Eastern scored 28 runs in 10 innings through two games to win the Ohio Valley Conference regular season title for the third year in a row.
Only one other team in the OVC has won at least three straight regular season titles. That team was Southeast Missouri from 1995-1999.
“Obviously, you strive for that every year. So, t’s exciting. I’m proud of them,” head coach Dan Paulson said. “It’s only happened five times here, so some of these ladies were a part of three of those, and that’s pretty special.”
EIU won the first game 15-0 in five innings and the second game 13-0 in five innings against Tennessee State on Saturday at Williams Field.
Six seniors were honored in Eastern’s senior day celebrations, including pitchers Karie McKenzie and Bryana French, outfielder Marybeth Dyson, infielder Lizzie Stiverson, catcher Lexie Griffin and Utility player Emily Konkel.
This was the last weekend series of the regular season. For Paulson, it was an emotional one as well.
“I’m an emotional person, and as a staff, we get so attached to them, so proud of them,” Paulson said. “The legacy they’re leaving behind and the culture they’ve helped us create here. All six of them are just outstanding human beings.”
The sentiment was that they were all sad to go, but it’s still a moment to cherish and remember forever, even if they have only been here for a year, like Griffin, who came from Illinois State.
“It’s nice to come to a winning team,” Griffin said. “Last year I didn’t really have that, and it’s just nice to have the culture of that. It’s unlike any other school here, so it’s nice to share it with these girls.”
This was the 22nd and 23rd wins in conference for EIU (33-20, 23-3). The 23rd win sets the record for most OVC wins for EIU in a single season, set two years ago.
In the first game, McKenzie (10-8) pitched all five innings, letting up no runs and 10 strikeouts.
“I honestly wasn’t really thinking about [getting strikeouts],” McKenzie said. “I was just trusting my defense and trusting that my offense was going to put up runs behind me.”
Eastern started scoring early in that first game. Junior catcher Sophia Olman hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, and the runs did not stop, with three runs in both the first and second innings and then five in the third and four in the fourth.
Three more home runs contributed to that total, as EIU finished with 16 hits and no errors.
In that game, French was able to pinch-hit for the first time this season. She has hit in the past but decided to focus on pitching this year. Pualson said that they wanted everyone to get an oppurtunity today and that French was really excited to hit again.
“I mean, it was really cool,” French said. “I’ve hit my whole life and finally hung it up this past preseason, so it was really cool to get one final last at-bat.”
However, its doesn’t count as an official at-bat, as she got walked.
In the second game, French (10-6) started and pitched four scoreless innings, only allowing three hits.
In the same game, RBIs by seven players were able to put Tennessee State (2-38, 2-25) away again.
The Panthers have a double bye going into the OVC softball championships in Peoria. They’ll head straight to the quarterfinals on Thursday. They could either play the five-seed SEMO, the eight-seed Western Illinois or the four-seed Lindenwood.
“I think just stick to our game plan and just stick to who we are and what we know how to do, and we’ll be fine,” Dyson said.
The game on Thursday starts at 12:30 p.m. at the Louisville Sluggers Sports Complex in Peoria.
Patrick Schmitz can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].
