Eastern Illinois University announced on April 2 that its softball team will host UT Martin for an Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) series at Williams Field in Charleston. The games are scheduled for April 3 and 4, following the Panthers’ recent non-conference loss to Indiana State, which ended their school-record 15-game winning streak.
The upcoming matchup is significant as Eastern Illinois leads the OVC with a perfect 12-0 record and stands at 20-17 overall. Their opponent, UT Martin, holds a 21-15 overall record and is tied for second place in the conference at 9-3. The Skyhawks recently won two out of three games against SIUE.
Senior pitcher Karlie McKenzie has contributed notably to the Panthers’ season, recording a complete game win over Bradley and a shutout against Western Illinois last week. She also ranks second in career saves at Eastern Illinois with eight total saves. Lizzie Stiverson has been performing well offensively, raising her season batting average to .320 after hitting .533 during five games against Western Illinois.
Freshman Brooklyn Groppel played an important role last weekend by delivering a key two-run pinch hit and finishing with four runs batted in (RBI). Junior Alisha Frederick has reached base in thirteen consecutive games, leading the team with an on-base percentage of .411 and ranking third in the OVC for walks drawn this year.
The Panthers have excelled as a team offensively, batting over .300 for two straight weeks and averaging just over five runs per game during recent matchups. Multiple players have led or tied for top spots in categories such as hits and RBIs.
Eastern Illinois holds a historical advantage over UT Martin with a 52-36 all-time lead in their series. The Panthers have won eight of their last nine meetings against the Skyhawks. Looking ahead, Eastern Illinois will travel to Southeast Missouri for another OVC series next week.
