The Little Rock Trojans will face off against Eastern Illinois in a three-game Ohio Valley Conference baseball series at Gary Hogan Field, starting April 17. The matchup brings together two of the conference’s top teams as the Trojans return home after several weeks on the road.
The series is significant for both teams’ standings in the OVC. Little Rock currently holds a 20-17 overall record and an 8-4 mark in conference play, while Eastern Illinois enters with a 21-11 overall record and leads the league at 10-2. The outcome could influence positioning as both squads look ahead to the second half of league competition.
Trojans head coach Chris Curry said, “This weekend should be a great series at home versus Eastern Illinois. It’ll be a rematch of the OVC championship game and each of us have won the regular-season title the past two years. Eastern always has done a great job pitching and their staff is at the top of the conference this year. We’re excited to get back home after a really tough nine-game, two-week road stretch and play at our best these next five conference weekends.”
Among recent performances for Little Rock, Angel Cano hit two home runs over 400 feet each during Tuesday’s game against Louisiana Tech, bringing his season total to seven homers with a .318 batting average and 15 runs batted in. Jerdy Lopez recorded his seventh multi-hit game this season against Louisiana Tech, while Friday night starter Brannon Westmoreland ranks fifth in OVC with a 3.38 earned run average.
Eastern Illinois arrives on a six-game winning streak that includes victories over Northern Illinois and Southern Indiana, scoring more than nine runs three times last week. Brett Stanley carries Division I’s longest active hitting streak at 29 games; James Love has reached base safely in 32 straight contests. Pitchers Tyler Conklin, Bryce Riggs (who threw a complete game), and Dalton Boruff contributed strong outings during their recent sweep.
The Panthers are also among national leaders for offensive pressure statistics such as sacrifice bunts and triples per game, while Riggs stands out nationally among pitchers.
