Editor’s note: This is the fourth installment in a series looking back at Eastern baseball coach Jim Schmitz’s 20 years coaching the Panthers.

The Eastern baseball team was in the finals of the Troy State tournament a little more than a month into its 1998 season.

The tournament, which took place in Troy, Ala., might not have been the most important stretch of time for the Panthers that season, but by the end of the weekend they wanted to win it more than anything, Eastern coach Jim Schmitz said.

The Panthers were pitted up against host Troy State. As Schmitz remembers, it was a David vs. Goliath type of affair.

“We beat Radford, Siena twice, we’re playing Troy State in the finals, you know, it’s a little tournament, but they’re a big-time program and we’re there with our little vans — a little 22-passenger bus,” Schmitz said.

It was a heated game, as Eastern was playing Troy State for the first time since the Alabama program had eliminated the Panthers from the 1996 Mid-Continent Tournament.

There was a play at the plate that ended with a collision, as the Panthers’ catcher tumbled over after being run into by a Troy State player. Tensions ran high that day, but it was simply two teams putting in all their effort.

“It was just a heated game and our guys really got into it,” Schmitz said. “Nothing was unsportsmanlike, but it was just intense.”

Near the end of the game, with Eastern leading by one run, Troy State had a runner at second base with its all-American catcher due up to bat.

Schmitz turned to his bullpen and brought in Bobby Castelli.

“I don’t know if Castelli threw 93 (mph) or 103,” Schmitz said. “It was literally no signs. Here it goes. Here’s what I got.”

Eastern won 12-11 and after the final out of the inning, the Panthers’ dugout emptied onto the field.

“We did celebrate like we had just won the World Series and Troy State’s coach did get a little mad at us, but that was OK,” Schmitz said.

What Troy State’s coach did not realize is that the Panthers were not only happy because they had just won the game, but Schmitz was about to take the team to Panama City Beach.

“I told them, if we win this game, then we’re going to the beach,” Schmitz said.

Eastern went from the stadium straight to the beach. No showers and no booked hotels.

But Schmitz quickly learned that the trip to the beach might not have been the best idea.

Following the tournament win, Eastern had a couple of days off before playing No. 4 Alabama.

The Panthers played the Crimson Tide and lost 22-1.

Schmitz could only laugh when he looked back and saw the 21-run loss.

“Guys we’re not going to the beach anymore,” Schmitz said.

Eastern did not suffer many blowout losses that season, or many losses in the Ohio Valley Conference.

In the second year in the OVC, the Panthers went from 13-11 in 1997 to 17-6 in 1998, finishing the regular season in first place.

If Schmitz had to describe the team in one word it would be, “pop.”

Whether it was the pop heard in stadiums as Castelli pumped his fastball into the catcher’s mitt, or home run after home run hit by any Panther slugger, pop was what Eastern was all about, Schmitz said.

The Panthers’ offense hit .349 that season and hit a single-season program record of 120 home runs.

Eastern had seven players hit 10 or more home runs in 1998, led by Clint Benhoff, who had 18. Matt Marzec and Mark Thomse tied for the second most on the team with 17 home runs, while Brian Hantosh added 15 more.

Castelli finished the season with a school record in the Division I era with a 1.65 ERA in 29 appearances out of the bullpen as the Panthers’ closer.

Even though Castelli was the closer, he led Eastern in wins that season, going 7-1, while also recording 10 saves. He still holds the program record for strikes per nine innings, as he averaged 11.54 strikeouts per nine innings in 1998.

Following the season, the Montreal Expos drafted him in the fourth round of the Major League Baseball Draft – the lowest round any Eastern player has ever been drafted.

With a star pitcher in hand and a slugging offense in the other, Schmitz coached the Panthers to the final of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament against Southeast Missouri.

After beating Morehead State and dismantling Eastern Kentucky 26-10 to reach the championship game, the Panthers had to play in Southeast Missouri’s home stadium because Eastern did not have lights in its home park.

“Year after year we would go to SEMO because they would finish second and walk around like they were the champs,” Schmitz said.

Eastern lost to the Redhawks 15-11, eliminated by Southeast Missouri for the second straight season.

Schmitz’s fourth season coaching Eastern, saw the Panthers go 17-3 at home. Even now, he still thinks back to what could have been if Eastern had lights at home that would have given the Panthers home-field advantage in the OVC tournament.

“I look back at it, what if we had lights, would we have maybe one more tournament titles,” Schmitz said. “We win the league and it doesn’t help saying this, but it’s true. We never were able to host a tournament because we didn’t have lights.”

In 1999, lights did not matter. Home-field advantage did not matter for Eastern. It was lights out for the rest of the OVC.

Aldo Soto can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].