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GAME NOTES                       

               Friday, Feb. 14, 2020 | Watch
EIU: Will Klein (RHP) vs. ARK: Connor Noland (RHP)

          Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020 | Watch
EIU: Trevor Nicholson (LHP) vs. ARK: Patrick Wicklander (LHP)

            Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020 | Watch
EIU: Foster Anshutz (LHP) vs. ARK: Blake Adams (RHP)

STARTING OFF THE SEASON: The Panthers are traveling to take on the #7 ranked Razorbacks for their first series of the season. This will no doubt be an extremely tough start to the season, but it will get the team well prepared for the season ahead. Will Klein is moving into a starting position Friday after having a successful sophomore and summer campaign as a reliever. Trevor Nicholson will be making his first start for the Panthers after transferring from Rend Lake College. It will be exciting to see how Nicholson transitions into being at the DI level. Foster Anshutz will get the start on the final day of the series after a solid first year with the Panthers. Anshutz led the team wins last season, finishing with a record of 7-2 on the season.

THE LINEUP: The Panthers lost some key bats from last year, but have some solid young players who are ready to take the next step, along with some good veterans. Christian Pena made the OVC Preseason Team as an infielder. Pena led the team last year in batting average with a .381 clip. Along with Pena, Grant Emme returns for his sophomore season to do some more damage after making the Freshman All-OVC team. Ryan Knernschield returns as the Panthers catcher and an important hitter in the lineup. Knernschield has been a consistent hitter with .335 batting average and 67 hits last season. "We really feel like we've got a lot of talent and a lot of youth. Our sophomore class is really special; Trey Sweeney at shortstop has been outstanding...he's got big things ahead of him," said Jason Anderson during the OVC teleconference on Tuesday. The Panthers will look to improve upon their already solid .295 overall batting average last season, and will look to add a little more pop off the bat for some extra bases.

SCOUTING THE RAZORBACKS: What can be said that hasn't already about this team. They are ranked seventh overall in the nation. Dave Van Horn's team is projected to go 46-20 this season and have a long stint in Omaha. Connor Noland finished last season with an ERA of 4.02 and an overall record of 3-5. Noland will likely try to show his stuff, but if the Panthers can catch him hanging a pitch out they may be able to rattle him. Patrick Wicklander ended last season with an ERA of 4.32 and an overall record of 6-2. Wicklander struck out 90 last year, but also walked 37 batters. Wicklander is going to be tough competition, but the Panthers will look to remain steady and not let him get in their heads. The Razorbacks have a lot of top hitters back and the Panthers pitching will face stiff competition. If EIU can deny the Razorbacks from consistently getting on the bases then it'll be hard to beat the Panthers.

UP NEXT: The Panthers next game will be a double header on February 22. The Panthers will take on Oakland, and then Alabama State.