Eastern Illinois University announced on May 11 that its baseball team will conclude the regular season with two in-state road series against Illinois State and Western Illinois. The Panthers, currently holding a 28-18 overall record and a 15-9 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference, are set to face Illinois State on May 12 at Duffy Bass Field and Western Illinois from May 14 to May 16 at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium.
These games are important as Eastern Illinois aims to secure its position ahead of the upcoming Ohio Valley Conference Tournament in Marion, Illinois. The team is coming off a challenging weekend against SIUE, where it went winless over three games despite celebrating senior day for its graduating players.
Pitching proved difficult for Eastern Illinois during the SIUE series, with the staff allowing a total of 43 hits, 39 earned runs, and conceding 17 home runs. However, Tyler Conklin stood out by pitching more than seven innings in his final home start and limiting SIUE hitters to just four hits and two runs while recording five strikeouts. James Geshel also contributed two strong innings in relief.
Offensively, Ethan Rossi led the way upon his return to the lineup with a .600 batting average over the weekend. He scored three runs and recorded three hits including a double while also driving in one run. Other notable performances included pinch hitters Eli Hill, Jake Ferguson, and Cade Zalewski each collecting a hit; Hill and Zalewski both notched an RBI.
Chris Worcester reached his career milestone by securing his 200th hit as a Panther during senior day ceremonies. In conference standings as of May 11, SIUE is close to clinching first place while Little Rock leads Eastern Illinois by one game for second place going into the final OVC weekend.
Looking ahead at their opponents: Illinois State enters with a balanced offense featuring four players batting above .300—led by Brayden Bakes—and is coached by Steve Holm in his eighth season; Western Illinois continues fighting for postseason qualification under third-year coach Terry Davis but has struggled recently with pitching depth issues.
