The softball team couldn’t be happier to finally see the friendly confines of William’s’ Field after spending 34 games on the road.

For most teams, home openers have come and gone quite awhile ago, but for the Panthers this weekend will be the first opportunity for the team to break in the newly remodeled field.

But more importantly for these Panthers is that they are hoping the team’s offense has finally has become what they hoped it could be.

Coming off their two most solid games of the season, with 21 hits in those two games, the Panthers feel their offense is finally showing its true talent.

But still in those two games, while they scored plenty of runs with eight in the first game, the Panthers reverted to previous form with only two runs scored in the second.

“How can a team score eight runs in one game with 10 hits, but only score two in another game with just about the same amount of hits?” Searle asked. “It just makes me wonder where the runs went in the second game.”

But throughout its struggles to score in the second game, Searle still believes her team has finally come out of their offensive swoon.

Her team will have a chance to prove its offensive imrovement this weekend as it re-enters conference play against Morehead State.

“When I think back to the second Butler game, I realize that a team can lose a game and still have it be a positive thing,” Searle said. “The way we hit the ball has this team excited to play again, and they are wild about being able to play at home finally.”

The fresh start at home for Eastern is a chance for the team to turn around a conference season that it started out by losing seven of their eight games within the OVC.

Morehead State, meanwhile, is just one game under .500 with a 4-5 conference record.

But Searle and her Panthers believe the reinvigorated team will take advantage of their opportunities coming up at home.

“I think Butler was a turning point for us,” Searle said. “Before we played them we played tough teams in conference like Eastern Kentucky and lost those games to some really good teams.

“But now we can take what we learned from those games and turn that into victories pretty soon.”

The three game set this weekend against Morehead State will include a doubleheader on Friday and will conclude with a single game against the Eagles on Saturday.