Little Rock Opens 2021 Home Schedule Facing Eastern Illinois

GAMES 4-6 - EASTERN ILLINOIS
Dates	Friday, Feb. 26 - Saturday, Feb. 27
Times	Game 1 - Friday at 1 p.m. Game 2 - Friday at 4:30 p.m. Game 3 - Saturday at 2 p.m.
Location	Little Rock, Ark.
Field	Gary Hogan Field
Records	Little Rock (1-2, 0-0 SBC) Eastern Illinois (2-2, 0-0 OVC)
Watch	No video this weekend
Live Stats	StatBroadcast

LITTLE ROCK – For the first time in nearly a calendar year, Little Rock is set to host a home game at Gary Hogan Field, opening up a four-game home stand with a weekend series against Eastern Illinois.
 
Schedule Adjustment
Due to the forecasted storms expected to move through the Little Rock area this weekend, an adjustment has been made to the weekend series against the Panthers. The two teams will look to play a doubleheader on Friday, February 26, beginning at 1 p.m. with game two following 30 minutes after. The final game of the series is still scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, February 27. Fans are encouraged to follow @LittleRockBSB on Twitter for the most timely schedule updates, as well as LRTrojans.com.
 
Last Time Out
After a critical second inning which saw Oklahoma State plate five runs, Little Rock played the nation's 17th-ranked team even over the final seven innings in a 7-2 loss in the first game at O'Brate Stadium. Canyon McWilliams went 2-for-4, registering the first hit in the new ballpark's history as well as his first home run as a Trojan to pace the Little Rock offense.
 
It's Been a While
Little Rock is scheduled to return to the field at Gary Hogan Field 362 days after its last home game. The last time the Trojans played a home game was on March 1, 2020, and it proved to be a memorable one as Aaron Funk notched a program-record 17 strikeouts in a 2-1 complete game victory over North Alabama. The 17 strikeouts tied a Sun Belt single-game record and was tied for the most in the nation for the 2020 season.
 
Scouting the Panthers
Eastern Illinois is 2-2 on the year heading into the weekend, earning a series victory over Nicholls while dropping a 10-9 game at Southern Illinois Tuesday. The Panthers are batting .230 as a team, led by Logan Eickhoff's .368 average with five RBI and Ryan Knernschield hitting .286 with three RBI. On the mound, the EIU pitching staff has a 5.66 ERA through four games, allowing an opposing batting average of .277 with 34 combined strikeouts.
 
Series History
Little Rock and Eastern Illinois have met four times previously with the Trojans winning three of the four meetings, all of which have been in Little Rock. The two teams played a doubleheader on March 23, 1979, with the Trojans winning game one 8-3 and the Panthers earning a 14-0 decision in game two. The teams also played a pair of games on March 15 and 16, 2005, resulting in 8-3 and 8-1 wins for Little Rock.
 
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
 
1. Little Rock is 51-39 (.567) all-time against current members of the Ohio Valley Conference, led by 24 wins against UT Martin in program history. The last OVC school the Trojans squared off with was Tennessee Tech in Cookeville to open the season in 2018 as the last Ohio Valley Conference school to visit Little Rock was the Golden Eagles in 2016.
 
2. Canyon McWilliams' name will be the answer to a trivia question as he notched the first hit in Oklahoma State's brand new O'Brate Stadium history with a second inning single in Wednesday night's game. He also hit the first home run by an opponent with his solo shot in the sixth inning for his first Trojan home run.
 
3. Three more players made their Little Rock debuts in Stillwater Wednesday night, all of which came on the mound. Grad transfer Aaron Barkley pitched 2.2 innings and allowed no runs on three hits with a pair of strikeouts, while freshman Jacob Weatherley allowed two runs on two hits in his 1.1 innings of work. Transfer Sawyer Smallwood pitched the final two innings for Little Rock and retired all six Cowboys he faced.
 
4. Three Trojans are batting above .300 through the first three games of the 2021 season as Canyon McWilliams (.364), Eldrige Figueroa (.364) and Noah Dickerson (.333) each have four hits through three games. Dickerson leads the team with three RBI while McWilliams and Tyler Williams have each logged home runs for Little Rock.
 
5. Gary Hogan Field again proved to be an advantage for Little Rock as the Trojans posted a 5-2 mark at home in the shortened 2020 season. It was the fourth-straight season the Trojans had finished with a winning record at home, going 50-36 (.581) during that span.
 
#LittleRocksTeam