Eastern Illinois University Athletics

Stats: Individual game-by-game | Career | OVC Top 10

CHARLESTON, Ill. – Four wins in four days versus four different teams, a memorable postseason run that allowed Eastern Illinois baseball to capture the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title and qualify for the NCAA Tournament, highlighted the Panthers’ 2008 campaign.

 

Eastern (27-30, 13-13 OVC) had to win its regular season finale to clinch a berth in the OVC Tournament. A 20-7 win at Eastern Kentucky on May 17 propelled EIU to its second conference tourney crown and first since 1999.

 

The Panthers were sent to the Lincoln, Nebraska Regional of the NCAA Tournament where they scored a combined 17 runs in their two losses. Eastern posted seven-plus runs in each of its last five games of the season.

 

Besides beating four teams in four days as the No. 4 seed at the OVC Tournament, EIU also ended regular-season champion Jacksonville State’s 17-game winning streak. It was the second longest active streak in the nation at the time. Furthermore, Eastern’s first two tourney opponents – Tennessee Tech and Samford – had each swept the Panthers during the regular season.

 

Since the conference adopted first-round tournament byes in 2005, EIU became the first seeded lower than second to win the crown. Eastern was also the first non-bye team to win its first two games during that same timeframe.

 

The Panthers led the OVC in team ERA nearly the entire season. The pitching performed well in Paducah, but it was the monster weeks for Brett Nommensen and Jordan Tokarz at the top of the order that allowed EIU to hold the lead for 28 of the 36 tournament innings. Both players hit safely in all six postseason games.

 

Nommensen batted .557 (34-of-61) in May to finish the season as the OVC’s league leader in on-base percentage (.518) and post a .402 average for the season. His OBP represents an EIU single-season record in the program’s OVC era (1997-present). He earned First Team All-OVC honors on the eve of the OVC Tournament.

 

Tokarz, one of 17 new players on the roster when the season began, was named the OVC Tournament MVP and collected multiple hits in each of EIU’s postseason games. He was the only Panther to start every game at the same position (second base) and also hit safely in all eight games of the spring break trip in Florida.

 

Besides team ERA, Eastern’s pitching staff also led the OVC in batting average against. The Panthers enjoyed a 157-115 advantage in extra-base hits.

 

Freshman Josh Mueller led the staff with six wins and 79 strikeouts, the latter total representing the third most by an EIU pitcher in a single season. He represented EIU on the OVC All-Freshman Team and set the stage for the OVC Tournament run with 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball in the tourney opener.

 

Tyler Brandon led the team in ERA and batting average against. He was tops in the nation in ERA the week of April 21-27 and was the winning pitcher in the OVC Tournament title game. Fellow relief pitchers Brian Morrell and Scott Foley each posted a win and a save in the tourney. Morrell’s 4.0 GPA, meanwhile, made him the program’s second Academic All-America honoree in as many years.

 

The Panthers will have to bid adieu to four seniors but are slated to return eight starting position players for the 2009 season.

 

 

BARTELSO (Breese Mater Dei) – Jordan Kreke, junior, shortstop/third base. Kreke played in 55 games and started 54 times, primarily at shortstop… also started 20 times at third base in April… led the team in triples, RBIs and multi-RBI games… his five three-baggers were the most by a Panther since 1992… recorded 23 two-out RBIs thanks to a team-best 27 hits with two down in an inning… reached base safely to begin an inning 43 percent of the time (20-of-47)… batted .300 (24-for-80) with runners in scoring position… was stellar defensively in the postseason, handling all 30 of his chances cleanly while also being a part of six of the eight double plays EIU turned… was also part of two of the EIU record five double plays the Panthers turned in the finale of the Tennessee-Martin series… hit all three of his home runs and led the team with 14 RBIs in true road games… batted .339 with a squad-best 18 RBIs in neutral-site action… busted out of a 1-for-27 slump in late March with a 10-for-23 showing during the season-long, six-game homestand… went on to drive in a team-high 20 runs in April… batted .323 (21-for-65) with 12 extra-base hits in May… batted .370 (10-for-27) with a team-leading nine RBIs while striking out just once on the spring break trip… went 5-for-16 with four RBIs at the OVC Tournament… hit safely in 10 of the final 11 games of the season, highlighted by a career-long, eight-game hitting streak… also hit safely in the first five games of the season and 11 of the first 13 games in which he played… hit three-run homers in the series finales at Southeastern Louisiana and Murray State… registered a season-high four RBIs in the middle game of the series of Tennessee-Martin… collected three extra-base hits in key OVC wins against Southeast Missouri (three doubles) and at Eastern Kentucky (two doubles and a triple)… doubled and tripled during the nine-run fifth inning in the series finale at EKU… hit safely in all three games of the Tennessee-Martin and EKU series… posted his second career four-hit game in the loss at Indiana State… had three hits in both wins against Jacksonville State, highlighted by a two-run triple during EIU’s five-run second inning at the OVC Tournament… reached safely twice and scored twice during the 10-run sixth inning in the win against Evansville… knocked in two of EIU’s four runs in the opening-round win against Tennessee Tech at the OVC Tournament… stole a key base and scored a pair of runs in the tourney win against Samford… turned a key 1-6-3 double play in the eighth inning of the OVC Tournament championship game against Southeast Missouri… led off the fourth inning of the Nebraska game at the NCAA Regional with a solo home run… Top 10 OVC Rankings: fifth in triples and seventh in doubles… Top 100 National Rankings: 56th in triples… EIU Single-Season Rankings: sixth in triples.

