Tulsa Invite Info (host)
South Dakota State
Texas State
UMKC
Creighton (not scheduled to play)

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- The Eastern Illinois softball returns to the diamond this weekend, as the squad is scheduled to compete at the multi-team Tulsa Embassy Suites Invitational.  The original schedule has been significantly altered due to potential inclement weather over the weekend.

Other teams competing include Creighton, South Dakota State, Texas State, UMKC, and the host Hurrican unit.

The Panthers, who finished last weekend's season-opening George State Invite with an even 2-2 mark and championship trophy, will face almost every team, sans Creighton, ash the current schedule has been tweaked and altered several times due to unstable weather possibilities.

Eastern will battle South Dakota State at 11 am on Saturday, followed by a 5 pm nightcap with Texas State. On Sunday, EIU will play in the final scheduled games, first against UMKC at noon and then at Tulsa at 2 pm.

TULSA EMBASSY SUITES INVITE SCHEDULE:
.. Donna Hardesty Sports Complex in Tulsa, Okla.

Friday, February 26
2 pm … Texas State vs. UMKC
4 pm … SDSU at Tulsa
6 pm … UMKC at Tulsa

Saturday, February 27
9 am … UMKC vs. Creighton
11 am … EIU vs. South Dakota State
3 pm … Creighton vs. South Dakota State
5 pm … EIU vs. Texas State

Sunday, February 28
10 am … Texas State vs. Creighton
12 pm … EIU vs. UMKC
2 pm … EIU at Tulsa

QUICK LOOK AT THE WEEKEND WEATHER FORECAST
A very popular website during this time of year for outdoor sports, weather.com calls for temps between 41 and 53 degrees for the high, with lows expected in the high 20's/low 30's. However, no snow, rain or bad weather is predicted, with sunny or party-sunny skies projected.

SCHUETTE'S PRE-WEEKEND THOUGHTS
“I'm looking forward to the pitching staff getting more innings and each of them continuing to learn to be a starter, middle reliever, and closer. Each of the three pitchers brings something very different to opponents, whether it is speed, off speeds, up/down movement or right to left movement. Overall, we are looking forward to getting outside again and back on the field this weekend. Tulsa has a nice facility and runs a good tournament. Along with playing the strong Hurricane program, we will see some new teams this year in SDSU and Texas State.”

SCOUTING THE SDSU JACKRABBITS
SDSU brings an early 3-7 spring record into the weekend. Leading the squad with a .333 average is freshman outfielder Devon Reick off ten hits, including one double, while she has accounted for four RBIs. She also ties for stolen bases going 2-for-3 thus far. Senior infielder Kelsey Lunn and sophomore catcher Morgan McCabe follow with .296 and .294 batting mark with 13 total hits between them. Junior Dani Broshar and Marlee Petersen have the two lone homers for SDSU. In the pitchers circle, freshman Kori Seidlitz leads with a 3.73 ERA, off a 2-4 overall record. She has recorded 22 Ks and 17 walks, while scattering 36 hits and 22 runs. This weekend's matchup will be the first-ever meeting between SDSU and Eastern.

QUICK LOOK AT TEXAS STATE
Originally not on the Panthers' schedule for the weekend (as EIU was supposed to play Creighton), TSU enters at 2-7 on the year. Freshman Haley Lemons' .400 average leads her squad, off 10 hits, including three doubles. Fellow newcomer Anna Hernandez has slugged the team's lone bombs, with two so far, plus three doubles. Hernandez ties senior Leah Boatright with four RBIs. Sophomore thrower Chandler Hall brings a 2-3 record and 4.64 ERA this weekend, having retired 42 batters and walking 15, while teams hit .273 against her behind 38 total hits and 23 earned runs. The Panthers have faced TSU only once during the Division I years, losing a tight 2-3 game back in 2003.

KANGAROOS JUMP INTO INVITE
EIU's third opponent, UMKC, owns a 2-6 mark as well prior to the weekend. Leading the squad in hitting are sophomores Kaelen Curry and Kelly Fischer with .400 and .391 marks, respectively. Curry has seven RBIs off eight hits, including three double-baggers, while Fischer has nine total hits leading her squad. Fischer also is 5-for-6 in stolen bases. Sophomore Anna Sokolik and senior Carli Slagle have recorded two triples and the lone homer, respectively. In the circle, Sokolik also owns the Roo's top ERA at 4.35 but is 0-0 on the year, while freshman Deanna Friese has seen the most action, going 2-5 off 39 strikeouts, 17 walks and allowing 36 hits and 20 of 25 runs earned. This weekend will mark the ninth Division I meeting between the two teams, with the Panthers a perfect 8-0 against the Roos in past competition.

TIME TO LOOK AT TULSA
The host Hurricane, 3-7 on the year, have three players with homeruns so far this season, with senior Lauren Lindsay and freshman Samantha Cobb each with three, while Lindsay has two doubles and 13 total hits. Cobb, meanwhile, leads with nine RBIs and a perfect 4-for-4 in stolen bases. Junior thrower Jordan Kinard has a 2.13 ERA behind a 1-2 record, having struck out 38 and walked 18. Eleven of the 17 runs against her have been earned, and she has held the opposition to a .205 batting average. Tulsa leads EIU in the all-time Division series, 4-1.

AND NOW FOR OUR PANTHERS
EIU opened the season with a 2-2 mark last weekend, losing the first two before taking each of the last two games, including a 6-2 win over the host Georgia State squad, to capture the title of the invite and avenging an earlier loss to GSU the day before.

Eastern dropped an eight-inning game to ETSU, 2-1, prior to losing the first meeting against the GSU Panthers, 4-1. EIU turned it around with a 12-2 rout of Temple in just five innings of work and then topped the host squad in the first-place contest.

Three Panthers own a hitting mark over .400, with sophomore Ashley Anderton leading at .455 off five hits on 11 at-bats, including two doubles. Juniors Melinda Jackson and Kiley Holtz both sport .444 batting averages, with four hits each. Jackson has already chalked up two homers on the season to lead with five RBIs.

Junior thrower Amber May owns an even 1-1 record in the circle, yet owns a nice .55 ERA, having only one of four total runs scored against her earned. She has 11 Ks and just one walk. Freshman Hailie Ray is 1-0 via four strikeouts, two walks and 2.33 ERA.

Overall, 13 letterwinners are back for Eastern this year, including the entire outfield, and a majority of the infield as seven position players are set to take on the competition, with the addition of six newcomers to assist the squad.

AROUND THE HORN WITH POTENTIAL EIU STARTERS
With a weekend under their belt, coach Schuette is able to tweak the potential starting lineup, including the tentative following lineup:
P … junior Amber May; freshmen Natalie Wunderlich & Hailie Ray
C ... sophomore Hailee Hanna
1B ... junior Melinda Jackson
2B ... Sophomores Jen Saucier or Maria Sorrentino, in place of injured freshman Ally Seplak, who is getting over a concussion from last weekend and will likely not play
3B ... junior Kiley Holtz
SS ... senior Megan Nelson
LF ... freshman Melise Brown
CF ... senior Angie Danca
RF ... senior Denee' Menzione
… along with sophomore Hayley Pieper possibly returning to the outfield at some point, while also being placed on base as a pinch-runner.
DP ... sophomores Ashley Anderton or Amanda Bilina

PANTHERS KEEP ON STREAKING
Seven players enter the weekend with a hitting streak, as three, Melinda Jackson, Kiley Holtz and Hailey Hanna, currently riding a two-game streak with at least one base hit. Holtz and Ashley Anderton both have two multi-hit games under their belt as well.

CAT BURGLARS
EIU is an impressive 7-for-8 in stolen bases so far this year, with freshman Melise Brown leading with three base thefts on three attempts.

EIU LEADS IN STATISTICAL CATEGORIES
The Panthers lead their opposition in several categories already this year, including hitting (.283 to .192), hits (28 to 19), runs (20 to 10), RBIs (18 to 10) and stolen bases (seven to one), and tying for total at-bats with 99 each. The EIU bullpen also lead their opponents for ERA (1.81 to 4.58) walks (six to 12), hits allowed (10 to 20), and earned runs (seven to 17).

FOUR ALL-OVC HONOREES RETURN
Junior infielder/catcher Kiley Holtz, junior pitcher Amber May, and sophomore catcher Hailee Hanna, each picked up their first career All-OVC kudos last spring, as Holtz was named to the Second Team, and both May and Hannah were tabbed for All-Newcomer squad selections. In addition, two-time OVC All-Tournament award winner, Megan Nelson, returns for her final year in the Panther infield.

MENZIONE SET TO ADD TO HER HOMERUN TOTALS
Senior Denee' Menzione finished the 2009 campaign with eight homeruns, tying former EIU standout Sandyn Short's 2004 total. That gives her a career total of 19 bombs, just four short of tying Short's milestone of 23 homers. Last year, the outfielder also led all Panthers with 40 RBIs behind 47 hits, a .446 slug percentage, and 32 runs scored. Her four-bag numbers were a big reason the 2009 squad was able to set a new single-season homer tally with 27 smashes.

DANCA AT HOME IN CENTER FIELD
The third senior of 2010, Angie Danca, returns after having played in center field in every game last season. In the hitting game, Danca registered two of the three triples delivered by a Panther in 2009.

MAY MAKES NICE OVC DEBUT LAST SEASON
Amber May, who transferred to EIU last season, had an impressive first season in the throwers' circle last year. She finished with 191 strikeouts behind 250 innings pitched and a 2.01 ERA, behind a 17-19 overall mark in 30 complete games. Not only was she named to the OVC All-Newcomer squad, she also earned two league 'Pitcher of the Week' honors and was named to the All-Tourney squad at the season-opening New Mexico State Invite last year.

FOUR RETURNING STARTERS PLAYED EVERY GAME IN 2009
Danca, Holtz, Menzione, Megan Nelson were the backbone of the EIU season last year as each player started every contest in 2009, as Danca batted in the second spot in all but one game last year, while Nelson opened the batting order 40 times, and Menzione hit cleanup in 37 contests.

PANTHERS PICKED SIXTH
In the 2010 preseason predicted order of finish pool, EIU has been tabbed to repeat in the sixth spot, tying Eastern Kentucky, as voted on by league head coaches.  Jacksonville State, which won the regular-season last season yet needed an at-large berth to advance to the NCAA Super Regional for the first time in league history, has been picked to repeat as champion. UT Martin, who won the 2009 conference tourney to earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAAs, is ranked a close second.

Complete preseason poll is as follows: 1. Jacksonville State (Six first-place votes) - 76; 2. UT Martin (Two first-place votes) - 65; t3. Southeast Missouri (One first-place vote) - 60; t3. Tennessee Tech - 60; 5. Morehead State (One first-place vote) - 58; t6. Eastern Illinois - 36; t6. Eastern Kentucky - 36; 8. Murray State - 23; 9. Tennessee State - 22; and 10. Austin Peay - 13.

MURRAY STATE FINALLY PICKS UP SOFTBALL
Starting this season, OVC member Murray State will field the program's first-ever softball squad, joining the rest of the league field, and will visit Charleston to take the Panthers' at their own home finale weekend.