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Eastern Illinois (31-18, 10-11 OVC) vs. SEMO (33-17, 15-6 OVC)
Charleston, Ill. | Coaches Stadium

Game One | Thursday, May 19, 3:00 p.m.
Livestats

Game Two | Friday, May 20, 1:00 p.m.
Livestats

Game Three | Saturday, May 21, 1:00 p.m.
Livestats

Game Notes

ON-TAP: Eastern Illinois baseball will play host to Southeast Missouri State starting on Thursday, May 19 at 3:00 p.m. for their final home series of the season at Coaches Stadium. This marks just the second Ohio Valley Conference series played at Coaches Stadium (Morehead State was the other). EIU is currently 10-11 in the conference after losing all three games last week in a battle against Belmont in Nashville. The Panthers have won four OVC series this season out of seven. Eastern would be the fifth seed heading into the OVC Tournament. SEMO is currently 15-6 in the conference which puts them in second place, right behind Belmont. Last weekend, UT Martin took one game out of a three game series against the Redhawks.

PANTHERS WIN ON SENIOR DAY: Baseball was able to get a 6-1 win while they honored their six graduating seniors. Starting pitcher Tyler Conklin was able to throw six innings while only allowing two hits (allowed the first one in the fourth inning), one run, and struck out two to secure his third win of the season.

On his senior night, Nathan Aide delivered a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning to get EIU on the board. Ben Gallaher also had an RBI single, and a double in the game. Dalton Doyle also hit an RBI single on his senior day. 

Zane Robbins ended the game in the ninth inning with a 4-6-3 double play to secure the Panthers win.

OVC TOP TEN: Multiple Panthers are currently in the top-ten for various hitting and pitching categories. Trevor Nicholson has posted a 4.70 ERA (7th OVC), a .258 opp. batting average (6th OVC), and has 86 strikeouts this year (1st OVC). He has only allowed 61 hits this season (7th fewest) while giving up the fifth fewest runs (36) and sixth fewest earned runs (32) in the conference. His strikeouts per nine innings is ranked 46th at 12.62 in the NCAA, and his 86 strikeouts ranks 52nd.

Fellow pitcher Zane Robbins has collected 11 saves this season following EIU's win over Illinois Wesleyan. He set the new EIU single season record for saves after earning his 11th. Robbins is second in the OVC in saves with 11 and is sixth in games finished with 16. Robbins is tied for 10th in the NCAA with 11 saves this season.

Lucas DiLuca's .321 batting average is third on the team. He currently has a .446 on-base percentage which is third on the team and ninth in the OVC. DiLuca ranks third in the conference in hit by pitch with 11. He currently is one of three Panthers with at least 60 hits (60) and has collected at least 30 RBIs. Lincoln Riley has been consistent in getting on base for EIU this season. He leads the team in walks (33), hit-by-pitch (18), and is first in on-base percentage (.469). His ob% ranks third in the OVC and 80th in the NCAA, he is sixth in walks, and first in hit-by pitches. Riley is also 20th in the NCAA in hbp with 18.

Since returning to the lineup, Ryan Ignoffo has been on a hitting streak including hitting four home runs against Murray State, a grand slam against TTU two weeks ago, and a home run this past week against Belmont. He ranks first on the team in batting average (.398), hits (68), slugging percentage (.731), doubles (15), home runs (14), and RBIs (56). In the OVC he ranks second in batting average, third in slugging, seventh in hits, sixth in RBIs, sixth in home runs, and seventh in doubles. In the NCAA he ranks 24th in batting average, seventh in hits per game (1.72), fifth in runs batted in per game (1.44), and 15th in slugging percentage. Ignoffo has also reached base safely in 33 straight games for EIU.

PRESEASON PANTHERS: Eastern Illinois' Logan Eickhoff and Cameron Doherty both earned preseason All-OVC earlier this offseason. Eickhoff was chosen at the utility position while Doherty was chosen for relief pitching. Eickhoff played in 31 games making 26 starters in the outfield. He was among OVC leaders with a .435 batting average before suffering a mid-season injury. Eickhoff returned on April 30 at SIUE and finished the season hitting .423 to become 23rd player in program history to hit .400 or better during a season. He held an on-base percentage of .463 and slugging percentage of .514.  Doherty posted a 3-2 record with a team high five saves during the season. He finished the season with a 3.45 ERA in 75.2 innings of work. He was also selected as the OVC preseason pitcher of the year for his performance last season.
 
SERIES HISTORY: The Panthers are currently losing the all-time series against the Redhawks 36-45. The Panthers first played SEMO during the 1995 season in which Eastern Illinois took the first game of the series by a final score of 3-2. EIU was playing in the Mid-Con conference during this time. Last season Eastern won the series 2-1. EIU lost game one last year when SEMO came to Charleston. The Panthers then took the next two games to win the series.

SCOUTING REPORT: Andrew Keck leads the Redhawks offense at the plate with a .354 batting average, which is eighth in the OVC. On the season he has 68 hits, 41 runs scored, 15 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs, and 59 RBIs. He is also seventh in the OVC in slugging percentage with a .672. Tyler Wilber leads the SEMO offense in home run with 16 on the season. He has also driven in 67 RBIs and 14 doubles on the season.

Jason Rackers will start on the mound for the Redhawks on Thursday. On the season he is 4-3 in 13 appearances with 11 starts. He has thrown in 67.1 innings this season while allowing 68 hits, 43 runs, 36 earned runs, and has 62 strikeouts which is tied with Cameron Doherty for ninth in the conference.

ON DECK: The Panthers will travel to Lexington, Ky. next week as they compete in the OVC Tournament. The Panthers will have their final seeding after this weekend. Livestats and video will be provided for the tournament by the OVC.