 

BLOOMINDALE (Glenbard East) – Mike Martin, freshman, pitcher. Martin redshirted this season after not seeing action on the field.

 

BURBANK (Reavis) – Matt Boyer, sophomore, pitcher. Boyer pitched in one game, making his EIU debut in the opening game of the Southeast Missouri series… worked the final inning of the game, striking out the side… also hit a batter and gave up a pair of home runs.

 

CAROL STREAM (Glenbard North) – Zach Carney, freshman, pitcher. Carney pitched in four games and started the midweek match-ups at Saint Louis and Bradley… also pitched in relief against Western Michigan and Illinois State during the spring break trip… gave up only four hits over 6 1/3 innings, good for a .190 batting average against… however, he also issued 11 walks and hit two batters… pitched three innings at SLU, his longest outing of the season.

 

CARY (Dundee-Crown) – Zach Skidmore, junior, third baseman/DH. Skidmore played in 54 games and started 50 times, exactly half at third base and half as the designated hitter… ended the year as the starting third baseman, starting 15 of the final 16 games of the year at the hot corner… ranked second on the team in home runs and walks… left-handed hitter feasted on southpaw pitching, batting a team-best .485 (16-for-33)… batted .356 (21-for-59) with two outs… one of two Panthers to record a two-, three-, four- and five-RBI effort… batted third and fourth in the lineup a team-high 20 times each… batted .304 with 13 RBIs in neutral-site action… bounced back from a poor April to bat .350 with a team-high 19 RBIs in May… went 5-for-17 with six RBIs at the OVC Tournament, driving in three runs without the luxury of a hit in the championship game against Southeast Missouri… hit a game-tying, two-run homer in the third inning of the NCAA Regional game at Nebraska… also reached base safely three times in the Regional contest against Oral Roberts… was involved in both sets of EIU’s back-to-back home runs (at Murray State and at Indiana State)… hit a ninth-inning grand slam in the series opener against Southeast Missouri, the first slam by a Panther since March 2005… also went deep in the spring break trip win against IPFW… heated up as EIU returned from spring break, hitting safely in seven straight games and 11 of 12 in late March and early April… collected four RBIs, including three of the two-out variety in his first two at-bats, in the blowout win against Illinois in Mattoon… knocked in five of EIU’s seven runs in the game-one loss in the SEMO series… started a key 5-2-3 double play with bases loaded and no outs in the ninth inning of the series-opening win against Austin Peay… registered a season-high four hits in the series opener at Eastern Kentucky, three coming against All-American lefty Christian Friedrich… scored three times in the must-win game at EKU to close the regular season… reached base safely four times and knocked in a pair of runs in the victory against Jacksonville State at the OVC Tournament.

 

CHAMPAIGN (Champaign Central) – Cameron Strang, freshman, infielder. Strang played in 37 games and started 27 times, primarily at shortstop… was a starter for the entire month of April… responded with a 8-for-17 showing at the plate after becoming a starter… collected four of his seven RBIs in OVC play… collected nine of his 22 hits and five of his seven RBIs with two outs… walked more than he struck out at home… committed just one error in 50 defensive chances in true road games… was part of three of the EIU record five double plays the Panthers turned in the finale of the Tennessee-Martin series… hit safely in all three games of the UTM series, highlighted by a three-hit effort in the finale… put EIU ahead to stay with a two-out, two-run single in the opener of the UTM series… registered a pair of hits, scored a run and collected an RBI during the seven-run third inning in the rubber-game win at Murray State.

 

CHARLESTON (Charleston) – Matt Miller, freshman, pitcher. Miller pitched in five games and started the Monmouth College midweek match-up… retired all five batters he faced in home loss to Indiana State… pitched a season-high three innings against Monmouth and in the series finale at Samford… gave up just one run while striking out four at Samford… also appeared in the game at Bradley and the opener of the Southeast Missouri series.

 

CHARLESTON (Charleston) – Kyle Wilson, senior, utility. Wilson played in 18 games and started twice, including the season opener in left field… did whatever the team needed: pinch hit and ran, served as the bullpen catcher and pitched in relief twice… also started the Western Michigan game during the spring break trip… registered an RBI single during EIU’s six-run eighth inning in the middle game of the Northwestern State series… singled and caught the final inning of the opener of the Southeast Missouri series… scored the game-tying run as a pinch runner in the ninth inning of the walk-off win against SEMO in the rubber game… retired both batters he faced in the middle game of the Southeastern Louisiana series… also pitched in the midweek game at Saint Louis.

 

CHICAGO (Loyola Academy) – Alex Guttosch, senior, pitcher. Guttosch redshirted this season due to an elbow injury… plans to return for the 2009 season.

