By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

Seeds and schedules for the 2012 SEMO Conference baseball tournament have been released; the Dexter Bearcats' 5-3 record in conference play was good enough to nab the fifth seed, which speaks volumes about the outstanding baseball within the conference this year.

"This conference is as tough as it's ever been. From town to town, there is good baseball all over southeast Missouri. The conference is as good as I've ever seen it this year," head coach Brian Becker said earlier this season. "It's going to be really tough to seed this tournament. It's going to be really interesting to see who has who where; it's going to be a fun tournament with some good baseball."

To further prove the parity within the conference, #4 Sikeston beat #1 Notre Dame 10-7 on Tuesday (April 24) night; the victory didn't have any bearing on the Bulldogs seeding, however, as the teams were seeded Monday evening.

The Bearcats' three conference losses came to #1 Notre Dame, #2 Kennett, and #3 Poplar Bluff by a combined four runs. Dexter holds wins over #4 Sikeston (5-4), #6 Cape Central (6-2), #7 Jackson (6-5), #8 NMCC (1-0), and #9 Kelly (13-1).

The Bearcats will open the tournament on Friday, when they play #4 Sikeston at the Sikeston Legion field; if the Bearcats win, they will play Saturday (April 28) at Notre Dame High School in an 11:00 a.m. contest. If the 'Cats fall to Sikeston, they will play Saturday in a 10:00 a.m. contest at Cape Central High School.

Championship Day will be Monday (April 30), with all games played at Capaha Park starting with the fifth place game at 2:00 p.m.

The full schedule for the 2012 SEMO Conference Tournament can be downloaded here.