Eastern Illinois (26-20, 14-7 OVC) vs. Western Illinois (18-29, 9-15 OVC)
May 15-17 | Charleston, Ill. | Coaches Stadium
 
Game 1: Thu., May 15 at 2 p.m. | Watch | Live Stats
Game 2: Fri., May 16 at 1 p.m. | Watch | Live Stats
Game 3: Sat., May 17 at 1 p.m. | Watch | Live Stats
 
LEADING OFF: The Eastern Illinois baseball team closes out the regular season this week with a three-game set against Western Illinois at Coaches Stadium. The series carries major postseason implications for both teams, with the Panthers currently in a three-way tie for first place in the OVC, while the Leathernecks are looking to play their way into the conference tournament.

SERIES HISTORY: Since 1960, the Panthers are 96-58-1 versus the Leathernecks. EIU has won the last seven meetings and has not lost a game in the series since 2012. Eastern won all three games in Macomb last season, as the in-state rivals faced off as conference opponents for the first time in nearly two decades.

WESTERN ILLINOIS:

LAST TIME OUT: Eastern dropped their midweek contest at Illinois State by a score of 6-5 in extra innings on Tuesday. The Panthers erased a five-run deficit with a late rally, including a four-run ninth inning, but were never able to find the go-ahead run as the Redbirds won in walk-off fashion.

Five EIU batters recorded multi-hit outings, led by James Love with a 3-5, two RBI performance. Tyler Castro also recorded a pair of RBIs on two hits, while Chris Worcester, Mike O'Conor, and Jake Ottensmeier posted two hits apiece.

CROSS-STATE CONNECTIONS: EIU pitching coach Max Fecske and pitcher Tyler Kapraun both share a lot of familiarity with WIU, as both made their way to Charleston from Macomb this past offseason.

Fecske spent last season as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for the Leathernecks, while Kapraun was a two-year member of the Western baseball team. He started 25 games for the Leathernecks, posting a record of 7-9 with an ERA of 6.25. In 2024, he finished with a record of 4-4 while striking out 66 batters through 78.0 innings pitched.

CONFERENCE STANDINGS: Entering the final week of the regular season, Eastern Illinois, SIUE, and Tennessee Tech are in a three-way tie for first place in the OVC, with each team possessing a .667 winning percentage in conference play. EIU can clinch the conference title and No. 1 seed in the OVC Tournament with three wins.

The top three are followed by Lindenwood (13-10), Southern Indiana (13-11), and SEMO (13-11), who have all cinched OVC Tournament berths, but are still jostling for a first-round bye. The final two tournament spots are still contested between UT Martin (11-12), Little Rock (8-13), and Western Illinois (9-15).

Morehead State (3-21) is the only team eliminated from postseason contention.

SENIOR DAY: Saturday's home finale will also serve as a Senior Day celebration, with four Panthers set to be recognized. Those being honored include Danny Infante, Tyler Kapraun, Lukas Touma, and Christian Carew.

AT THE PLATE:

The Panthers are batting .285 as a team this season with a conference best .402 on-base percentage. Eastern leads the league in batters hit by pitch (78), and sacrifice bunts (65), which is also the most nationally. They are second in the conference in runs scored (355) and tied for third in RBIs (317).

Seven EIU players are batting over .300 on the season, led by Zak Goodwin with an average of .361. Goodwin also leads the team in on-base percentage (.511) and has reached base in a team-high 22 consecutive games.

Mike O'Conor is batting .316 while leading the team in home runs (10) and RBIs (36). O'Conor also leads EIU with 10 multi-RBI games and his .625 slugging percentage is fifth best in the OVC.

Chris Worcester leads the team in hits (59) and doubles (12) with a team-high 19 multi-hit performances.

Ethan Rossi is batting .297 overall with a team-best .380 average in conference play, which is fourth in the OVC. He leads the conference in sacrifice bunts (12) and is second on the team with five home runs.

Brett Stanley leads EIU with 24 stolen bases on 26 attempts, which is second most in the OVC. He has reached base in 19 consecutive games.

ON THE MOUND:

EIU has a 4.85 ERA, which is second best in the OVC. They have allowed the fewest earned runs (220) and fewest hits (434) in the league.

Tyler Conklin's 3.91 ERA is fifth best in the OVC. He is 3-1 on the season with 38 strikeouts and a .225 batting average against.

Tyler Kapraun has an ERA of 4.27, which is sixth in the conference. He is tied for the team lead in wins with a record of 5-4 and has a team-leading 57 strikeouts, which is also sixth in the OVC.

Dalton Boruff's five saves are tied fourth most in the OVC. He has a 5.17 ERA with 37 strikeouts.

Bryce Riggs possesses team bests in ERA (1.93) and opposing batting average (.220). He has struck out 34 batters through 37.1 innings and has two saves.

CATEGORY LEADERS:

Hits – Chris Worcester (59), Brett Stanley (48), Ethan Rossi (44)
Home Runs – Mike O'Conor (10), Ethan Rossi (5), Eli Hill/Brett Stanley (3)
RBI – Mike O'Conor (36), Tyler Castro (34), Brett Stanley (29)
Strikeouts – Tyler Kapraun (57), Tyler Conklin (38), Dalton Boruff (37)
Wins – Christian Carew/Tyler Kapraun/Anthony Solis (5), Eli Cartwright/Tyler Conklin (3)

ON DECK: Next up for the Panthers will be the 2025 OVC Tournament. The championship returns to Mtn. Dew Park in Marion, Illinois for the third consecutive year, and gets underway on Wednesday, May 21. The date, time, and opponent for EIU's first game is still to be determined.