 

COLUMBIA (Columbia) – Josh Mueller, freshman, pitcher. OVC All-Freshman Team… Mueller pitched in 16 games and started an OVC-best 15 times… emerged as the staff ace around the beginning of OVC play and went on to lead the team in wins, innings pitched and strikeouts… his 79 strikeouts this season rank as the third most in a season by an EIU pitcher… averaged more than 10 strikeouts per nine innings… in his starts of at least five innings, registered more strikeouts than innings pitched on five occasions… opponents attempted to steal only six times with him on the mound… held OVC hitters to a .173 batting average, good for third best in the league… also posted four of his six victories in OVC play while being the only EIU pitcher to start a game in every conference series… tough on right-handed hitters (.201, 35-for-174), with runners on (.215, 28-for-130) and with two outs (18-for-81, .222)… OVC hitters batted only .147 (11-for-75) against him with runners on… went 3-1 in his five home starts, surrendering just five extra-base hits (and no home runs) in 25 2/3 innings pitched… tossed a two-hitter complete game in his home debut, a victory in the middle game of the Morehead State series… led the team with a .232 batting average against in true road games… shined in the month of March, registering a .208 ERA and .183 batting average against while striking out 23 in 21 2/3 innings pitched… started EIU’s first games at both the OVC Tournament and NCAA Regional… worked 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball, striking out six, in the OVC Tourney win against Tennessee Tech to set the tone for the memorable postseason run… struck out 10 over seven innings in game two loss in regular-season series at Tech, suffering the loss in the 1-0 game after a leadoff walk in the eighth scored against the bullpen… that outing marked the first 10-K performance by an EIU pitcher since May of 2005… followed that up with nine strikeouts in his next two starts – both wins – against Tennessee-Martin and Murray State… was robbed of a win in the opener of the Jacksonville State series by a two-hour rain delay; Eastern led 12-2 when the rain delay hit after the bottom of the second inning and he did not return to the mound when the game resumed… ended a three-game losing streak with six innings of three-hit ball in the opener of the Austin Peay series… earned his first collegiate victory with seven strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings on spring break trip versus Bucknell… Top 10 OVC Rankings: first in games started, second in strikeouts, third in batting average, seventh in victories and 10th in ERA… Top 100 National Rankings: 40th in strikeouts per nine innings and 65th in fewest hits allowed per nine innings… EIU Single-Season Rankings: third in strikeouts.

 

COLUMBIA (Columbia) – Ben Thoma, freshman, catcher. Thoma played in 10 games, starting nine times, before a back injury ended his season… plans to apply for a medical redshirt… started five times at catcher and four times as the designated hitter… delivered a two-out, two-run double in his first collegiate game… led off the ninth inning of a one-run game at Northwestern State with a pinch-hit single… went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored in the series finale at NSU… started each of the first five games of the spring break trip… recorded a three-hit game in the first of the two wins against Bucknell in Florida.

 

CRESTWOOD (Shepherd) – Mike Recchia, freshman, pitcher. Recchia pitched in 15 games and started seven times… posted victories in midweek games against Chicago State and Illinois after allowing only one earned run over four innings… struck out 17 over 17 innings in OVC play… was the starting pitcher in arguably EIU’s biggest win of the year, the OVC Tournament victory against regular-season champ Jacksonville State… worked 4 1/3 innings of three-run ball that night, striking out four while not issuing a walk… worked five innings of one-run ball in his first collegiate start, an extra-inning victory at Illinois State… started regular-season OVC games against Jacksonville State and Eastern Kentucky (both series finales)… gave up just three hits over four innings to an accomplished Illinois lineup in front of a big crowd in Mattoon… after uncorking three wild pitches against the first batter he faced in game two of the Murray State series, regrouped and worked 3 1/3 innings of shutout ball… pitched six innings of two-run relief in the nightcap of the Austin Peay doubleheader… struck out five over 3 1/3 innings as the starter in the regular-season finale at EKU.

 

DANVILLE (Danville) – Tyler Brandon, senior, pitcher. Brandon pitched in a team-high 26 games, including four of the six postseason contests… also led the team in ERA and batting average against… was the winning pitcher in the OVC Tournament championship game against Southeast Missouri… was also the winning pitcher in EIU’s first victory of the season, against Vermont on the spring break trip… led the nation with a 0.72 ERA the week of April 21-27… tough on right-handed hitters (.192, 25-for-130) and with two outs (.229, 16-for-70)… averaged 7 ½ strikeouts per nine innings… posted both of his saves in OVC play… gave up only three extra-base hits in 22 1/3 innings at home… did not give up an earned while pitching in eight of EIU’s 15 neutral-site games, registering a .136 batting average against… led the staff with a 2-1 record and 1.10 ERA in March… followed that up with a 1.33 ERA and .157 batting average against in April… did not give up a run in 5 1/3 innings over three appearances during the spring break trip… did not give an earned run over 17 1/3 innings while pitching in seven of EIU’s 11 midweek games… after pitching two innings of scoreless relief against nationally-ranked Missouri on April 22, had only allowed three earned runs over 37 1/3 innings to begin the season… pitched at least two innings over a stretch of 13 consecutive relief appearances… worked 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the victory in the OVC opener against Morehead State, which EIU won in walk-off fashion… closed out the opening games of the Tennessee-Martin and Murray State series on consecutive Saturdays with three innings of relief to earn saves... Top 10 OVC Rankings: second in batting average against, fourth in ERA and sixth in appearances… Top 100 National Rankings: 28th in fewest hits allowed per nine innings and 35th in ERA.

 

EVERGREEN PARK (St. Rita) – Sean Estand, freshman, third baseman/outfielder. Estand played in 24 games and started 14 times, primarily at third base… played a prominent role in the walk-off win against Morehead State in the OVC opener, knocking in the game-tying run with a single and scoring the game-winning tally… a three-run homer in the series finale against Morehead allowed him to collect five of his eight RBIs in OVC play… four of his five hits on the spring break were doubles… went 3-for-5 with three RBIs in the second of the two wins against Bucknell in Florida.

