Baseball, softball to have midweek nonconference home games

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Han Byer

Eastern players Maddie Swart (11) and Lindy Milkowski (14) bump chests as part of their starting ritual before their game against Southern Indiana on Williams Field Saturday afternoon. The Panthers lost 2-0 to the Screaming Eagles.

Autumn Schulz, Sports Editor

The Eastern Illinois baseball and softball teams will be at home on Wednesday at Coaches Stadium and Williams Field, respectively, for some midweek matchups with baseball starting at 3 p.m. and softball starting at 5 p.m. 

The baseball team is beginning its four-game home stint while the softball team will be wrapping up its four-game home stint.  

Baseball 

The Panthers were swept by Ohio Valley Conference opponent SIUE in a three-game series in Edwardsville, IL. They are now last in the conference with a 1-5 record and a 15-12 overall record. 

The Panthers will be taking on Western Illinois on Wednesday, a nonconference opponent, before jumping back into conference play against Little Rock on Friday. 

The Leathernecks are also 1-5 in their conference as they are in the Summit League and 4-22 overall.  

Nick Mitchell leads the leathernecks with a .432 batting average and in slugging percentage with a .726 percent.  

On the mound, Jack Bell leads the Leathernecks with a 4.71 ERA. He has allowed 22 hits and 17 runs on the season through 15 mound appearances. 

For the Panthers, junior catcher Grant Lashure is eighth in the OVC in individual batting. Lashure is batting .333 percent, recording 21 hits and 10 RBIs. 

Redshirt junior infielder Nicholas Rucker is 14th in the OVC in individual batting. Rucker is batting .316 percent, recording 24 hits and 10 RBIs through 76 at-bats. 

On the mound, graduate student right-hander Ky Matthews-Hampton continues to lead the Panthers this season with a 2.89 ERA, making him fourth in the OVC in individual pitching. HE has allowed 48 hits, 16 runs, and 15 earned runs. 

Softball 

The softball team will be taking on Saint Louis University on Wednesday to wrap up its home game stint before heading on the road for a week.  

The Panthers will take on last place Tennessee Tech this weekend before traveling to Fort Wayne, Indiana to take on Purdue Fort Wayne.  

The Panthers lost their first OVC series of the season against Southern Indiana over the weekend, dropping them to second place in the conference with a 9-2 record and a 20-15 overall record. 

Senior right-hander Rachel Kaufman is fifth in the OVC in individual batting as she is batting .357 percent. She has recorded 35 hits and 14 RBIs. 

Sophomore outfielder Jaylen Prichard is ninth in the OVC in individual batting with a .345 batting average. Junior catcher Lindy Milkowski is 11th with a .330 batting average.  

Prichard has recorded 39 hits and 15 RBIs while Milkwoski has recorded 31 hits and 30 RBIs. 

On the mound, junior right-hander Olivia Price is fifth in the conference in individual pitching. She has a 2.18 ERA and has allowed 65 hits, 26 runs, and 21 earned runs. 

Kaufman is right behind Price in the conference with a 2.27 ERA. She has allowed 60 hits, 21 runs, and 20 earned runs. 

 

Autumn Schulz can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected]