Eastern Illinois (16-24, 8-10 OVC) at Tennessee Tech (26-19, 10-8 OVC)
May 3-5 | Cookeville, Tenn.
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Game 1: Friday at 6 p.m. |
Live Stats
Game 2: Saturday at 2 p.m. |
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Live Stats
Game 3: Sunday at 1 p.m. |
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Live Stats
Full Series Notes
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ON TAP: After having the midweek off, the Eastern Illinois baseball team will continue their conference slate with a three-game set at Tennessee Tech this weekend. Game one is set for Friday at 6 p.m.
SERIES HISTORY: The Golden Eagles hold a very slight edge in the all-time series, with a record of 43-42. The teams first met in 1978 and have played annually (except 2020) since the Panthers joined the OVC in 1997. Last season, EIU took two of three In Charleston.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES:
- Tech enters this weekend with a 26-19 overall record and 10-8 mark in OVC play. They've lost four in a row after suffering a sweep at the hands of UT Martin last weekend and an extra-innings loss to No. 17 Vanderbilt on Tuesday.
- TTU leads the OVC in ERA with a team average of 4.97. Peyton Calitri (7-1, 2.70 ERA) and Trey Smiddy (3-4, 4.64 ERA) have both won a pair of OVC Pitcher of the Week awards this season.
- Five of the Golden Eagles' regular starters are batting north of .300, led by Hayden Gilliland with an average of .347. Gilliland also leads the club in hits (59), home runs (10) and RBI (48).
- Tennessee Tech is led by head coach Matt Bragga. Now in his second stint with the program, Bragga has compiled an overall record of 523-472-2 in Cookeville and has led the team to thee NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Super Regional berth in 2017.
WEEKEND REVIEW: The Panthers dropped two of three against Southern Indiana last weekend. The teams split a doubleheader in Charleston last Thursday, with EIU taking the series opener by a score of 4-2 behind great performances on the mound from
Casey Perrenoud and
Jonathon Hanscom.
Lucas Loos homered in each game, including twice in Saturday's series finale in Evansville.
OVC STANDINGS: With just three weeks left in the regular season, the OVC title race is still as tight as can be. Little Rock sits atop the standings with a conference record of 11-7. They are closely followed by five teams with 10-8 records, including Tennessee Tech. USI (8-10) and EIU (8-10) follow in seventh and eighth place, with Lindenwood (7-11) and Western Illinois (6-12) occupying the ninth and tenth positions.
QUICK HITTERS:
- Lucas Loos has reached base in 35 consecutive games, which is the third longest on-base streak for a Panthers batter in the last five seasons. Loos is fourth in the OVC in batting average (.361), second in slugging percentage (.742), and ninth in on-base percentage (.435). He is tied for the conference lead in doubles with 18 and his 13 home runs are third most in the league.
- Dylan Drumke matches Loos with 13 homers of his own. He has the OVC's fourth best slugging percentage (.645) and is tied for the sixth most RBI with 41.
- Jonathon Hanscom leads the Panthers in saves with four, which is tied for third in the OVC. Hanscom possesses a team-best 3.43 ERA and picked up his first win of the season against USI last week.
- In his last three starts, Casey Perrenoud has a record of 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA. He has allowed just four earned runs with 11 strikeouts through 16.0 innings of work.
CATEGORY LEADERS:
Hits:
Lucas Loos (56),
Cole Gober (55),
Dylan Drumke (42)
Multi-Hit Games:
Cole Gober (18),
Lucas Loos (17)
Dylan Drumke (14)
Home Runs:
Dylan Drumke (13),
Lucas Loos (13),
Cole Gober (8)
RBI:
Dylan Drumke (41),
Lucas Loos (39),
Michael O'Conor (32)
Strikeouts:
Colton Coca (42),
Bryce Riggs (42),
Jonathon Hanscom (32)
ON DECK: The Panthers have a pair of non-conference road games set for next week, including a trip to Northwestern on Tuesday before heading to Butler on Wednesday. They will then return to Coaches Stadium for Senior Weekend against Morehead State next weekend. Game one is set for Friday, May 10th at 3 p.m.Â