 

FOX RIVER GROVE (Cary-Grove) – Brett Nommensen, junior, outfielder. First Team All-OVC… NCAA Lincoln Regional All-Tournament Team… OVC All-Tournament Team… College Baseball Foundation National All-Star Lineup (May 7)… CollegeBaseballHub.com Heartland Region Hitter of the Week (May 5)… Nommensen was one of two Panthers to play in all 57 games, starting 56 times in center field… batted an impressive .557 (34-for-61) in May to raise his average from .336 on May 1 to .402 at the end of the season, becoming the 15th player in program history to bat .400 or better… led the team in batting average, hits, multi-hit games, runs scored, doubles, slugging percentage, walks, on-base-percentage, stolen bases and outfield assists… led the OVC in on-base percentage in both all games and conference play, establishing a new EIU single-season record in the program’s OVC era in the process… one of four Panthers that walked more than he struck out… was also hit by a pitch (15) more than he struck out… batted .432 with a .538 on-base percentage in OVC play, ranking second in the league in average… reached safely to begin an inning 55 percent of the time (44-of-80), and 64 percent of the time (23-of-36) in OVC play… left-handed hitter held his own against left-handed pitching, batting .339 (19-for-56) against southpaws… batted a team-best .426 (63-for-148) against right-handed pitchers… led the team in batting average with runners on (.422, 38-of-90 and runners in scoring position (.436, 24-for-55)… collected 16 of his 36 RBIs with two outs… finished the season riding a career-best, 12-game hitting streak, batting .540 (27-for-50) with 19 runs scored during the streak… the only game in May in which he did not hit safely he did not start… also ended the year having hit safely in the final eight OVC games of the season… collected a hit in 22 of the 26 conference contests altogether… reached base safely at least once in 52 of the 56 games for the year… batted leadoff a team-high 36 times… batted .486 (34-for-70) with a .829 slugging percentage at home… struck out just once in 61 at-bats in March… led the way with a 13-for-25 (.520) showing in the postseason, going 8-for-15 with eight runs scored at the OVC Tournament and 5-for-10 with six RBIs at the NCAA Regional… reached base safely in 12 of his 19 plate appearances at the OVC Tourney… registered multiple hits in each of the final five games of the regular season and the final four games of year overall… played a key roll in both of EIU’s walk-off wins, delivering the game-winning hit in the OVC opener against Morehead State and scoring the deciding run in the rubber game of the Southeast Missouri series… also came through with a two-out, two-run triple in the seventh inning to lift EIU to victory against Monmouth College on April 1… hit the first home run of the season by a Panther and also homered in the final game of the year… posted three four-hit games, including a 4-for-5 showing in the victory against regular-season champ Jacksonville State at the OVC Tournament… went 4-for-4 and reached base safely in each of his five plate appearances in the opener of the series at Tennessee Tech… reached base safely twice during EIU’s eight-run inning in the opener of the JSU series, capping the rally with a three-run double… was practically unstoppable in the Southeast Missouri series, finishing the three-game set 7-for-10 while reaching safely in 12 of his 14 plate appearances… recorded a multi-hit effort, scored a run and drew a walk in all three game of that series vs. SEMO… doubled three times, including a key ninth-inning two-bagger, in the rubber game win against SEMO…  went deep twice during the season-long, six-game homestand, hitting his first career home run at Coaches Stadium in the win against Chicago State… reached safely twice and knocked in a run during the 10-run sixth inning in the win against Evansville… posted his second career multi-RBI game in the NCAA Regional game against Nebraska, putting EIU ahead 5-3 with a two-out, two-run double in the fourth inning… hit a two-run homer, led off the ninth inning with a single (his 200th career hit) and scored the game-tying run in the Regional contest against Oral Roberts… Top 10 OVC Rankings: first in on-base percentage; third in batting average; fourth in hits, doubles and slugging percentage; fifth in stolen bases; sixth in total bases; seventh in runs scored; and eighth in walks… Top 100 National Rankings: 14th in on-base percentage, 38th in batting average, 55th in toughest to strikeout and 70th in hit by pitch… EIU Single-Season Rankings: second in hits, fifth in stolen bases, eighth in doubles and 17th in batting average… EIU All-Time Rankings: fifth in triples and stolen bases; eighth in runs scored; and ninth in hits.

 

HINSDALE (Hinsdale South) – Ryan Lindquist, junior, outfielder. Lindquist played in 55 games and started 50 times, primarily in right field… shared the team lead with four outfield assists… collected 10 of his 19 RBIs in OVC play while batting .284… his .424 on-base percentage in conference play was third best on the squad… reached base safely in all six postseason games en route to a 7-for-22 showing… reached safely as 43 percent of the time to begin an inning (18-of-42)… batted .321 (18-for-56) and was a perfect 6-for-6 in basestealing opportunities at home… bounced back from a tough April with a strong May, batting .364 with eight extra-base hits, nine RBIs, 14 runs scored and a .478 on-base percentage… threw out a runner at home from right field to end the top of the third inning in the OVC Tournament win against Jacksonville State… reached base safely in each of the final 13 games of the season… jumped started his season by hitting safely and driving in a run in all three games of the OVC-opening series against Morehead State… hit an opposite-field homer off the scoreboard in the blowout win against Illinois in Mattoon… also went deep in the series finale at Southeastern Louisiana and the opener of the Southeast Missouri series… delivered a big two-out, two-run double in the sixth inning of the victory against Vermont, the first win of the year… reached base safely in all four of his plate appearances, doubling twice, in the series opener at Tennessee Tech… walked three times in the series-opening wins against Murray State and Jax State… went 5-for-9 with a home run, three RBIs and four runs scored in the doubleheader split with Southeast Missouri… reached safely twice and knocked in a pair of runs during the 10-run sixth inning in the win against Evansville… reached base safely four times and scored twice in the must-win, regular-season finale at Eastern Kentucky… posted consecutive two-hit efforts in upset wins over top-seeds Samford and Jacksonville State at the OVC Tournament… ignited the comeback effort against Oral Roberts at the NCAA Regional with a leadoff double in the third inning, scoring EIU’s first run of the game.

