The Panther softball team came out swinging to start the season with two wins and a loss in the Georgia State tournament in Atlanta Sunday.

They were led at the plate by sophomore Morgan Biel, who had five hits in 10 at bats. She also scored two runs and had one RBI.

Freshman shortstop Bailey O’Dell started her Eastern career on a strong note with three hits in nine at bats, to go along with a run scored and two walks.

Ally Seplak also had a strong tournament with two hits and a run scored.

Eastern head coach Kim Schuette said she was pleased with the team’s performance at the plate, but knows they can do better.

“We need to put the ball in play more often with hard ground balls and line drives,” Schuette said. “It was the first weekend out and there is no need to panic, but we know we can be better at the plate. Individually, we all have things we want to do better and fix in preparation for the weekend to help out the team.”

The most interesting statistic for Eastern might be the number of players to get an at bat.

There were 17 Panthers with at least one at bat. That number demonstrates the trust head coach Kim Schuette has in her team.

It also shows Eastern’s abundance of depth. Stephanie Maday proved to be Eastern’s biggest weapon of the season so far, winning her first two starts in the Georgia State tournament.

She pitched 14 innings (two complete games), gave up 11 hits, four runs, three walks and struck out 13 batters.

Around the OVC

Eastern Kentucky began the season on a high note with a 3-1 record last weekend while participating in the Quality Inn Classic championship in Troy, Ala.

Its biggest win of the weekend came against the No. 5 ranked team in the country, Missouri, who they defeated in 10 innings (6-5).

The player of the week for the OVC was senior catcher Kaycee Crow of Jacksonville State. Crow had a game for the ages in a comeback win against Southeastern Louisiana.

In this game, she had two homeruns, four RBI, and went 4-for-4 at the plate. Eastern’s own Morgan Biel was also nominated for the award.

Eastern Kentucky’s freshman Shaylon Robb got her collegiate career started on a good note as she was awarded the OVC pitcher of the week award. Robb picked up the win against No. 5 ranked Missouri after pitching the final eight innings of a 10-inning game. For the week, she pitched 21 innings, had 15 strikeouts and posted a 1.67 ERA. Eastern’s Stephanie Maday was also nominated for the award.

The Panthers will be back in action this weekend when they will travel to Birmingham, Ala., to play in the Samford Tournament.

Erik Jensen can be reached at 581-7942 or at [email protected].