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Eastern Illinois (0-0, 0-0 OVC) at Florida A&M (0-0, 0-0 SWAC)  

February 13-15th | Tallahassee, Florida | Moore-Kittles Field  

Game 1: Friday at 3 PM | Live Stats

Game 2 (DH): Saturday at 1 PM | Live Stats

Game 3 (DH): Saturday at 4:30 PM | Live Stats

Game 4: Sunday at 1 PM | Live Stats

The Eastern Illinois Panthers will kick off their 2026 season campaign with a weekend road trip to Tallahassee, Florida, for a four-game series. EIU opens the season against Florida A&M, who won 33 games and made it to the SWAC tournament championship game last season. For the Panthers, they won 31 games and the OVC regular season title. However, after losing in the OVC tournament championship game to Little Rock, the Panthers are looking to bounce back and punch their ticket to the NCAA tournament.  

Previous EIU Opening Weekends  

Last season, EIU lost the opening series 2-1 to Louisiana Monroe. The Panthers dropped the first two games before closing the series out with their first victory of the season. Similar story in 2024: Eastern Illinois lost the opening series to Florida A&M 2-1 by dropping the first two games. However, in 2023, EIU swept their first series against Florida A&M, winning the first game of the year in 10 innings after Ja’Lil Akbar delivered the go-ahead run to score Logan Eickhoff. The Panthers are 2-8 in their last 10 opening season series.  

All-OVC Returning Members  

For the Panthers, EIU will return two All-OVC players, Tyler Conklin (RHP, Grad) and Mike O’Conor (INF, Sr.). Conklin, the graduate student, was a 2025 All-OVC Second Team member. He made 11 starts, posting a record of 5-1 with an ERA of 3.94. Conklin pitched 64 innings and was tied for second on the team with 45 strikeouts. O’Conor, the senior third baseman, was selected to the 2025 All-OVC First Team. O’Conor appeared in 43 games, making 36 starts at third base. He was the team leader with a .323 batting average with 10 doubles, 3 triples, 10 home runs, 41 RBIs, and 41 runs scored.   

2026 OVC Players to Watch  

In addition to their two All-OVC returners, Anthony Solis (RHP, Jr.) and James Love (1B/3B, So.) were named to the 2026 OVC Players to Watch List. Solis is a returning junior who made 15 appearances last season. In those appearances, he made 12 starts posting a 5-3 record with one save and a 6.00 ERA. Love earned a selection for the 2025 OVC All-Freshman Team. As a rookie, Love appeared in 35 games making 22 starts, hitting .310 for the year with 8 doubles, 2 triples, 1 home run, 14 RBIs, and 16 runs scored.   

Key Returners  

Nate Marshall returns to the Panthers for his senior season. Marshall was recently selected to the 2026 NCBWA Stopper of the Year watch list. Last season he made 15 appearances and worked 29.2 innings. In that time, Marshall went 2-1 with a save. He posted a 3.94 ERA, recorded 20 strikeouts, and held opponents to a .233 batting average. Along with Marshall, EIU returns an abundance of senior talent. Zak Goodwin, the senior catcher, returns after he played in 29 games with 37 starts behind the plate. Goodwin led the team with a .477 on-base percentage and hit .328 with 30 RBIs. Also. The fifth-year senior Jake Ferguson is back after hitting .289 with 35 runs scored. He appeared in 42 games with 34 starts. Senior outfielder Ethan Rossi, last season’s regular right fielder, returns after a productive junior campaign. Rossi played in 52 games, making 49 starts during the season. He was named to the Ohio Valley Conference All-Tournament team after collecting hits in three of the four tournament games. Lastly, fifth-year senior Joey Hagen is back after hitting .304 with 15 runs scored and 20 RBIs.  

Key Additions  

EIU brought in 14 new additions to bolster the reigning regular season conference champion’s roster. The class includes Landon Albers, Kyree Alexander, Zach Dohrmann, James Geshel, Lane Lorton, Eddie Scaccia, Dylan Schlenger, Hayden Trier, Mac Zawistoski, Drew Church, Jarret Kinder, Kyle Boots, Blaine Nunnally, and Braxdon Decker. The newcomers are highlighted by a familiar face, Kyree Alexander, who spent his previous three seasons at Western Illinois. He was a top hitter for the Leathernecks, batting .274 at third base.  

Head Coach Jason Anderson 

Head Coach Jason Anderson will begin his 13th season at the helm for the Panthers. Coach Anderson was named the OVC Coach of the Year after leading his team to a 31-22 (17-2 OVC) record in 2025 and an OVC Regular Season Championship. In 2023, he led EIU to a program record of 38 wins and won the OVC Tournament. Coach Anderson enters the 2026 season campaign with 240 career victories at Eastern Illinois, earning his 200th career game on April 13, 2024, with a 13-4 win over SIUE. The former MLB player has coached 3 All-Americans, 12 first-team All-OVC performers, 10 second-team All-OVC members, and an Academic All-American, Lucas Loos (2024). He also has coached 8 players who have been drafted or signed free agent contracts with major league clubs.  

About Florida A&M 

Similar to the Panthers, Florida A&M had a successful 2025 season campaign where they went 33-25 (24-6 SWAC). The Rattlers headed into the SWAC tournament as the two seed and lost in the tournament championship 9-11 against the regular season conference champions, Bethune-Cookman. The Rattlers are coached by Jamey Shouppe, who is starting his 13th season as head coach. After being announced as the head coach in 2013, Shouppe has led the Rattlers to three conference tournament championships and four regular season titles between the MEAC and SWAC conferences. Florida A&M has great experience on the roster with 11 seniors, 10 juniors, and only 3 freshmen. However, the Rattlers are led by two young sophomores. Jay Campbell, who earned All-SWAC First Team honors at 3rd base, and pitcher Garrett Workman, who was named SWAC Freshman of the Year.  

All-Time Series 

The Panthers lead the all-time series 6-3 against Florida A&M. These two programs met for the first time just six years ago in 2020. EIU swept the Rattlers for the first three wins. The two teams met for a rematch in 2023, where Eastern Illinois would sweep Florida A&M once again, in a series that included a 10-inning thriller. However, the Rattlers got the best of the Panthers last time out, with Florida A&M earning a sweep of their own in 2024.