 

LANSING (Thornton Fractional South) – Mike Hoekstra, freshman, pitcher. Hoekstra started five games, pitching at least six innings in each start, before an elbow injury ended his season… gave up no more than four runs in any of his five starts… worked seven innings of three-run ball to defeat Northern Iowa on the spring break trip for his first collegiate win… struck out six over six innings against Morehead State in his home debut, another victory… also pitched well enough to win against Southern Louisiana, Northwestern State and Vermont, earning no decisions in all three starts… gave up just four hits while striking out five against SELU in his collegiate debut… issued no more than two walks in any of starts.

 

LEBANON (Trenton-Wesclin) – Richie Derbak, sophomore, catcher/pitcher. CollegeBaseballHub.com Heartland Region Hitter of the Week (April 8)… Derbak played in 54 games and started 51 times, primarily at catcher… pitched in 12 games, starting twice… collected 27 of his 39 RBIs with two outs… collected 23 of his 39 RBIs in OVC play while walking more than he struck out… solid situational statistics: .327 with runners on, 5-for-8 with the bases loaded and .329 with runners in scoring position… on the mound, did not surrender a home run, limited right-handed hitters to a .250 batting average and averaged over eight strikeouts per nine innings… one of two Panthers to record a two-, three-, four- and five-RBI effort this season… batted .333 (15-for-45) at home, second best on the team… led the way with 12 RBIs in March while striking out just twice in 61 at-bats… batted .321 (18-for-56) in April… recorded 14 RBIs on only 12 hits in May… enjoyed a productive spring break trip, going 11-for-30 (.367) with eight RBIs… collected all four his RBIs at the OVC Tournament with two outs, delivering key two-run hits in the wins against Samford and Jacksonville State… also closed out the Jax State win on the mound, striking out the only batter he faced… homered twice and registered a career-high five RBIs (all with two outs) in must-win, regular-season finale at Eastern Kentucky… his first career multi-homer game was also the only such effort by a Panther in 2008… hit safely in eight straight games in early April, igniting the streak with a huge 6-for-9, nine-RBI series against Tennessee-Martin… recorded multiple RBIs and scored a run in all three games of the UTM sweep, hitting his first career homer en route to a four-RBI performance in the series finale… also hit safely in all three game of the subsequent series at Murray State… ignited the walk-off rally in the opener of the Morehead State series with a great at-bat and leadoff double… reached base safely in all four of his plate appearances, collected three RBIs and scored twice in the final game of the Morehead sweep… reached base safely twice and scored twice during EIU’s 10-run sixth inning in the win against Evansville… worked four innings of one-hit relief, striking out four, to earn the win at Illinois State… closed out the first of the two wins against Bucknell in Florida for a save… made his first collegiate start as a pitcher in the finale of the Samford series… also started the midweek game at Indiana State… escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth inning against Oral Roberts at the NCAA Regional… EIU-All Time Rankings: ninth in saves.

 

LERNA (Mattoon) – Ross Jeske, senior, pitcher. Jeske pitched in 21 games… three of his best outings of the season on big stages: vs. Illinois in Mattoon, against nationally-ranked Missouri in Metro St. Louis and vs. Oral Roberts at the NCAA Regional… worked two innings of scoreless relief to close out the Illinois win… kept EIU in the game against Mizzou with a career-high 4 1/3 innings of one-run relief… was the most effective Panther pitcher against ORU, working 3 1/3 innings of one-run relief… pitched in both Regional games… tossed 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief in the midweek win against Monmouth College… escaped a bases-loaded jam in the series opener at Eastern Kentucky en route to an inning and a third of hitless relief.

 

MAHOMET (Mahomet-Seymour) – Neil Wright, freshman, outfielder. Wright played in 28 games and started five times, including the season opener… led the team with three hits as a pinch hitter… collected four of his nine hits with runners in scoring position… enjoyed a productive spring break, going 5-for-9 with a double and two RBIs… posted a three-hit game and knocked in a pair of runs during the five-run fifth inning of the second of the two win against Bucknell on the spring break trip… registered a pinch hit single in back-to-back games against Samford and Southeast Missouri.

