Eastern Illinois (12-21, 6-6 OVC) at Little Rock (20-16, 8-4 OVC)
April 19-21 | Little Rock, Ark.
Â
Game 1: Friday at 6 p.m. |
Watch |
Live Stats
Game 2: Saturday at 4 p.m. |
Watch |
Live Stats
Game 3: Sunday at 1 p.m. |
Watch |
Live Stats
Full Series Notes
Â
ON TAP: The Eastern Illinois baseball team resumes conference play with a road series against Little Rock this weekend. The Panthers have won six of their last seven OVC contests and find themselves two games back of first place.
SERIES HISTORY: EIU is 7-7 all-time against Little Rock. They first played in 1979 but did not become regular opponents until recent years. Last season, Eastern won two of three regular season contests against Little Rock before knocking them off once more in the OVC Tournament semifinals by a score of 5-1.
SCOUTING THE TROJANS:
- Little Rock enters this weekend with an overall record of 20-16 and 8-4 mark in the OVC. Their last time out was an 8-4 win over in-state rival Central Arkansas on Wednesday.
- They are batting .255 as a team with an ERA of 5.68, which is third best in the OVC.
- 2023 OVC Pitcher of the Year Jackson Wells has a 4-2 record with a 5.23 ERA through nine starts. Also through nine starts, Hoss Brewer has a 4-3 record with an OVC second-best 2.63 ERA.
- The Trojans are led by 10th year head coach Chris Curry. He has compiled a record of 224-253 during his time in Little Rock.
CONFERENCE STANDINGS: Tennessee Tech, Little Rock, and Southeast Missouri are tied atop the OVC standings with conference records of 8-4. They are followed by Morehead State, SIUE, and Eastern Illinois who all hold 6-6 marks in league play. Southern Indiana, UT Martin, and Lindenwood are tied with records of 5-7, with Western Illinois bringing up the rear at 3-9.
MIDWEEK REVIEW: After winning their previous OVC series against SIUE last weekend, the Panthers split a pair of non-conference games to close out their latest home stand. EIU outpaced Bradley 14-9Â on Tuesday in a game that was cut two outs short due to inclement weather, before losing a 4-2 pitcher's dual against Saint Xavier on Wednesday.
QUICK HITTERS:
- Head Coach Jason Anderson tallied his 200th career victory last Saturday. With the win over Bradley on Tuesday, he tied Bill McCabe at 201 wins, which is third most in program history.
- After starting 0-5 in conference play, the Panthers have won six of their last seven OVC games. In those contests, they are batting .332 with an ERA of 4.43.
- On the season, EIU's .287 batting average is third best in the OVC.
- Lucas Loos has reached base in 28 consecutive games. His .358 batting average tied for sixth best in the conference. He is fourth in slugging percentage (.700) and seventh in OPS (1.142). His 15 doubles are most in the OVC.
- Dylan Drumke is fifth in the OVC in slugging percentage (.686) and sixth in OPS (1.148). He is fifth in the conference with 38 RBI.
- Quade Peters has reached base in 12 consecutive games. His five sacrifice bunts are third most in the OVC.
- Trenton Pallas' .360 batting average is tied for fifth best in the Ohio Valley Conference.
- Jonathon Hanscom leads the Panthers in ERA (3.82), WHIP (1.14), and saves (3).
- Colton Coca has allowed 33 hits, which is second fewest in the OVC among qualified pitchers.
