** During the month of July, EIUPanthers.com looks back at 14 events, moments and players that helped shape the 2024-25 academic year. **

Kendall Grover became the first player in Ohio Valley Conference history to repeat as Conference Player of the Year while McKenzie Oslanzi became the fourth Eastern Illinois player to collect OVC Pitcher of the Year honors as the conference office released its year end awards in early May..
 
Grover won her second straight OVC Player of the Year award sharing the honor with Payton Brown of Western Illinois.   It was Grover's third straight first-team All-OVC selection after earning OVC Freshman of the Year honors in 2023.   The junior third baseman hit .418 during the regular season with 14 doubles, two triples, ten home runs and 33 RBI.  She drew a league high 29 walks finishing the season with an on-base percentage of .513.  In OVC play she was even better at the plate increasing that season average to .439 with an on-base percentage of .543 and slugging percentage of .841.  Grover is the first player in conference history to win back-to-back OVC Player of the Year honors and just the second in conference history to win the award twice (Jessica Twaddle, Murray State in 2015 & 2017).  Grover was the second player in EIU history to win OVC Player of the Year honors when she won her first award last season joining Megan Burton who won in 2021.
 
Oslanzi, last year's OVC Freshman of the Year, became the Panthers fourth OVC Pitcher of the Year selection while earning first team All-OVC honors for the second straight year.  Oslanzi was 19-12 on the season with a 2.43 ERA while striking out 117 batters in 181.1 innings of work.   In OVC play she was even better with a 13-5 record and a 1.71 ERA.  Oslanzi had 82 strikeouts compared to just 22 walks in OVC play during 94.1 innings in the circle.   In addition, she added three saves for the season and posted four shutouts.  This past week she was named the OVC Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season as she went 3-0 with a save picking up all three wins in EIU's OVC regular season title clinching series sweep at Western Illinois.   She joins Amber May (2011), Hanna Mennenga (2013) and Olivia Price (2023) as EIU winners of the award.

Both players helped lead EIU to the regular season and OVC Tournament titles as EIU made its second NCAA Tournament appearance.   Grover and Oslanzi would add NFCA All-Region honors later in May.