all-time career strikeout leader with 621 Ks. In 2019, Redburn guided SEMO to a sweep of the OVC regular-season and tournament championships, and first NCAA Regional appearance in 20 years. The Redhawks set an all-time program record with 46 wins, the only 40-win season in the school’s entire NCAA Division I era. SEMO went 46-18 overall and 17-5 in the OVC before going 1-2 at the NCAA Regional in Oxford, Mississippi. SEMO had so much to celebrate over the course of its magical 2019 campaign. Redburn and his staff were honored as the NFCA Mideast Region Coaching Staff of the Year. For Redburn himself, he was voted OVC Coach of the Year for the first time in his career.  Four players earned All-OVC honors, three claimed NFCA All-Region accolades and one garnered NFCA All-America distinction. Rachel Anderson became SEMO’s first All-American in 28 years and the program’s first All-American in the NCAA Division I tenure. The Redhawks were also recognized by the NFCA for achieving the fourth-highest grade point average among all NCAA Division I schools. SEMO recorded a team GPA of 3.67 with 17 players securing NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete honors. Statistically, SEMO’s 2019 team broke a total of 17 single-season records in slugging percentage (.510), on-base percentage (.382), game played (64), runs (363), hits (501), home runs (74), RBI (318), total bases (850), walks (180), stolen bases (89), stolen base attempts (117), wins (46), saves (11), batters struck out (331), batters struck out looking (90), innings pitched (414) and putouts (1242). In 2018, the Redhawks finished at 33-20 overall and fourth in the OVC with a 15-7 mark. SEMO locked down its first winning campaign in seven years.  The Redhawks heated up to win 11 of their final 14 regular-season games and advanced to the eight-team OVC Tournament.  SEMO’s 2018 club finished with a 74 RPI, quite a jump from its 173 ranking in 2017. The Redhawks collected eight doubleheader sweeps. Defensively, SEMO improved tremendously. After ranking eighth in the OVC in fielding percentage a year ago, the Redhawks were the league’s second-best fielding team in 2018. SEMO had 43 errors and committed 16 less than it did in 2017. The Redhawks went error free in 25 games equating to 47 percent of their entire season. Redburn claimed his 200th career victory when SEMO beat Austin Peay, 7-4, on Apr. 30, 2016.  Redburn led the Redhawks to an overall record of 19-27 and 12-12 in OVC play during his first season at SEMO in 2015. His 19 victories came after the Redhawks won no more than 15 games in each of the previous two seasons. Redburn’s first SEMO team also had 12 OVC wins, a +9 increase from the 2014 campaign. In addition, the Redhawks made the OVC Tournament, snapping a streak of three years where they missed the event. Not only did Redburn earn his 100th career NCAA Division I win in his inaugural season with the Redhawks, but he coached three All-OVC selections and one NFCA All-Region honoree. SEMO finished among the top-five OVC teams in batting average (3rd), slugging percentage (5th), on-base percentage (5th) and hits (5th).  In 21 years as a head coach between the NCAA Division I and National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) ranks, Redburn has been to 12 postseason tournaments, including one NJCAA National Tournament (2003), one Missouri Valley Conference Tournament (2013), eight OVC Tournaments (2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025) and two NCAA Division I Tournaments (2019, 2024). He has also accumulated 507 wins all-time as a head coach. Academically, the softball team recorded a 3.0 or higher grade point average every year with Redburn as its coach. Most recently, SEMO posted 3.59 (fall) and 3.63 (spring) GPAs during the 2024-25 academic year. The Redhawks highest GPA since Redburn took over as head coach stands at 3.74 during the fall 2020 semester. The fourth head coach in Redhawk softball history, Redburn won 90 games in five years as head coach at the University of Evansville before accepting the job at SEMO on June 26, 2014. In 2014, Redburn coached a UE team with five starters that were underclassmen, including four freshmen and one sophomore. The Purple Aces achieved their highest batting average since 2007. Additionally, UE had a freshman lead the team in stolen bases and home runs. Despite a season that allowed 53 games, the 2013 team had its best season in Redburn’s five years at UE. Entering the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament as the No. 7 seed, the Purple Aces beat the No. 6, No. 3 and No. 2 seeds to make their first MVC Championship appearance since 2003. UE finished second with three players garnering All-Tournament team honors. The 2013 campaign resulted in the most overall wins in a season since 2008 and the best regular-season and conference tournament finish since Redburn’s arrival. UE continued its aggressive baserunning with 89 stolen bases, ranking second in the MVC. The pitching staff also rated fourth in the conference. Redburn’s 2012 club saw improvement as well, winning more games than it had the previous season. The Purple Aces stole 79 bases and had two all-conference and one National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Region selection that year. In 2011, Redburn exposed a young and inexperienced team to some of the top programs in the nation as UE played one of its most difficult schedules. Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Missouri, Ohio State, Texas Tech, South Alabama and Chattanooga were among the stiff competition. Redburn quickly started to transform the UE program during his first year in 2010. The Purple Aces secured a berth in the MVC Tournament after winning 10 conference games. UE led the MVC with 31 doubles and hit 36 home runs, while producing two all-conference picks. Academically, Redburn’s teams consistently enjoyed success. In fact, each of his last four UE teams accumulated a 3.1 or higher grade point average. He had several student-athletes obtain over a 3.5 GPA and earn academic recognition along the way. Prior to UE, Redburn spent three years as an assistant coach at the University of Missouri working primarily with the pitchers and catchers and serving as recruiting coordinator. He was part of a coaching staff that compiled an overall record of 137-53. The Tigers registered a school record for victories (50), won the Big 12 Conference Tournament, won their Regional and defeated host UCLA in the Super Regional to advance to the College World Series in 2009. Overall, Redburn coached four all-conference pitchers, including USA National Team Pitcher Chelsea Thomas at Missouri. Redburn began his collegiate coaching career as head coach at St. Charles (Mo.) Community  College from 2001-04. He led the 2003 team to its first Region 16 championship and a seventh-place finish at the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I National Tournament. His 2004 squad set a school record with 33 victories. Following his stay at St. Charles CC, Redburn spent two seasons as head coach of the new softball program at Jefferson College. In the program’s first year of competition, 2006, he led Jefferson to a 49-16 record, Region 16 championship and ninth-place finish at the NJCAA Division I National Tournament. Redburn was honored as the Midwest Community College Athletic Conference Coach of the Year following that season. A native of St. Charles, Missouri, Redburn graduated from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 1993 and received his master’s degree in Athletics/Activities Administration from William Woods University. He is a member of the NCAA Division I Head Coaches Committee and serves as the OVC Head Coach Representative for the NFCA. Redburn was also the OVC representative for the Top-25 Poll until the 2023 season. Redburn and his wife, Tracy, have two sons, Joe and Jack.    

Kristen Jones is in her 10th year with the Southeast Missouri softball program. Jones was elevated to Associate Head Coach on June 16, 2022 after spending her first seven seasons as an assistant coach. Jones primarily works with the catchers and handling the team’s travel logistics, while overseeing the Redhawks academics, compliance and recruiting efforts. SEMO has had a lot of success both competitively and academically with Jones on staff.  In the last eight seasons, SEMO won a total of 231 games. The Redhawks notched a program record 46 wins in 2019 and won 30 games in back-to-back seasons (2021, 2022) for the second time. In 2024, Jones helped lead SEMO to an overall record of 28-26 adn 19-8 in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Redhawks went undefeated at 3-0 and won the OVC Tournament as a #2 seed for the first time in program history. Jones has been part of two OVC Tournament Championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances (2019, 2024) during her SEMO career. The year before that, SEMO claimed its eighth OVC regular-season title and third since the 2019 campaign. SEMO went undefeated at home (13-0) for the second-straight season posting unbeaten records at home in back-to-back years for the first time ever.      