Eastern Illinois (28-15, 15-6 OVC) vs. SIUE (27-21, 15-6 OVC)
May 8-10 | Charleston, Ill. | Frost Field at Coaches Stadium
Game 1: Friday at 12:00 PM | ESPN+ | Live Stats
Game 2: Saturday at 5:00 PM | ESPN+ | Live Stats
Game 3: Sunday at 1:00 PM | ESPN+ | Live Stats
Eastern Illinois closes out their 2026 home schedule at Frost Field with a crucial three-game set against SIUE. This weekend is a collision course at the top as both teams are tied for first place. With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, all eyes in the OVC turn to Eastern Illinois and SIUE. While the regular season title won't be decided this weekend, one of these teams will certainly draw closer to securing the top seed.
Last Time Out
The Panthers are playing their best baseball as they head into the final stretch of the regular season. EIU went a perfect 4-0 with a dominating series sweep over SEMO. Prior to the weekend, the Panthers were in a four-way tie with SEMO, along with SIUE and Little Rock. Eastern Illinois opened the weekend with a road win over Bradley and finished with the 3-0 series sweep against SEMO.
In Saturday's win, eight out of the nine Panthers batters collected an RBI, rewarding Bryce Riggs, who had another impressive outing.
This past week featured a balanced attack throughout the lineup and on the mound. Three Panthers had a plus .400 batting average, along with five of them having a .300 or above batting average.
Brett Stanley led the team with a .428 batting average, .563 slugging percentage, and a .500 on-base percentage. Stanley had nine total bases, seven hits, five RBIs, and two doubles. Colin Horneman had a breakout week, starting in two games and finishing with a .429 batting average along with a .600 on-base percentage. Dylan Drumke shone both with the glove and the bat. Drumke finished with a .385 batting average, six RBIs, five hits, and a grand slam to clinch the Sunday victory. Defensively, Drumke had 12 put-outs, including seven on Saturday.
On the mound, Bryce Riggs was almost untouchable once again, allowing only one run in 7.1 innings. On Sunday, Anthony Solis recorded his best outing this season. Solis earned his third win of the season, throwing 4.2 scoreless innings of relief.
Race For OVC Regular Season Title
The race for the number one seed is in full swing, with SIUE and Eastern Illinois currently tied for first place. With two weeks remaining in the regular season, both teams hold a 15-6 OVC record. Although no team can clinch the title, both teams can set themselves up for a strong chance at earning the number one seed heading into the conference tournament.
Little Rock remains in the hunt, sitting fourth with a 14-7 OVC record. SEMO trails the Trojans at 12-9, while Lindenwood rounds out the top five at 10-11.
Further down the standings, Morehead State and UT Martin are tied for sixth with a 9-12 conference record.
The final tournament spot is still tightly contested as Southern Indiana and Western Illinois are tied for the 8th seed 8-13.
11Point7 College Baseball
The Panthers checked in at No. 24 in the latest 11Point7 College Baseball mid-major rankings.
11Point7 College Baseball, one of the top college baseball podcasts in the country covering DI baseball, releases its mid-major power rankings each week.
At the top of its list, Coastal Carolina claimed the No. 1 spot with a 33-14 record. Eastern Illinois stood out as the only OVC to crack the top 25 this week. EIU was also one of just two programs from Illinois to receive recognition, alongside Northern Illinois, who was ranked 23rd.
Senior Day
Sunday will be a day of celebration as the Panthers honor 17 seniors for their contributions to the program. The seniors are Brett Stanley, Chris Worcester, Zak Goodwin, Mike O'Conor, Joey Hagen, Tyler Castro, Peyton Wilson, Quade Peters, Dylan Drumke, Luke Melton, Colin Horneman, Jake Ferguson, Cade Zalewski, James Geshel, Tyler Conklin, Dalton Boruff, and A.J Hiestand.
Nearing Milestones
James Geshel is closing in on history, currently two saves shy of tying Eastern Illinois' single-season record. He has recorded nine saves this year, trailing record holder Zane Robbins, who set the record with 11. Geshel is currently tied for fourth all-time in a single season alongside Michael Starcevich, with two players ahead of them at 10 saves.
Chris Worcester is nearing a career milestone, needing one more hit to reach 200. Worcester has been a catalyst in the Panthers' lineup for five years.
About SIUE
The Cougars enter the weekend with a 27-21 (15-6 OVC) record. SIUE is coming off a series sweep against Lindenwood. The Cougars will finish their OVC schedule with a home series against UT Martin. Offensively, SIUE relies on their power hitters Ryan Niedzwiedz and Mack Mitchell. Niedzwiedz leads the OVC with 21 home runs, while Mitchell is placed 5th in the conference with 12 long balls. Terrick Thompson-Allen rounds out the offensive trio, earning OVC Co-Player of the Week recognition on March 23rd. Thompson-Allen is batting .314 with 27 RBIs.
On the mound, Easton Harris battles Geshel for the top closer in the OVC with a conference-leading 10 saves on the season. The Cougars have a consistent rotation of Tim Teixeira, Spencer Stearns, and Jase Phillips. Stearnes leads the team with a 3.99 ERA in the 65.1 innings of work.
The Cougars are coached by Sean Lyons, who has led the program for 10 seasons. Lyons opened the 2026 season with a career record of 188-250-1. Last season, Coach Lyons led SIUE to an 18-8 OVC record, which was the second-most OVC wins in program history.
Series History
Panthers trail SIUE 47-52 in the all-time series, with the first ever meeting taking place in 1973. Since the Cougars joined the OVC, SIUE holds an 18-20 advantage over Eastern Illinois. Last season, EIU won the season series 3-1, including an 11-6 win in the second round of the OVC tournament.
Category Leaders
Hits: Brett Stanley (60), James Love (54), Chris Worcester (50), Tyler Castro (44), Mike O'Conor (44)
Home Runs: Mike O'Conor (12), Chris Worcester (8), James Love (7), Peyton Wilson (4), Ethan Rossi (3)
RBIs: Chris Worcester (42), Mike O'Conor (41), James Love (41), Peyton Wilson (32), Brett Stanley (28)
Strikeouts: Bryce Riggs (66), Anthony Solis (36), Tyler Conklin (30)
Wins: Tyler Conklin (8), Bryce Riggs (7), Anthony Solis (3)
NCAA Top 25
Team Sacrifice Bunts – 6th (49)
Team On-Base Percentage – 24th (0.416)
Team Triples Per Game – 19th (0.33)
Bryce Riggs – 3rd H/9 (4.91) | 6th WHIP (0.91) | 8th Complete Games (2) |
Tyler Conklin – 8th Victories (8) | 15th Games Started (12)
James Geshel – 14th Saves (9)
OVC Leaders
James Love – Doubles (17)
Bryce Riggs – Opposing Batting Average (.159) | Hits Allowed (40) | Runs Allowed (22)
Tyler Conklin – Wins (8)
