Eastern Illinois (13-23, 7-8 OVC) vs. Butler (15-24, 2-7 Big East)
April 24 at 3 p.m. | Charleston, Ill.
Live Stats
Eastern Illinois vs. Southern Indiana (16-24, 6-9 OVC)
April 25-26 | Charleston, Ill.
Live Stats
ON TAP: After taking one of three on the road in Little Rock last weekend, the Eastern Illinois baseball team returns to the friendly confines of Coaches Stadium this week for a midweek non-conference game against Butler and another OVC series against Southern Indiana. The Panthers were originally scheduled to play Butler on Tuesday, but due to the threat of inclement weather the game was postponed to Wednesday, canceling EIU's previously scheduled game against Illinois Wesleyan. The weekend series against Southern Indiana was adjusted to a Thursday doubleheader due to more rain expected later in the week. The series finale is currently set for Friday, but is subject to change.
SERIES HISTORY: Eastern is 19-11 all-time against Butler in a series that dates back to 1989. EIU split a four-game home and home series against the Bulldogs last season, losing both home contests.
EIU is 19-8 all-time against USI. The teams first played in 1974, but met as conference opponents for the first time last season in USI's inaugural campaign as OVC members. The Panthers went 3-1 against the Screaming Eagles in 2023, including a 5-4 win in the OVC Tournament.
SCOUTING REPORT:
- Butler: The Bulldogs enter this week with a record of 15-24, including a 2-7 mark in the Big East. They are batting .281 as a team with a 9.72 ERA. They have four players batting north of .300, including RBI leader Kade Lewis (38). Butler is led by second-year head coach Blake Beemer.
- Southern Indiana: The Screaming Eagles currently have an overall record of 16-24 with a game against Belmont on Tuesday afternoon. They hold a 6-9 mark in OVC play after dropping two of three against UT Martin last weekend. They are batting .278 with an OVC fourth-best 6.15 ERA. Pitcher Grant Parson leads the OVC in batting average against with a mark .213. USI is led by 18th-year head coach Tracy Archuleta. He has compiled a record of 560-375 in Evansville.
WEEKEND RECAP: In their first out-of-state trip since late March, EIU went 1-2 against Little Rock. They won the series opener 9-4 behind a first half offensive explosion and solid pitching from
Casey Perrenoud and
Jonathon Hanscom. The Panthers held leads in games two and three, including with one out remaining in the series finale, but were unable to hold off the home side in either contest.
OVC STANDINGS: Tennessee Tech and Little Rock are tied atop the OVC with conference records of 10-5. They are followed by SEMO in third place with a record of 9-6. Morehead State and SIUE round out the top five with records of 8-7, with UT Martin and Eastern Illinois following at 7-8. Lindenwood and Southern Indiana are tied at 6-9 with Western Illinois coming in at 10th with a record of 4-11.
QUICK HITTERS:
- Lucas Loos is currently enjoying a 31-game on-base streak that dates back to late February. He has recorded a hit in all but five of those games.
- Among qualified OVC batters, Loos is sixth in batting average (.366), fifth in slugging percentage (.701), and seventh in OPS (1.149). He is tied for the conference lead in doubles with 16 and is tied for fourth most homers with nine. He leads the conference in sacrifice flies with five.
- Dylan Drumke's 39 RBI are the fifth most in the OVC. He is eighth in slugging percentage (.655) and OPS (1.093). His 11 home runs are tied for third most in the conference.
- Quade Peters is fourth in the OVC in sacrifice bunts with five. He has reached base in 15 consecutive games.
- Peters and Tyler Castro both have 11 stolen bases, which is tied for fifth most in the OVC. Castro has reached base in 11 straight games.
- Joey Hagen's 0.474 on base percentage is fifth best in the OVC.
- Jonathon Hanscom is sixth in the OVC in ERA (3.82) and opponent batting average (.236), while being tied for the third most saves with four.
CATEGORY LEADERS:
Hits:
Cole Gober (50),
Lucas Loos (50),
Dylan Drumke (38)
Multi-Hit Games:
Cole Gober (16),
Lucas Loos (15)
Dylan Drumke (13)
Home Runs:
Dylan Drumke (11),
Lucas Loos (9),
Cole Gober (7)
RBI:
Dylan Drumke (39),
Lucas Loos (34),
Michael O'Conor (29)
Strikeouts:
Bryce Riggs (41),
Colton Coca (41),
Jonathon Hanscom (31)
NEXT UP: The Panthers will remain at home this weekend with an OVC series against Southern Indiana. Game one is set for Friday, April 26th at 3 p.m.
