The Southeast Missouri State baseball team is refueling in the offseason by adding new freshmen and transfers to the team, including outfielder Dan Holst.

Holst, a junior, transferred from Southwestern Illinois College junior college and is eligible to play next season. He was an all-star in the Jayhawk League in the summer and named a top prospect by Baseball America.

Holst didn't play through the first half of the season but hit .326 with four home runs and 21 RBIs for Southwestern Illinois College in the last 28 games of the season while playing in the outfield. He also stole three bases and scored 26 runs in that time span.

The transition to Southeast has been what he was expecting.

"There's always that little period where you have to get to know everybody," Holst said. "But we're a team and a family. It takes some time to jell, but once you get to know the guys, I'll be fine."

Holst was honored to be named as a top prospect in the Jayhawk Summer League by Baseball America while he enters his first year at Southeast.

"It feels good," Holst said. "I put in a lot of hard work. A goal of mine was to remain as consistent as I could, on and off the field."

Holst hit for a .333 batting average over the summer for the Haysville Aviators, who posted a 25-13 record. He had eight doubles, five triples and two home runs in the season.

The Aviators also participated in the National Baseball Congress Tournament championship, the same tournament that the Cape Capahas play in every year.

The Aviators lost in the championship game against the Seattle Studs 5-2.

Southeast coach Steve Bieser hopes Holst's success in the summer continues through the fall and into the spring.

"We're looking at Dan to come in and solidify one of our outfielding spots," Bieser said. "There's a lot of good competition out there that we have."

Bieser, going into his fourth season at Southeast, built a relationship while Holst was in high school in St. Louis.

Holst was a top prospect coming out of high school as well.

He went to Texas A&M before heading to Southwestern Illinois and eventually landing at Southeast this year.

"Luckily for us, it worked out well as he ended up back closer to home at a junior college and I stayed in touch with him over his couple of years there," Bieser said. "We were able to get him to land with us here at Southeast and it's a great fit for him and a great fit for us."

Both Holst and Bieser expect him to be a leader on the team even though he is just in his first year with the team.

"Anytime you have a guy who has the experiences that he's had and being an older guy coming out of junior college, you look for guys like that to step up and lead," Bieser said. "One thing I've noticed in the early stages is he's been a very positive guy."

Holst showed those examples while talking about his previous teams. He always talked about his teams and how they found success as a team.

He will carry that same attitude to Southeast for the upcoming season.

"There are some great people in the locker room, some great players," Holst said. "I'm just looking to see what I can do to help them."

The Redhawks finished the 2015 season 36-23 with a 22-8 conference record, which lead to their second consecutive regular-season Ohio Valley Conference championship, but they fell short in the conference tournament to keep them out of the NCAA tournament.

Southeast lost 16-3 to the No. 2 seed Morehead State in Jackson, Tennessee in the championship round of the OVC tournament. The Redhawks won the three-game series over the Eagles during the regular season.