The male Panther of the Week is going to Mike O’Conor from the baseball team.

The senior infielder from Des Plaines was named the Ohio Valley Conference player of the week last week.

O’Conor hit four home runs, drove in 11 runs, and helped Eastern win two out of three in its weekend OVC series against Tennessee Tech.

In Saturday’s series finale, O’Conor hit three home runs and drove in seven of Eastern’s nine runs, which helped the Panthers win the rubber match of the series.

O’Conor hit another home run the game before on Friday. His two-run homer in the fifth inning gave the Panthers a 6-0 lead on the way to a 13-1 run-rule shortened victory.

Eastern currently sits in second place in the OVC with a 7-2 conference record.

The female Panther of the Week is going to Karlie McKenzie from the softball team.

The senior pitcher from Cottage Grove, Wisconsin, picked up her fifth win of the season in Eastern’s 9-1 run-rule shortened victory over UT Martin.

McKenzie pitched five innings and allowed one hit. The lone run allowed was scored by the Skyhawks in the third inning.

McKenzie is 5-1 since starting the season 0-7.

Eastern is currently sitting alone in first place in the OVC with a 13-1 conference record. The Panthers split a doubleheader with second-place UT Martin last weekend before the final game of the series was cancelled, meaning Eastern still has a three game lead in first.

Gabe Newman can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].