 

NAPERVILLE (Neuqua Valley) – Jordan Tokarz, junior, second baseman. OVC Tournament MVP… Tokarz started all 57 games at second base, the only Panther to start every game… batted in the top three in the lineup all season, hitting first, second and third 19 times each… collected multiple hits and scored a run in all six postseason games, batting .464 (13-for-28) with seven extra-base hits, seven RBIs and nine runs scored… tied the EIU single-season at-bats record… ranked second on the team in hits, multi-hit games, runs scored, RBIs, multi-RBI games and sacrifice bunts… one of four Panthers that walked more than he struck out… solid situational statistics: .319 with runners on, .307 with runners in scoring position and .313 with two outs… reached safely on an error a team-high 12 times… hit safely in nine straight games in early March, including all eight games of the spring break trip, and the final six games of the year… also scored a run in each of the final 10 games of the season… led the team with a .444 (28-for-63) average, 12 extra-base hits and 23 runs scored in neutral-site action… batted a team-high .342 (25-for-73) in March thanks to a 15-for-33 (.455) showing on the spring break trip… did not strikeout in 39 plate appearances on the spring break trip… batted .327 (16-for-49) with a team-high nine RBIs and only one strikeout in post-spring break midweek action… finished the OVC Tournament 9-for-19 with six extra-base hits, seven RBIs and six runs scored to win MVP honors… stayed hot at the NCAA Regional, going 4-for-9 with three runs scored… was a part of four of the EIU record five double plays turned in the series finale against Tennessee-Martin… ignited his great spring break trip with a home run in the trip opener against Western Michigian… posted five multi-hit efforts during the eight-game trip, highlighted by three-hit showings in the wins against IPFW and Northern Iowa… posted a four-hit effort in the extra-inning with at Illinois State… recorded consecutive three-hit games in the final two contests of the season-long homestand in early April, collecting five consecutive hits at one juncture… walked three times and scored twice in the blowout win of Illinois in Mattoon… homered, knocked in four runs and scored four times in regular-season win against Jacksonville State… homered and tripled in his first two at-bats against nationally-ranked Missouri… reached base safely four times, registering three run-scoring hits, in the game-two win of the Southeast Missouri series… doubled twice in the OVC Tournament win against Samford, delivering a game-winning, bases-clearing two-bagger in the ninth inning after SU intentionally walked Brett Nommensen to face him… hit a big two-run homer in the first inning of the OVC Tournament win against Jacksonville State… doubled in each of his first three at-bats of the OVC Tournament championship game… doubled in front of Zach Skidmore’s game-tying, two-run homer against Nebraska at the NCAA Regional… Top 10 OVC Rankings: 10th in doubles… Top 100 National Rankings: 84th in toughest to strikeout… EIU Single-Season Rankings: first in at-bats.

 

NEW BADEN (Trenton-Wesclin) – Tyler Kehrer, sophomore, pitcher. Kehrer pitched in 16 games, starting 13 times… started a game in eight of the nine OVC series, all but the conference-opening set… also started the OVC Tournament game against Samford and the NCAA Regional contest versus Oral Roberts… ranked second on the team in games started, innings pitched and strikeouts… posted a 2.87 ERA in conference play, ranking sixth in the league… pitched much more effectively than his record would indicate, as EIU was shutout in three of his eight conference starts… was EIU’s starting pitcher in both games against First Team All-OVC starters Christian Friedrich (EKU) and Ben Tootle (JSU), keeping the Panthers in the game and preventing both pitchers from earning a win against EIU… averaged 8 ½ strikeouts per nine innings… went 1-0 with a 2.28 ERA, 24 strikeouts and a .241 batting average against at home… gave up only two extra-base hits in 23 2/3 innings at home… led the team with a 3.46 ERA in true road games… went 1-1 with a 2.38 ERA and a .238 batting average against in four April starts… bounced back from a tough spring break trip with a solid midweek start against Southern Illinois, giving up just one run over five innings… did not give up an earned run over 5 1/3 innings at Tennessee Tech in his first OVC start of the season… surrendered just one earned run while striking out seven over seven innings to earn his first home win in the finale of the Tennessee-Martin series… matched his career high with eight strikeouts over 6 2/3 scoreless innings in game one of the doubleheader against Jacksonville State… worked 4 2/3 innings at Samford, the only two runs he allowed coming on a home run… closed the regular season strong, working 6 2/3 innings at Eastern Kentucky and only allowing two earned runs… pitched into sixth against Samford at the OVC Tournament, departing with EIU leading 4-2… Top 10 OVC Rankings: fifth in strikeouts and games started.

 

PLAINFIELD (Plainfield South) – Drake Chillman, redshirt-freshman, first baseman. Chillman played in 13 games and started the spring break trip finale against Bucknell and the midweek win at Illinois State… plated a run with sacrifice fly in game two of the Northwestern State series… registered a pinch hit RBI double against Western Michigan… recorded a run-scoring single during EIU’s five-run fifth inning against Bucknell.

 

QUINCY (Quincy Notre Dame) – Brian Morrell, junior, pitcher. ESPN the Magazine Second Team Academic All-America… ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District V… Morrell pitched in 24 games and started the Akron contest on the spring break trip… his flawless 4.0 GPA made him the program’s second Academic All-America honoree in as many years… was outstanding in OVC play, going 4-0 with a 1.23 ERA and .163 batting average… ranked second in the OVC in ERA and batting average against in conference play… was the winning pitcher in series finales against Murray State, Southeast Missouri and Eastern Kentucky… earned a win and a save at the OVC Tournament… surrendered only one extra-base hit in 29 1/3 innings pitched in league play… OVC hitters batted only .109 (5-for-46) against him with runners on… went 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA and .173 batting average against at home… was the only Panther to record multiple victories in true road games… jumpstarted his season in April, posting a 2-0 record with a 2.05 ERA and 1.69 batting average against… was the winning pitcher in three of EIU’s nine victories in May… began a streak of straight appearances without allowing a run with an inning and two-thirds of scoreless relief in the opener of the Tennessee Tech series… worked 4 2/3 innings of relief in the rubber-game win at Murray, allowing no earned runs… pitched seven innings of scoreless relief against Jacksonville State, giving up only three in the blowout win… struck out a career-high eight over seven innings of one-run relief against SEMO, allowing the Panthers to rally for a rubber-game win… was the first man out of the bullpen at the OVC Tournament and NCAA Regional, working 2 1/3 inning of hitless relief to earn a save against Tennessee Tech in the OVC Tourney… pitched 4 1/3 innings, giving up just one earned run, in the upset win over top-seeded JSU at the tournament... gave up nine hits against Jax State, but eight were singles… Top 10 OVC Rankings: ninth in appearances.

