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Eastern Illinois Athletics wrapped up its 20th year as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference in May.  As a way to celebrate the many accomplishments, both team and individual during that time period, EIU conducted an online poll during the month of May for fans to help select the Top 20 athletes of the Panthers OVC Era.  During the month of June we will unveil the top 20 athletes as selected by the more than 2,500 fan votes submitted.  The original list of 40 athletes was comprised by a committee looking at a variety of criteria including Player of the Year, All-American selection and multiple time first-team All-OVC honors.  
 
#19 Sean Lyons (Baseball / 1996-99)
 
Lyons was a member of the Panthers baseball program during EIU's early days as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference.  He was instrumental to the program's early success helping the Panthers win back-to-back OVC regular season titles in 1998 and 1999.  During the 1999 season EIU won the OVC Baseball Tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time as an NCAA Division I program.   Lyons was a first team All-OVC selection in 1997 and 1998 while earning second team All-OVC honors as a senior in 1999.  He led the team in both hits and doubles all three seasons graduating as the school's career leader in both categories.  He currently ranks second in career doubles with 56 and seventh in career hits with 230.  He still remains tied for the school record with 182 runs scored.  
 
Lyons was inducted into the EIU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009 and was recently an assistant baseball coach at Bradley University.    He was hired as the head baseball coach at SIU Edwardsville on June 21, 2016.

EIU All-OVC Era Team
#20 - Meleah Cutler (Volleyball / 1996-99)

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