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RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University baseball team will play the last leg of a long homestand this weekend when the Colonels host Ohio Valley Conference foe SIUE in a three-game series at Turkey Hughes Field.

EKU (9-15, 1-2 OVC) enters the weekend having won two straight, as the Colonels edged Jacksonville State, 3-2, in last weekend’s series finale before blitzing Marshall with nine doubles in a 10-3 midweek victory.

EKU begins the second weekend of conference play seventh in the OVC with a .260 team batting average. Senior Richie Rodriguez belted a pair of doubles in the win over Marshall and leads the Colonels with a .356 batting average, eight home runs, 24 RBI and 19 runs scored. The veteran shortstop has also drawn a team-best 18 walks, compared to just six strikeouts. Junior Austin Grisham is hitting at a .327 clip for the Colonels while sophomore Bryan Soloman has four doubles in EKU’s last four games and now leads the team with 10 two-baggers.

SIUE (13-11, 2-1 OVC) is playing a full OVC baseball schedule for the first time in 2012. The Cougars are eligible for the OVC regular season championship; however, they are not eligible for OVC or NCAA postseason play until 2013. SIUE took two of three games from OVC foe Eastern Illinois last weekend at home. The Cougars are currently eighth in the league with a .252 team batting average. James Vasquez (.302) is the only Cougar batting above .300, and he also leads the squad with 21 runs scored.

EKU will alter its weekend pitching rotation, as senior right-hander Matt Harris (2-3, 7.25 ERA) will pitch game one and junior left-hander Shane Grimm (2-4, 4.06 ERA), who allowed just one run in 6.2 innings of work in Sunday’s win over JSU, will go in game two. EKU’s game three starter has yet to be determined.

EKU is sixth in the OVC with a 6.34 team ERA, but the Colonel pitching staff has posted a much-improved 2.50 ERA over the four games.

SIUE will respond with right-hander Travis Felax (4-1, 3.29 ERA) in game one, right-hander Josh Hoguet (1-4, 9.39 ERA) in game two and right-hander Thad Hawkins (1-0, 3.57 ERA) in game three.

SIUE has a 5.22 team ERA, fourth best in the conference. The Cougar pitching staff limited the Colonels to just three runs in last year’s three-game series in Edwardsville.

This weekend’s series will also pit two of the top fielding teams in the league against each other, as SIUE leads the OVC with a .978 fielding percentage and EKU is tied for second in the conference with a .967 fielding percentage.

EKU is 3-3 all-time against SIUE, as the Colonels swept the Cougars in Richmond in 2010 and the Cougars swept the Colonels in Edwardsville in 2011.