The Eastern baseball team is hoping its pitching will win a championship this year.

That’s because the squad has pitchers an abundance this season. The Panthers’ 13 pitchers provide plenty of depth, but they play in a league where they’ll need it.

Eastern was picked to finish third in a preseason coaches’ poll in the Ohio Valley Conference, despite finishing 19-1 in league play last year, while Baseball America had the Panthers at the No. 2 slot. The Panthers return seven pitchers from that finish.

Austin Peay, which was picked to finish first in both polls, also has plenty of pitching to go around this season. The Governors have three starting pitchers returning this year, as does Eastern.

“We’ve never gotten a good ranking in the polls since I’ve been here,” senior starting pitcher Nick Albu said. “We don’t care about any of that though. It takes the pressure off and can be motivation.”

Albu, Eastern’s only lefty in the starting rotation, went 7-5 last year with 48 strikeouts and a 7.47 ERA. He and the rest of the returning Panthers are looking to improve on last year’s performance, but not individually.

“The success of the individuals is the success of the team,” senior starting pitcher Pete Martin said. “Coach (Mike) Rodgers said it doesn’t matter if we get a no-hitter, a shutout – it’s just whatever it takes to win.”

The ‘whatever it takes’ approach has forced all of the pitching staff as well as the rest of the team to take the same attitude.

To keep them on the same page, the squad uses a one-word reminder – Paducah. The players shout it when they break from their opening huddle and it’s said when there are signs of lost focus.

Paducah, Ky., is the location of the OVC Tournament, which Eastern is focused on winning this season. The winner also receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Regional Tournament.

“It’s been a lot of fun to coach these guys,” Panther head coach Jim Schmitz said. “You don’t have to do much to (keep them in line). You say that one word to them and that’s all you need. If we’re goofing off and not focusing, we say that word. We’ve harped on that all practice. If we are focused, we’ll be a good team.”

It’s not that the Panthers didn’t have focus last year, but the focus simply wasn’t as widespread. Last year’s pitching staff was dominated by reliever Mike Ziroli (8-2 with 8 saves, 2.63 ERA last year) Albu, senior starters Pete Martin (7-2, 5.60 ERA) and Scott Metz (5-2, 4.85) and junior reliever Nathan Stone (6-2, 5.24 ERA). While Ziroli graduated, Schmitz believes a plethora of talented arms still remain.

“You have to have depth,” Schmitz said. “There’s a sense of ‘the top three guys don’t have to go out every weekend.’ It takes a lot of the pressure off. It’s more a staff. It’s more a team concept.”

The depth comes in the form of five junior college transfers. Craig Arteberry, a freshman from Parkersburg, is the only member of the pitching staff without any junior college or college experience.

Junior transfers Damon White and Micah Gray will help take some pressure off Albu, Martin and Metz in the starting rotation.

“Everyone has a certain role this year,” Stone said. “Last year it was just four or five guys doing it all, and when we got to the conference tournament that really hurt us.”

Stone will resume his role in the bullpen this season.

First-year assistant coach Mike Rodgers, who coaches the pitchers, is from Olney Community College. He said the staff was easier to work with because of the added experience.

“I played at a junior college,” Rodgers said. “And I know that sometimes we don’t get the coaching at that level like you have at this level. They responded very well in what I’ve tried to do with them.”

Rodgers said he helped refine the overall mechanics and deliveries of each pitcher on a one-on-one basis.