RICHMOND, Ky. – After winning two straight weekend series, including the first conference series of the season, Eastern Kentucky University will play its first Atlantic Sun Conference road series of 2026 this weekend at North Alabama.
 
The series begins with an 8 p.m. ET game on Friday.  Game two of the set is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.  The finale will be Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.  All three games will air live on ESPN+.
 
THE COLONELS
-  EKU is 7-14 overall and 2-1 in ASUN games.  Over the last two weekends the Colonels won a non-conference series against Illinois State and started league play by winning two of three at home over Central Arkansas.  EKU trailed No. 22 Tennessee 6-2 after five innings before the Vols pulled away for a 10-3 victory in a midweek contest on Tuesday.
 
-  Pedro Moreno is on the Brooks Wallace Award watch list.  The award honors the top shortstop in college baseball.
 
-  Jack Bell, a senior who spent the last two seasons at NCAA Division II Mississippi College, has made eight appearances for the Colonels and leads the team with four saves.  He pitched a scoreless inning at No. 22 Tennessee on Tuesday.
 
-  Freshman right-hander Johnny Bingham pitched a scoreless inning of relief at Tennessee on Tuesday.  He retired all three batters he faced on seven total pitches.
 
-  Carson van Haaren and Jacob Price have both made five weekend starts this season.  van Haaren, a sophomore righty, is 0-3 with 17 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings.  Price, a redshirt junior right-hander, is 2-1 with a 3.64 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 29 2/3 innings.  He turned in a quality start against Central Arkansas, allowing two runs and striking out six in six innings.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
-  North Alabama sits at 8-13 overall and 1-2 in ASUN games.  The Lions lost two of three at Lipscomb to open ASUN play last weekend and then suffered a 10-9 loss at home to Tennessee Tech on Tuesday.
 
-  Nash Rippen leads the team in average (.333), runs (19), home runs (7) and is tied for the team lead with 19 RBIs.  The senior outfielder has also drawn 18 walks and has a .484 on-base percentage.  Sawyer Toney, a senior right-hander, has made seven appearances out of the bullpen and has struck out 13 while pitching to a 2.08 ERA in 8 2/3 innings.
 
-  North Alabama leads the ASUN in fielding percentage at .977.  The Lions have made only 16 errors this season.
 
-  Tripp Patterson and Luke Davenport have made every game one and game two weekend start of the season.  Patterson, a sophomore lefty, is 0-3 with a 10.48 ERA.  Davenport, a sophomore right-hander, is 2-3 with a 6.00 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 21 innings.  Reese Young made his first start, and appearance, of the season on Sunday at Lipscomb.  The sophomore left-hander allowed one run in three innings while striking out three.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
-  The Colonels are 13-5 all-time against North Alabama, and 6-3 in games played in Florence.  However, the Lions have won four of the last six meetings, including winning both series last season.
 
-   In the most recent meeting, on May 11, 2025, EKU earned a 3-2 victory in Florence.  Colby Ott had a 3-for-4 game with an RBI.  Hayden Collins earned the win after pitching the final 2 1/3 innings without allowing a run and giving up only one hit.  Bryant Loving finished 3-for-4 for UNA.