LIVE STATS

RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University baseball team will open conference play this weekend when the Colonels host preseason OVC favorite Eastern Illinois in a three-game series at Turkey Hughes Field.

The teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1:00 p.m. and a single game on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

The Colonels (8-11) split a home-and-home series with Miami University this week, defeating the RedHawks at home on Tuesday, 7-3, before falling on the road the next day, 11-3.

The Panthers (4-15) beat Chicago State, 4-1, in their home opener on Tuesday, but dropped one on the road to Southern Illinois, 8-9, on Wednesday.

EKU’s rotation for the weekend will be junior right-hander Stephen Hefler, junior left-hander Paul Duncan and freshman right-hander Anthony Bazzani.

EIU’s rotation will be junior right-hander Mike Recchia, sophomore right-hander Mike Hoekstra and junior right-hander Brent McNeil.

The Colonels have been led offensively in 2010 by preseason All-American and Co-OVC Player of the Year Jayson Langfels. The slugging third baseman is hitting .438 with 10 doubles, three triples, six home runs and 21 RBI.

Langfels, however, is not the only Colonel swinging a hot bat this season. Sophomore Richie Rodriguez is currently in the midst of an OVC-best 12-game hitting streak, junior Ryan Faidley is batting .382 and senior Anthony Ottrando leads EKU with 24 RBI from the cleanup spot in the lineup.

The Colonels, as a team, are batting .305 on the season.

EIU enters this weekend hitting .248 as a team; however, that number is misleading considering the tough non-conference schedule the Panthers have played. They are led by Zach Borenstein, who is hitting .304 with seven doubles, four home runs and 21 RBI. Preseason All-American Richie Derbak is hitting just .229 this season and will look to get on track this weekend with the start of OVC play.

This weekend will be somewhat of an anomaly as the Colonels have played the Panthers the past two seasons in the final conference weekend of the year, not the inaugural conference weekend. EKU had to beat EIU in the final game of both of those series to qualify for the OVC Tournament, and was denied both times.

EIU holds a slim margin in the all-time series between the two schools, 23-22.

The Colonels are 6-4 in conference openers over the last decade.