JACKSON, Tenn. – The No. 2 seed Eastern Kentucky University baseball team opens play in the 2012 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament on Thursday at 4:00 p.m ET at Pringles Park. The red-hot Colonels are seeking their first OVC Tournament title since 1989.

Tournament play begins on Wednesday afternoon, as No. 4 seed Eastern Illinois and No. 5 seed Morehead State meet in the opener at 4:00 p.m. ET, followed by No. 3 seed Jacksonville State and No. 6 seed Southeast Missouri in the nightcap at 8:00 p.m. ET The Colonels, who are making their third consecutive appearance in the OVC Tournament, will play the highest-seeded team of the winners of those two games on Thursday.

EKU (31-21, 19-7 OVC) won its final seven conference games of the season to share its first OVC regular season title since 2000 with Austin Peay (34-21, 19-7 OVC). The Govs received the top seed in the tournament because they took two-of-three games from the Colonels during the regular season.

EKU brings an explosive offense into postseason play, as the Colonels lead the nation in home runs per game (1.25) and they lead the OVC in slugging percentage (.482), doubles (12), triples (21), home runs (65) and total bases (902).

First team All-OVC shortstop Richie Rodriguez is the engine of that offense. The senior lead-off man is tops on the team in almost every major offensive category, including batting average (.379), hits (77), runs (58), doubles (18), total bases (140), slugging percentage (.690) and on-base percentage (.472). First-team All-OVC outfielder Jacob Daniel (.307 batting average, seven triples, 48 RBI) and second team All-OVC second baseman Dustin Dunlop (.312 batting average, 36 runs scored, 21 walks) are also key hitters in a balanced and veteran Colonel lineup.

OVC Pitcher of the Year Matt Fyffe (9-0, 1.51 ERA), second team All-OVC left-hander Shane Grimm (6-4, 3.14 ERA) and senior right-hander Matt Harris (5-5, 5.68 ERA) lead an EKU pitching staff that has posted a league-best 3.78 ERA during conference play. The Colonels’ pitching rotation for the tournament has yet to be determined.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Wednesday, May 23
Game 1 - #4 Eastern Illinois vs. #5 Morehead State, 4:00 p.m.
Game 2 - #3 Jacksonville State vs. #6 Southeast Missouri, 8:00 p.m.

Thursday, May 24
Game 3 - Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 12:00 p.m.
Game 4 - #2 Eastern Kentucky vs. Highest Seed of Games 1/2 Winners, 4:00 p.m.
Game 5 - #1 Austin Peay vs. Lowest Seed of Games 1/2 Winners, 8:00 p.m.

Friday, May 25
Game 6 - Winner Game 3 vs. Lowest Seed of Games 4/5 Losers, 12:00 p.m.
Game 7 - Winner Game 6 vs. Highest Seed of Games 4/5 Losers, 4:00 p.m.
Game 8 - Winner game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 26
Game 9 - Winner Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8, 1:00 p.m.
Game 10 - Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9, 4:30 p.m.

Sunday, May 27 (if necessary)
Game 11 - Winner Game 10 vs. Loser Game 10, 1:00 p.m.

(all times ET)

GAMEDAY INFORMATION

Baseball Championship Central
PDF Bracket

Video Streaming
-- Click here to watch the entire 2012 OVC Baseball Tournament live for FREE at OVCSports.TV!

Live Audio
-- Click here for a FREE online broadcast of the all the Colonels' games! This broadcast will also be available locally at WEKY 1340-AM. WEKY is now streaming on most mobile devices. Download the TuneIn Radio app, available for iPhone/iPod/iPad, Android, Blackberry, Palm and Windows Phone.

Live Stats
-- Click here for live stats of all tournament games!

Tickets
-- Click here for information on tickets to the OVC Baseball Tournament!

Directions
-- Click here for directions to Pringles Park!