Game 3: TBA for EIU vs. Stephen Huff (Sr, LHP)
Weekend Weather Forecast for Charleston
Friday: 78 degrees, clear skies
Saturday: 60 degrees, 70 percent chance of rain
CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois baseball hosts Austin Peay for its first weekend series of the season at home, taking on the Governors for the first time since May 2008.
Due to Easter Sunday, this weekend's schedule is set for a Friday-Saturday format. Friday's doubleheader and Saturday's series finale are both slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch at Coaches Stadium. Ohio Valley Conference rules do not permit the series to carry over into Sunday if there is a weather cancelation.
This weekend's series marks the beginning of a home-heavy stretch for the Panthers (4-19, 0-3 OVC), who also host Illinois College Tuesday and Morehead State next weekend. The seven home dates in an eight-game stretch over the next 10 days is EIU's busy stretch of the season at Coaches Stadium.
After next weekend's series against Morehead, Eastern doesn't play again in Charleston until April 28.
While EIU has yet to play a weekend series at home, Austin Peay has played at home in five of the first six weekends this season. The Governors (14-10, 2-1 OVC) are 13-4 at home and 1-6 on the road, winning two-of-three at home against Murray State during the conference-opening weekend.
“It's nice that we are finally at home after six weekends on the road to begin the season,” EIU head coach
Jim Schmitz said. “We play well at home where we've had some good crowds, and the weather is supposed to be nice. The timing of this home stretch is great. We're trying to get this thing righted as the middle of the season approaches.”
Including OVC Tournament contests, the Panthers have played 30 games against conference opponents since last taking on Austin Peay.
All three games of last year's EIU-APSU series in Clarksville were canceled due to standing water in the outfield. The finale of the 2008 series in Charleston was also rained out. Furthermore, the Governors were the only of the other five teams that qualified for the 2008 OVC Tournament that EIU did not play on its way to winning the title.
“No not at all,” Schmitz said in reference to this series having a bit of a nonconference feel to it. “They have some familiar names in the lineup as well as some new people. But they do the same things we've seen in years past. They run when they get on base and are very aggressive as their 64 stolen bases would indicate. They're same team that we've seen in the past, putting pressure on the other team. We just missed them last year so don't have a lot of notes.”
Austin Peay leads the OVC in stolen bases by a wide margin. Leadoff man Jon Clinard (18-of-21) is the individual league leader and one of three Govs among OVC Top 10. He has also walked (14) twice as much as he has struck out (7). Jared DeLong (11-of-15), Cody Hudson (9-of-10), Adam Browett (8-of-11) and Clinard have combined for 46 of APSU's 64 steals.
The Panthers lead the conference with 13 pickoffs but have only thrown out six would-be basestealers.
Eastern is expected to go with the same lineup that pounded out a season-high 14 hits Tuesday at Saint Louis.
Ryan Voitik will get another start at the designated hitter, as
Richie Derbak continues to be sidelined by an infection in his ankle that originated from a rogue foul ball during the spring break trip.
However, EIU is expected to get
Josh Mueller back this weekend. How and when Mueller will be used depends on how the series plays out, Schmitz said.
Daniel Rowe,
Curt Restko and
Alex Gee have hit safely in every game in which they have played since returning from the spring break trip. Rowe's current eight-game hit streak is longest by a Panther this season. Restko has registered multiple hits in each of the last four games. Gee has hit safely in seven consecutive OVC contests dating back to game one of last year's doubleheader sweep at Southeast Missouri State.
Austin Peay's probable game one starter, senior righthander Ricky Marshall, is a former teammate of
Brent McNeil and
Shawn Ferguson at Lincoln Trail College in Robinson, Ill. Marshall has given up 10 home runs in 35 2/3 innings pitched.
Eastern faced APSU's probable game three starter, senior lefthander Stephen Huff, two years ago in the series opener at Coaches Stadium. Huff has not surrendered a home run in 35 2/3 innings.
