Eastern coach Jim Schmitz has been down this road before, and he understands what his team has to do to come out of the middle of the pack in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Eastern's golf squads both achieved their highest finishes in school history at the 2003 Ohio Valley Conference Championships.

One win and they're in.

I've seen some seniors come through this place and use this space to write a long, sap-infested column about how they were grateful to cover Eastern sports. Other DEN staffers write about how they were grateful to cover the athletes hidden behind the nooks and crannies of this bagel-bound corner of central Illinois.

With its under card all completed, the Eastern men's and women's track and field teams will now prepare for the main event.

Fans don't need a scorebook to tell when Henry Domercant is playing a great game.

As the Ohio Valley Conference softball teams play their remaining games of the regular season with one week left until the OVC tournament, it is still open for anyone to win.

In a game in which both starting pitchers struggled and the bullpen's dominated, the Saint Louis Billikens defeated Eastern at Coaches' Stadium 7-5.

When senior flanker Katie Taake came to Eastern she didn't know how to play rugby, but she learned and has two team most valuable player awards to her credit.

Sophomore cross country runner Stephanie Bone needs a new pair of shoes - five to be exact.

From the look of things, it was hard to believe Mike Budde had just picked up the Panthers' biggest victory of the season last Sunday against Ohio Valley Conference rival Eastern Kentucky at Coaches' Stadium.

A pair of Eastern infielders were honored as Ohio Valley Conference Players of the Week.