 

ROCHESTER (Rochester) – Ryan Green, freshman, pitcher. Green pitched in seven games… only had to throw one pitch to record his first career win in the midweek victory against Monmouth College… pitched a season-high inning and two-thirds in his collegiate debut, the middle game of the season-opening series at Southeastern Louisiana… pitched on back-to-back days twice: against Bucknell and Akron during the spring break trip and Monmouth and Chicago State during the season-long homestand in early April.

 

SPRINGFIELD (Sacred Heart-Griffin) – Alex Gee, sophomore, first baseman/DH. Gee played in 46 games and started 34 times, primarily at first base… ended the year as the starting first baseman and was in the starting lineup in 14 of the final 15 games of the season… hit all four of his home runs in May, going deep in each of the final three games of the season… connected for a solo shot off the scoreboard in OVC Tournament championship game, hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning of the NCAA Regional contest against Nebraska and connected for a solo shot in the fifth inning of the Regional game against Oral Roberts… became the first Panther since the ’07 spring break trip to go deep in three straight games… walked eight times during the final three weeks of the season after drawing only two free passes in the first 10 weeks of the year… batted .327 (16-for-49) with runners in scoring position… collected 12 of his 25 RBIs with two outs… batted .283 with 14 RBIs in May… went 4-for-14 with six RBIs during the spring break trip… was the only EIU regular that did not strikeout at the OVC Tournament… finished the NCAA Regional 3-for-8 with four RBIs, four runs scored and two walks… posted three-hit efforts in the opener of the Northwestern State series and finale of the Eastern Kentucky series… delivered a big three-run double in the first of the two victories against Bucknell during the spring break trip… after seeing limited action in April, returned to a prominent roll in the lineup with a early two-run double in game two of the doubleheader against Southeast Missouri… collected a pair of RBIs during the 10-run sixth inning in the win against Evansville… collected a career-high four RBIs, hitting his first career homer, in the must-win, regular-season finale at EKU… recorded a pair of hits during EIU’s nine-run fifth inning in that win at EKU.

 

TINLEY PARK (Andrew) – Scott Foley, sophomore, pitcher. Foley pitched in 25 games, the second most on the team… led the squad with six saves… led the team with a 1.00 ERA in OVC play, giving up just one earned run in nine innings pitched… surrendered only one extra-base hit in OVC play and just three total for the entire season… did not surrender a home run in 29 innings pitched this season… recorded a win and a save at the OVC Tournament… missed much of April with a strained muscle in his side but returned in May and was a key part of the bullpen during the postseason run… did not give up a run in 10 innings pitched at home, compiling a 2-0 record and three saves… gave up just one earned run in 13 innings pitched in neutral-site action… managed to record a victory and two saves in his five April appearances before the injury… went 2-1 with two saves and a 2.70 ERA in eight appearances in May… bounced back from tough start to the season with a pair of saves and five innings of one-run relief during the spring break trip… went 1-0 with a save and a 1.12 ERA in his three postseason appearances… closed out the Vermont win, the team’s first victory of the season, with a 1-2-3 inning… finished off the Northern Iowa win despite allowing four batters to reach over two innings… closed out the first two games of the season-long homestand in early April… held a one-run with two innings of scoreless relief in the opener of the Austin Peay series, escaping a pair of bases-loaded jams in the ninth inning… struck out three over 2 2/3 innings of scoreless en route to earning the win in OVC Tournament victory against Samford… worked three innings of one-hit ball to close out the OVC Tournament championship game… kept EIU in the game in the NCAA Regional contest against Oral Roberts with a 2 1/3 innings of one-run relief… Top 10 OVC Rankings: fourth in saves and seventh in appearances... EIU Single-Season Rankings: seventh in saves... EIU All-Time Rankings: seventh in saves.

