Eastern’s softball team starts its season this weekend with a tournament played under the sunny skies of New Mexico.

The Panthers hope to continue on the success from a year ago in which the team reached third-place in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.

A fresh start during the spring is an opportunity for all teams to hope for the best in the upcoming season.

This season’s version of the Panthers returns an experienced team relying on their pitching staff to carry them through a difficult schedule.

One area of concern for Eastern is they have yet to find the opportunity to practice outside on a regular basis, as central Illinois remains in winter’s grasp. Nevertheless, the Panthers will start competitive play this upcoming weekend when they enter New Mexico State’s early season tournament.

“The outfielders have been able to go outside and catch some fly balls, but that is all the practice that this team has seen outdoors so far,” head coach Lloydede Searle said.

Eastern will look to be competitive and possibly come out of this tournament with a couple of wins, but the players know the main purpose of these early games will be to get their game back into form.

“Right now we look at this tournament as practice games because we haven’t been able too play much yet,” senior pitcher Kristen Becker said. “We know we can compete in this tournament and be good, but hopefully we will be able to win a couple of games too.”

Heading into the season the Panthers will try to copy the way they played in the conference tournament at the end of last season. After finishing strong and placing third in the tournament, the Panthers feel they can play at the same level again during regular season conference play.

Returning key upperclassmen such as Carrie Ninness, Krisen Becker, Trish Sanders, and Kristen Lovering should make the infield and pitching staff the strengths of the team.

Becker and Sanders share pitching and infield duties, while Lovering is a regular in the infield.

Senior outfielder Ninness is the most solid player the Panthers will have chasing fly balls, while the other two spots in the outfield may be questionable. Searle thinks the outfield will be alright in time as the players become experienced.

“I think pitching will be our strong point this season,” Becker said. “We have good balance between me being a senior, two juniors and one freshmen on the pitching staff.

“Third base and the outfield may be a little weak right now, but we’ll have players there who will definitely be more comfortable in time.”