Eastern Illinois softball head coaches Kristi Paulson and Dan Paulson have dipped into the transfer portal bringing two familiar faces to the Panthers program next season.
 
Set to join the EIU roster in the fall are Lizzie Stiverson (Illinois) and Lexie Griffin (Illinois State),both players that had success playing at Parkland College for the Paulsons in 2023 and 2024.
 
Stiverson (Monticello, Ill.) played this past season at Illinois where she appeared in 33 games making 15 starts for the Fighting Illini.  She hit .188 for the season with six hits and 11 runs scored.  She played two years at Parkland College leading the team to back-to-back appearances in the NJCAA Division II World Series.  She hit .412 with 23 doubles, three triples, 13 home runs, 62 runs scored and 61 RBI during the 2024 season earning second team All-America honors.  She was a DII Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner at shortstop in 2023 earning All-Region honors.  At the plate she hit .357 with ten doubles, four triples, four home runs, 22 stolen bases, 56 runs and 30 RBI. 
 
Griffin (Glen Carbon, Ill.) played this past season at Illinois State where she played in 21 games making eleven starts for the Redbirds.  She hit .195 for the season with three doubles, a home run and seven RBI.  She played two seasons at Parkland College leading the team to back-to-back appearances in the NJCAA Division II World Series.  She hit .365 with 12 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs and 63 RBI during the 2024 season.  In 2023 she hit .337 with 12 doubles, four home runs and 21 RBI.   She posted a .993 fielding percentage on 442 chances, which ranked as the most in the nation. 
 
EIU won both the Ohio Valley Conference regular season and tournament titles this past season under the Paulson's making the Panthers second NCAA Tournament appearance.  EIU played in the Austin, Texas Regional where they lost to eventual national champion Texas and UCF.