Eastern Illinois University announced on April 29 that its softball team will host Tennessee State for a series of games during Senior Weekend at Williams Field in Charleston, Illinois. The Panthers, currently holding a record of 30-20 overall and 20-3 in the Ohio Valley Conference, are set to play Tennessee State, which has a record of 2-35 overall and 2-22 in conference play.
The upcoming games are significant as Eastern Illinois is on a nine-game winning streak and needs just one win to secure at least a share of the Ohio Valley Conference regular season title. Two wins would guarantee the Panthers their third consecutive OVC championship and fifth overall in program history. The team will recognize six senior players following Saturday’s doubleheader with Tennessee State.
Several players have received individual honors recently. Lizzie Stiverson was named Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week after hitting .667 over four games last week, while Bryanna French earned Pitcher of the Week recognition for her relief performances that included two saves and no runs allowed over more than ten innings. Alisha Frederick extended her consecutive games on base streak to 26, ranking seventh nationally among active streaks.
The Panthers lead the conference with 31 home runs this season—a total that ranks tenth all-time for an EIU team—and have had eleven different players hit at least one home run. Eastern Illinois also achieved its fourth straight season with at least thirty wins and its third straight year with twenty or more OVC victories.
Head coaches Kristi Paulson and Dan Paulson are in their second season leading Eastern Illinois softball after previously coaching Parkland College to multiple National Junior College Athletic Association World Series appearances. Under their guidance last year, EIU won both the OVC regular season and tournament titles before competing in an NCAA Regional.