 

TINLEY PARK (Andrew) – Curt Restko, sophomore, outfielder. Restko played in 54 games and started 51 times, all in left field… batted in a team-high six different spots in the lineup, all but third through fifth… started all 26 OVC games, one of just three Panthers to do so… ranked as the toughest player to strikeout in the OVC, fanning just once every 18.4 at-bats… one of four Panthers that walked more than he struck out… add up his free passes (23) and team-high nine sacrifice bunts, and he struck out only once every 21.6 plate appearances… struck out just once in 63 April at-bats… went 62 at-bats and 76 plate appearances without a strikeout until the streak was ended by OVC Pitcher of the Year Christian Friedrich on May 16… batted .345 (30-for-87) in OVC play while striking out just four times in 87 at-bats… excelled at the plate with runners on base, batting .396 (38-for-96) with runners on and .364 (20-for-55) with runners in scoring position… went 5-for-6 in the sweep-completing win against Morehead State, posting the only five-hit game by a Panther this season and first since May ‘06… did not strikeout in 66 home at-bats while batting .318 (21-for-66)… batted over .300 in March (.333, 19-for-57) and May (.315, 17-for-54)… hit safely in all three games of the Murray State and Southeast Missouri series… went 9-for-25 with four RBIs and five runs scored while not striking out during the spring break trip… struck out just once in the 11 post-spring break midweek games… went 4-for-21 with six runs scored in the postseason… cemented his place in starting lineup with a combined 6-for-10, four-RBI performance in the first two wins of the year… record four hits, including a key two-run double in the five-run fifth inning, in the victory against IPFW… scored three times to go along with his five-hit effort in the finale of the Morehead series… hit safely in seven straight games in mid-April, batting .344 (11-for-32) with 11 runs scored during the streak… after collecting three hits in game one of the Southeast Missouri doubleheader, hit a big two-run homer during EIU’s five-run third inning in the nightcap… ignited the walk-off rally in the rubber game of the SEMO series with a leadoff single in the ninth inning… reached base safely twice and knocked in a pair of runs during the 10-run sixth inning in the win over Evansville… knocked in EIU’s first run with a base hit in the NCAA Regional game against Oral Roberts… also singled in front of Brett Nommensen’s two-run homer against ORU… Top 100 National Rankings: 22nd in toughest to strikeout.

 

TINLEY PARK (Andrew) – Bart Thyer, freshman, catcher. Thyer played in 27 games and started eight times… filled in admirably as the backup catcher… walked more than he struck out, one of four Panthers to accomplish the feat… led the reserves with a .432 on-base percentage… reached base safely to begin an inning 50 percent of the time (6-of-12)… collected four RBIs and scored five runs at home thanks to four sacrifice hits and eight free passes… went 4-for-13 while not striking out in true road action… made the most of his limited playing time in May, going 2-for-6 with two RBIs, four runs scored, five free passes and two sacrifice bunts… was behind the plate for the final out of the OVC Tournament win against Jacksonville State… also caught the final inning and a third of the NCAA Regional game against Oral Roberts… was intentionally walked by ORU in the ninth inning in his lone postseason plate appearance… walked and delivered a two-run single in a reserve roll in the middle game of the Northwestern State series… scored a pair of runs in the win against Monmouth College… put EIU ahead to stay with a two-out, two-run single in the victory over Chicago State… drew four free passes, scored three times, registered a pair of sacrifice bunts and knocked in a run during the Southeast Missouri series… drew a key walk in the ninth of the rubber-game win against SEMO and his pinch runner scored the game-tying run… went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored at Indiana State.

URBANA (Urbana) – Tristan Facer, senior, first baseman/pitcher. Facer started 49 times, seeing action at pitcher, first base and designated hitter… started 11 games on the mound, including the regular-season and OVC openers and the OVC Tournament championship game… also pitched in relief three times… started a team-high 32 times at first base… was the DH throughout the postseason… delivered the game-winning hit in two notable victories: a two-run homer in the 11th inning at Illinois State and a walk-off, two-run single in the ninth inning of the rubber game of the Southeast Missouri series… led the team with six home runs and ranked second among the regulars in on-base percentage… batted .323 while collecting 19 of his 28 RBIs in OVC play… reached safely to begin an inning 45 percent of the time (14-of-31)… collected 14 of his 28 RBIs with two outs… batted .300 (12-for-40) with 14 RBIs and 11 walks to only six strikeouts at home… went 2-0 with a 3.48 ERA and .225 batting average against in his four neutral-site appearances on the mound… batted .340 (16-for-47) with three home runs and 10 RBIs in April… collected 14 RBIs and 15 walks in May… won both of his starts (vs. IPFW and Bucknell) during the spring break trip… walked a team-high seven times during the postseason while also collecting four RBIs and scoring four times… walked at least once in all six postseason contests while also driving in a run in four of the six… hit big home runs early in series-opening wins against Tennessee-Martin and Murray State… also went deep in the second inning of the OVC Tournament victory over Samford… collected a season-high four RBIs in the series finale against UTM and SEMO, both EIU victories… hit safely in six straight games in mid-April… hit a solo home run and pitched of scoreless relief in the midweek game against nationally-ranked Missouri… teamed with Zach Skidmore for back-to-back home runs at Indiana State… delivered three run-scoring hits in the must-win, regular-season finale at Eastern Kentucky, highlighted by a two-out, first-inning double that led to a five-run rally… scored the game-tying run from first base on a two-out double by Richie Derbak in the sixth inning of the OVC Tournament win against Samford… plated the game-tying run in the seventh inning of the NCAA Regional game Oral Roberts with a sacrifice fly… gave up just one earned run over eight innings in IPFW victory… pitched seven innings against Bucknell to earn another victory in the finale of the spring break trip… struck out eight over 5 1/3 innings against Morehead State in the home and OVC opener… was solid in both of his starts against Southeast Missouri, working 4 1/3 innings to earn a win in game two of the regular-season doubleheader and 4 2/3 innings in the OVC Tournament title game to set the stage for the EIU victory… retired the first nine batters he faced and did not give up a hit until the fifth against SEMO in Paducah.

More Info: Contact Ben Turner, Asst. SID