Eastern Illinois head coach Jason Anderson has announced five newcomers to the Panthers 2026 roster. These five consist of both junior college and four-year transfers. Dominic Cristinzio, Nolan Decker, Jack Helms, A.J Hiestand, and Jaden Mathon will join the already announced fifteen commits.
Dom Cristinizio (Parker, CO) is a 6'3" left-handed pitcher that spent the past two seasons at the College of San Mateo. During his senior year, Cristinizio made 17 appearances and totaled 30 strikeouts in 35.2 innings with an ERA of 3.53. In addition, he only gave up 1 home run and held a .197 batting average against. Cristinizio attended Legend High School, leading his baseball team to the 2023 conference championship.
Nolan Decker (Noblesville, IN) is a 6'0" left-handed pitcher that spent last season at Troy University. Decker did not play in any games for Troy, as he redshirted the 2025 season. Decker attended Noblesville High School, where he struck out 171 batters with 37 walks in 141 innings. He was named to the All-Conference second team as a sophomore and to the first team as a junior and senior. Decker was also named to the Indiana All-Star team his senior year.
Jack Helms (Mattoon, IL) is a 6'4" right-handed pitcher that spent the past two seasons at Lake Land College. During his time at Lake Land, Helms made the NJCAA DI World Series in 2025. He helped his team win the Region 24 Championship and Midwest District Championship. During his sophomore campaign, he pitched 75.2 innings with an ERA of 5.0 and a record of 8-3. Helms attended Mattoon High School, where he was a member of the All-Apollo Conference team for baseball in 2023. In addition, he helped lead his team to the Apollo Conference Championship in 2021. Helms pitched 130 innings, recording a 2.5 ERA.
AJ Hiestand (Los Angeles, CA) is a 5'11" right-handed pitcher who arrives at EIU as a redshirt senior. Hiestand spent this past season at Wagner University and recorded 15 strikeouts and held a 6.0 ERA in 16.1 innings of work. Prior to Wagner, Hiestand spent two seasons at El Camino Community College, in which he helped lead his team to the 2023 South Coast Conference Championship. He recorded 21 starts, 34 BBs, 88 Ks, and a 4.58 ERA in 137.2 innings of work. Hiestand attended Mira Costa High School, where he led his team to the 2021 Bay League Championship and earned first team Bay League Conference.
Jaden Mathon (Taylorville, IL) is a 6'0" left-handed pitcher who spent two seasons at Joliet Junior College. In 2024, he started 8 games, recording 45 strikeouts in 33 innings of work. Mathon held an ERA of 4.62 with a .229 batting average against. Also, he helped his team place 7th at the JUCO World Series. Mathon attended Joliet High School, where he was a gold glove winner and a varsity letter athlete for both baseball and football. Mathon arrives on campus as a redshirt junior.
