Eastern Illinois 21-14 (10-5 OVC) vs. Butler 15-24 (5-4 Big East)
April 21st | Charleston, Illinois | Frost Field at Coaches Stadium
Tuesday at 5:00 PM | ESPN+ | Live Stats
Eastern Illinois (21-14, 10-5 OVC) vs. UT Martin (19-20, 6-9 OVC)
April 24-26 | Martin, TN | Skyhawk Baseball Field
Game 1: Friday at 5:00 PM | Live Stats
Game 2: Saturday at 3:00 PM | Live Stats
Game 3: Sunday at 1:00 PM | ESPN+ | Live Stats
Eastern Illinois has a full schedule on tap with a Tuesday contest against Butler to begin the week. Later this weekend, the Panthers will look to bounce back in OVC play with a road series at UT Martin.
Last Time Out
With the midweek contest against St. Xavier resulting in a cancelation, the Panthers went 0-3 after being swept by Little Rock. This marks only the second time this season; the Panthers have lost three games in a row. With the three losses, EIU is now tied for third in the OVC with SEMO, but only one game back from first-place SIUE and Little Rock.
In addition to the rough record, the Panthers offense struggled outside of Mike O'Conor, who finished with a .462 batting average. He also ended up with six hits, 4 RBIs, a home run, and a .769 SLG% and a .533 OB%. As a team, EIU hit .216 on the weekend with 24 hits.
On the mound, the EIU finished with an 8.56 ERA, allowing 27 runs on 47 hits. Little Rock held a .376 batting average and hit 10 doubles against the Panthers' arms.
However, Jarett Kinder was a bright spot for Coach Anderson, throwing 4.0 scoreless innings of relief in the Saturday loss.
EIU opened the weekend with a 14-inning heartbreaking loss, which featured the Trojans hitting a walk-off single to win 7-6.
In game two of the weekend series, the Panthers jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning, highlighted by four base hits to dive in the five runs. However, Little Rock answered with four runs in the fourth and five runs in the 5th to clinch the series win.
The Sunday series final was all Little Rock as they stunned the Panthers 11-1 in a seven-inning run-rule victory.
James Love
Love continues his on-base streak through the weekend, extending the streak to 39 games. Love's 39-game on-base streak ranks 5th longest in the NCAA. For the season, Love is batting .338 with 29 RBIs and is second on the team with walks, with 23 total. He also ranks first on the team in hit-by-pitches with 15.
About Butler
The Bulldogs arrive to Charleston, Illinois, with a 15-24 (5-4 Big East) record after a 2-1 series loss to Georgetown. Butler continues to be led by Mathew Rhoades, Gavin Gilmore, and Charlie Schebler, who each hit over .300. Rhoades leads the way with 18 home runs and 34 RBIs. On the mound, the Bulldogs struggle, with Max Winders leading the team with a 3.88 ERA. Butler is coached by Blake Beemer, who is in his 4th season in charge. Coach Beemer is a former EIU Panther assistant coach. At EIU, he oversaw the team's hitting, which ranked 4th nationally in home runs with 83 and ranked in the top 50 nationally in runs scored.
About UT Martin
The Skyhawks sit in 7th place in the OVC with a 19-20 (6-9 OVC) record. UT Martin lost their last OVC series against Southern Indiana 2-1 and have lost four of their last five games. UT Martin's success is highlighted by their high-powered offense. TJ Grines leads the team with a .351 batting average, 60 hits, and 36 RBIs. Colten Payton is right behind him with a .350 batting average and ranks first on the team in RBIs with 44. UT Martin has six batters with a .300 average or above. On the mound, the Skyhawks are thin, but the ace, Jacob Sitton, is the player to watch. Sitton holds a 3.60 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 60.0 innings of work. UT Martin is coached by Ryan Jenkins in his ninth season as head coach.
Series History
Butler: These two programs will face off for the season this season after EIU beat the Bulldogs 15-12 on February 18th in Westfield, Indiana. Eastern Illinois leads the all-time series against Butler University 22-13, with EIU winning both matchups last season. The first-ever matchup between these two programs was in 1989, in which the Panthers won both on the road.
UT Martin: The Panthers lead the all-time series 49-33 against the Skyhawks in a matchup that dates back to 1997. In 2025, these two teams split the season series 1-1 after the final game was canceled due to the weather. Prior to 2025, UT Martin had won the series each of the last two seasons.
Team Leaders
Hits: Brett Stanley (48), James Love (44), Chris Worcester (43), Tyler Castro (36), Peyton Wilson (31)
Home Runs: Chris Worcester (8), James Love (5), Peyton Wilson (3), Ethan Rossi (2), Brett Stanley (2)
RBIs: Chris Worcester (34), James Love (29), Peyton Wilson (24), Brett Stanley (23), Joey Hagen (18)
Strikeouts: Bryce Riggs (60), Tyler Conklin (26), Anthony Solis (24)
Wins: Tyler Conklin (6), Bryce Riggs (6), James Geshel (3), Dalton Boruff (2)
OVC Leaders
Brett Stanley – 1st Triples (4)
Bryce Riggs – 1st Opposing Batting Average (.158) | 1st Strikeouts (60) | 2nd Hits Allowed (34) | 3rd ERA (2.61) | 3rd Wins (6) |
James Love – 2nd On Base Percentage (0.482) | 2nd Doubles (14) | Hit by Pitch (15)
Peyton Wilson – 2nd SAC Bunts (7)
Tyler Conklin – 3rd Wins (6)
James Geshel – 3rd Saves (6)
NCAA Leaders
Team Sacrifice Bunts – 7th (40)
Team Triples Per Game – 6th (0.40)
Brett Stanley – 14th Triples (4)
Bryce Riggs – 1st H/9 (3.86) | 1st WHIP (0.72) | 19th ERA (1.85)
The game against Butler and the final contest against UT Martin can be followed along using ESPN+. Each game will be featured on the live stats posted above.