In 2022, SEMO ranked among the top three in the OVC in doubles (t3rd, 67), stolen bases (2nd, 58), steal attempts (73), opposing batting average (3rd, .244), batters struck out (2nd, 323), batters struck out looking (1st, 84), saves (t3rd, 5) and fielding percentage (2nd, .967). Academically, the Redhawks have been just as impressive with Jones overseeing that area. Most recently, the softball team achieved a 3.54 cumulative grade point average during the 2023-24 academic year. Jones was part of the 2019 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I Mideast Regional Coaching Staff of the Year. That season saw the Redhawks win a program record 46 games, win the OVC regular-season and tournament titles, and advance to the NCAA Tournament. In Jones’ second season (2017), the Redhawks won 23 games, showing a +7 improvement in wins from the previous season after helping SEMO to a 16-33 record, including a 10-17 mark in OVC play in her first season with Head Coach Mark Redburn and the Redhawks. A native of Plant City, Florida, Jones was part of the 2019 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I Mideast Regional Coaching Staff of the Year. Over the last five years alone, Jones helped lead SEMO to a total of 151 wins, including a program record 46 during the 2019 campaign.  Prior to coming to Cape Girardeau, Jones worked as the Coordinator of New Media and Championships for the Peach Belt Conference located in Augusta, Georgia. Jones first joined the Peach Belt Conference as a New Media & Programming Intern, a position she held from January 2012-June 2014. She then moved to full-time status in July 2014. She received her bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology at Augusta State University in 2012 and then earned her master’s degree in 2014.                  Jones enjoyed a successful playing career at Augusta State, garnering National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Second-Team All-America and NFCA & Daktronics First Team All-South Region honors in 2011. Additionally, Jones was a two-time First-Team All-Peach Belt Conference selection (2010, 2011).      

Bryan Wallen is in his first year as an assistant coach at Southeast Missouri. Wallen spent the last season in the same capacity at Union University, where he worked primarily with the hitters and infielders. He also coached third base, helping lead the Bulldogs to their highest winning percentage and Gulf South Conference finish in nine years. Union University's 2024 team produced two All-Conference players, as well. Prior to Union University, Wallen worked at Southeast Missouri as Director of Player Development during the Redhawks' 2023 Ohio Valley Conference championship season. Wallen has nearly 30 years of teaching and coaching at the high school level in Missouri. He spent 28 years teaching at Park Hills Central High School where he coached baseball for 15 seasons (1999-2013), winning 165 games, two conference championships and a district title. He was also the head softball coach at Park Hills Central in two different stints, from 1998-2003 and 2011-19, winning 191 games. Upon his return to the softball field in 2011, his teams won five conference championships and four district championships. His teams advanced to the state quarterfinals twice and finished runner-up in the state in 2018.  He then coached for four years at neighboring Farmington High School while still teaching at Park Hills Central. In the four years from 2020-23, he led Farmington to two district titles, 96 total wins, and the school's first ever Southeast Missouri Conference title.    In Wallen's career, he has coached 20 All-State players and numerous Academic All-State honorees. Since 2011, each of his softball teams have had at least six Academic All-State players. His 2018 team finished first in the state in team GPA, while his 2021 team took second.  Wallen spent 11 years coaching travel softball for the St. Louis Chaos, Midland Magic, and Top Gun organizations. He has coached over 100 college players. In 2023, Wallen finished his two-year term as the president of the Missouri High School Fast pitch Coaches' Association. Prior to his term as president, he served on the executive board as the annual clinic organizer, where he brought in over 100 speakers from all levels of high school and college. He has conducted private lessons and clinics for the last 13 years, spoken at numerous clinics, and has assisted at several college softball camps.  Wallen graduated from SEMO in 1995 with a degree in math education. He earned his Masters degree in teaching at SEMO in 2013.  Wallen also served as a bi-vocational youth pastor for 16 years at Esther Baptist Church.  Wallen and his wife, Kacy (retired pre-school teacher), were married in November 1996. They have two daughters, Chrissy (Webster University graduate, Professional Dancer) and Kimmy (Southeast Missouri State University graduate, softball player, on staff with FCA at USI). Wallen's son-in-law, Kade (SEMO graduate), is married to Kimmy. They have a son, Myles.