Come August, Eastern’s Class of 2016 will arrive in Charleston, many not knowing what to expect from the Panthers on the fields and courts across campus. The build-up to the first games of sports season comes with plenty of buzz, and if captured, new fans are born. Here’s what to expect from all phases of the Panther athletic family come Fall 2012.

Women’s Soccer

The fall sports season begins with our women’s soccer team rolling into Iowa City, Iowa, to take on the Hawkeyes under the lights at 7 p.m. Aug. 17.

A second Big Ten match will take place Aug. 19 in West Lafayette, Ind., where the Purdue Boilermakers will be waiting on the pitch. Head coach Summer Perala looks to take the Panthers back to the Ohio Valley Conference tournament for the 14th consecutive year (most in conference history). The beginning of the journey starts Sept. 23 against SIUE.

Men’s Soccer

Second in action in August will be the men’s soccer program, kicking off the season with a six-game road trip starting on Aug. 24 versus Bradley.

This swing will last until Sept. 14 against Central Arkansas, a far-away program that the football team will also get a taste of come late fall.

Summit League play begins eight days later versus IUPUI and the league tourney will start Nov. 8 in Macomb. The Panthers will look to rebound from a 7-9-1 finish last season.

Volleyball

The volleyball team aims to be battle-tested before the start of the 2012 season by lacing up against three Big Ten opponents in Iowa, Michigan and perennial volleyball powerhouse Penn State, the former home of head coach Kate Price and assistant Ryan Sweitzer.

OVC play begins on Sept. 21 against Southeast Missouri State University at 7 p.m. The Panthers return Stephanie Arnold, Alison Berens, Emily Franklin and Reynae Hutchinson among others to leave a mark in the OVC’s first year of East/West play, after missing out on last year’s six-team tourney.

Football

The debut of Dino Babers’ new-look, fast-pace offense will rev up for the first time on the fresh O’Brien Field turf on the night of Aug. 30 versus Southern Illinois. The Panthers will look to claw back to the top of the OVC after two lackluster seasons featuring two wins each.

A veteran offensive line will look to open holes for Jake Walker, while QB Jimmy Garoppolo will be firing at an experienced group of receivers featuring Chris Wright, Erik Lora, Von Wise and Chavar Watkins. Senior Defensive Linemen Roosevelt

Holliday, Artavious Dowdell and Pat Wertz anchor the front seven, backed by LB Alex Helms and DBs Pete Houlihan and Nick Beard.

Cross Country (Men & Women)

With the women taking its first team title this past season and the men coming in second, the future looks bright on the trails for the Panthers in 2012.

The Walt Crawford Open starts on the Panther Trail at 4:45 p.m. with a distance of 5K, followed by the men with a distance of 8K to be ran at 5:30 p.m.

The teams return six and five runners respectively, reinforcing expectations for another good year. The NCAA Midwest Regional takes place on Nov. 9 followed by the National Championships on Nov. 17.

Joshua Bryant can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].