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RICHMOND, Ky. - If the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team is to make the OVC Tournament, it will have to go through the first place team in the conference, Eastern Illinois, to do it. The Colonels travel to face the Panthers this weekend at Coaches Stadium in their final series of the regular season.

This weekend's doubleheader will take place Friday with the first game beginning at 2:00 p.m. EST. Saturday's single game is also set to get underway at 2:00 p.m. EST.

The Colonels (26-22, 9-11 OVC) control their own destiny. If they win two or more games this weekend, they're in the tournament. If they do not win at least two games, they will have to win one more game than Morehead State does and hope Austin Peay does not sweep.

Morehead State plays at third-place SEMO this weekend, while Austin Peay travels to second-place Murray State.

The situation is eerily familiar to EKU. Last year, the Colonels had to sweep EIU in the final series of the year at Turkey Hughes Field to make the OVC Tournament. They won the first two games of the series before falling in the finale, 20-7. 

EIU went on to win the OVC Tournament.

This weekend's series is a showdown between the two best hitting teams in the league. EIU enters the weekend tops in the country with a .366 team batting average, while EKU is second in the OVC with a .350 team batting average. The hard-hitting Colonels are also fifth in the country in scoring, plating an average of 9.6 runs per game.

Sophomore Jayson Langfels and senior Matt Davis lead the Colonels' explosive offense. 

Langfels leads the OVC in batting average (.446), RBI (69), on-base percentage (.506) and slugging percentage (.830). The third-baseman is also tops in the country in RBI per game )1.64).

The speedy Davis, meanwhile, leads the OVC in runs scored (70) and stolen bases (24).

Senior Tyler Rehmel (.401 batting average), freshman Jacob Daniel (.363 batting average) and junior Anthony Ottrando (.350 batting average) are also having standout seasons for the Colonels. 

In the series against EIU last year, Ottrando led the Colonels to wins in the first two games, going 2-for-3 in the second game of the series with a solo blast, two runs and an RBI.

A pair of sophomores will start on the mound for EKU this weekend. Right-hander Matt Fyffe will go in game one while left-hander Paul Duncan is slated to pitch game two. The Colonels' game three starter has yet to be determined.

Fyffe is 4-4 this season with a 7.55 ERA. The hard-throwing right-hander out of Paintsville, Ky. leads the Colonel staff with 52 strikeouts.

Duncan has posted a 6-6 record this year to accompany a 6.10 ERA. The southpaw was named a National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball two weeks ago after hurling only the sixth no-hitter in EKU history against Chicago State.

EIU (34-10, 12-3 OVC)  became the first OVC school since 1996 to break into the national polls when they entered the Collegiate Baseball News poll at No. 27 on April 6.

The Panthers are led at the plate by Richie Derbak (.425 batting average) and Jordan Kreke (.407 batting average).

EIU's projected rotation for the weekend is RHP Josh Mueller (7-0, 4.14 ERA), RHP Mike Recchia (8-1, 2.73 ERA) and LHP Tyler Kehrer (4-3, 4.42 ERA).