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EASTERN ILLINOIS (3-12, 0-3) vs Austin Peay (15-2, 0-0)
Friday, March 15 - Sunday, March 17
Charleston, Ill. • Coaches Stadium (500)

FIRST PITCH
After playing 15 games away from Charleston to start the season, the Panthers open the home portion of their schedule on March 15-17 against Austin Peay. Game one of the weekend series is slated for 2 p.m. on Friday, March 15. EIU looks to snap a seven-game losing streak on Friday while also earning its first Ohio Valley Conference win of the year.
 
Austin Peay has won seven games in a row, pushing its overall record to 15-2 on the year. Friday's contest will be the Governors OVC opener. Austin Peay was tabbed to win the OVC Title after capturing the regular-season and tournament titles the previous two seasons. The Governors have a .299 team batting average, led by Cody Hudson's .406 batting average. The pitching staff has combined to post a 4.41 ERA with 128 strikeouts on the year.
 
EIU-APSU HISTORY
EIU trails the all-time series between the two squads, 30-27. Panther head coach Jim Schmitz is 23-28 all-time against Austin Peay.
 
Last year the Panthers posted a 1-3 record against the Governors, splitting the regular-season series before dropping back-to-back games in the OVC Tournament championship. EIU lost a 17-inning contest, 8-7, on April 6 before defeating Austin Peay, 2-1, the following day in Charleston. Austin Peay shut out EIU, 7-0, on May 26 in the first game of the tournament championship before handing the Panthers a 3-0 loss the next day to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
 
PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS
TBA vs RHP Luke Ridenhour (2-0 W-L, 2.01 ERA)
TBA vs RHP Casey Delgado (2-1 W-L, 6.75 ERA)
TBA vs LHP Zach Hall (2-0 W-L, 5.66 ERA)
 
PANTHER NOTES
• Nick Priessman has a .421 batting average (8-for-19) in five career games against the Governors. The senior outfielder has added two runs, three RBI and two stolen bases in those contests.
 
• Brant Valach hit .294 (5-for-17) in four games versus Austin Peay last season. The sophomore infielder had three RBI and scored a run in those contests.
 
• Junior Luke Bushur went 1-0 with a 1.12 ERA in two appearances against Austin Peay a year ago. The right handed pitcher added two strikeouts in eight innings of action.
 
• In four contests against the Governors last season, the Panthers posted a .181 batting average and a 2.72 ERA.
 
• Caleb Howell ranks eighth in the conference in batting average, hitting .346 this season. The sophomore outfield has seven runs and four RBI while adding a .469 on-base percentage.
 
• Caleb Howell is on a 13-game hit streak and has had a hit in 23 of his last 24 games dating back to last season.
 
The Panthers currently rank ninth in the OVC in batting average (.245) and seventh in ERA (5.06). Austin Peay enters the weekend with the conference's best batting average (.299) and fourth-best ERA (4.41 ERA).
 
• Brant Valach leads the Panthers with 11 RBI this season with seven of those RBI coming with two outs in an inning. He is also hitting .300 with runners in scoring position.
 
• Joe Greenfield leads the pitching staff with a 3.24 ERA. He also has a team-high 15 strikeouts in 25 innings of work. Matt Borens ranks second on the team in strikeouts with 12.
 
INJURIES PLAGUE PANTHER ROTATION TO START SEASON
After losing projected No. 1 starter Troy Barton with an arm injury a week before opening day, the Panthers had their No. 2 starter go down at the Jackson State Tournament in Christian Slazinik. The junior southpaw hurt his leg on his first pitch of the game against Jackson State on Feb. 17. The injury is minor and Slazinik is expected to return to the rotation soon.
 
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
After facing the Governors this weekend, the Panthers will play host to in-state rival Southern Illinois on Tuesday, March 19 at 3 p.m. EIU then travels to Illinois State on March 22-24 for a three-game series.
 
SCHMITZ ENTERS HIS 19th SEASON AT EIU
Head coach Jim Schmitz enters his 19th season with the Panther baseball team in 2013, recording a 479-497 overall record. The three-time Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year has won four regular-season titles – most recently in 2009 – and has taken the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament on two occasions, both in 1999 and 2008.
 
Schmitz has seen the on-field accomplishments of his players come to fruition as 65 players have earned all-conference accolades including 36 players who have earned first-team distinction. Three players have also earned player of the year honors in Matt Marzec (1998), Pete Pirman (2002) and Jordan Kreke (2009) during his tenure. John Larson also captured pitcher of the year honors in 1999 while Ben Duke (2001) and Brant Valach (2012) have earned newcomer of the year recognition.
 
Under the tutelage of Schmitz, 18 players have been taken in Major League Baseball's First-Year Players Draft since taking the helm of the program in 1995. Seven players have been drafted in the last four seasons, most recently Ryan Dineen and Joe Greenfield who were taken in the 2012 draft. When Tyler Kehrer went 48th overall in the 2009 MLB Draft, he became the highest Panther picked since 1988.
 
PANTHERS PICKED TO FINISH FIFTH IN OVC
The Panther baseball team was tabbed to finish fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference's Preseason Poll as selected by conference head coaches and sports information directors on Feb. 8.
 
Austin Peay was picked to win the conference, earning 14 first-place votes. The Governors have won the last two regular-season and conference tournament titles. OVC newcomer Belmont was selected to finish second (eight first-place votes) after capturing the Atlantic Sun regular-season and tournament titles a year ago.
 
Jacksonville State was tabbed to finish third followed by Eastern Kentucky and Eastern Illinois. Tennessee Tech was picked to finish sixth while SIUE was selected seventh. Southeast Missouri, Morehead State, Murray State and UT Martin rounded out the bottom of the predicted order of finish.