Baseball Set To Host Bellarmine In Home Opener

Will begin an eight-game home stand for the Panthers

3/11/2024 12:05:00 PM

Eastern Illinois (2-11, 0-0 OVC) vs. Bellarmine (1-14, 0-0 ASUN)
Charleston, Ill. | Coaches Stadium
Tue., March 12 | 3 p.m.
Live Stats | Watch

Full Series Notes

ON TAP: After a 13-game road trip to begin the season, the Eastern Illinois baseball team will host their home opener on Tuesday when the Panthers take on Bellarmine at Coaches Stadium. Eastern has not played a home game since April 30th of 2023.

SERIES HISTORY: Eastern Illinois is 9-2 all-time versus Bellarmine. The teams last played in 2023, with EIU taking a 14-6 win in Louisville.

SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS:

Bellarmine currently sits with a record of 1-12. They defeated Tennessee Tech on opening day but have lost 14 straight since.
Bellarmine is hitting .232 as a team while allowing a batting average of .352 to their opponents.
They have allowed 10 or more runs in eight games this season.
The Knights are led by second year head coach Chris Dominguez. He has an overall record of 14-54 at Bellarmine.

WEEKEND RECAP: The Panthers went 1-2 at Arkansas State over the weekend. In their Saturday doubleheader, EIU was overpowered in game one as they lost by score of 20-3 but were able to bounce back and pick up a much needed 6-3 win in game two to snap their eight-game skid. On Sunday, A-State rallied from a five-run deficit in the seventh inning to win 8-7 and take the series.

QUICK HITTERS:

Jonathon Hanscom's 2.57 ERA is second best in the OVC. The reliever has allowed just four earned runs in 14.0 innings pitched.
Catcher Grant Lashure has caught seven base runners stealing this season, which is second most in the OVC.
Cole Gober's .400 batting average is third best in the OVC. He is currently on a six-game hitting streak.
Lucas Loos has reached base in nine consecutive games.
Dating back to last season, Eastern has played 31 consecutive away or neutral site games leading into their home opener on Tuesday.
The Panthers will host 23 games at Coaches Stadium this season after hosting just 19 such games in 2022 and 2023 combined.

CATEGORY LEADERS:
Hits: Cole Gober (19), Lucas Loos (16), Michael O'Conor (13)
Multi-Hit Games: Cole Gober (5), Lucas Loos (4), Three players with 3
Home Runs: Lucas Loos (2), Cole Gober (2), Three players with 1
RBI: Lucas Loos (10), Cole Gober (8), Three players with 4
Strikeouts: Jonathon Hanscom (13), Tyler Conklin/Colton Coca/Bryce Riggs (12)

ON DECK: Eastern will welcome Dayton to Coaches Stadium this weekend for a three-game series. Game one is scheduled for Friday, March 15th at 6 p.m. The Panthers will open up their Ohio Valley Conference schedule next Tuesday with a home game against Lindenwood.

HEAD COACH: Jason Anderson begins his ninth season as the Eastern Illinois head baseball coach. Anderson got his first win as the Eastern Illinois head coach on March 5, 2016 against No. 12 Arkansas by a final score of 10-8 (10 innings). He would go on to finish with a 15-39 record in his first season. He would improve each season over the next three years after posting 21, 23 and 26 wins before posting an 8-6 record during the 2020 COVID-19 season. The following season, Anderson coached Trey Sweeney who was drafted 20th overall by the New York Yankees in the 2021 MLB Draft. Sweeney was the third highest drafted Panther of all-time. In 2022, Anderson would reach a new high mark for wins in a season after going 33-20 and securing the number four seed in the OVC Tournament. It was the most wins by an EIU team since 2001. In 2023, Anderson coached EIU to a school record 38 wins, OVC Tournament Championship, and NCAA Regional berth. It was the Panthers' first Regional appearance since the 2008 season. He is a 2012 graduate of the University of Illinois after playing baseball there from 1998-2000. He was the Pitcher of the Year in the Big Ten during the 2000 season and was drafted in the 10th round by the New York Yankees. After his eight-year playing career in the MLB, he made coaching stops at Danville Community College and the University of Illinois before coming to Eastern Illinois. He is assisted by Mike Pugliese, J D Pulfer, and Brad Merritt.

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