West Central Reporter

Western Illinois University's baseball team is preparing for upcoming matches against Saint Louis and Northern Kentucky. The games are scheduled to take place in Saint Louis, Missouri on March 5, and in Highland Heights, Kentucky from March 8 to 10.

Recently, Western Illinois achieved their first series win of the season by taking two out of three games against Eastern Kentucky. The Leathernecks overcame a deficit to win the opening game 5-3 but lost the second game 4-0. They secured victory in the final match with another 5-3 win.

Caden Kratz had an impressive performance over the weekend, securing two saves without allowing any walks across three innings. His efforts have brought his total saves for the season to three.

The team's offense showed strength as Maxton Polad and Cesar Franco both ranked among the top hitters with a .400 average. Franco leads with a slugging percentage of 1.000, while Adam Juran follows closely behind at .700.

Adam Juran was named Ohio Valley Player of the Week after an outstanding start to the season. He hit .333 with two home runs and led his team in several offensive categories. Defensively, he maintained a perfect fielding percentage while contributing significantly with putouts and assists.

Head Coach Terry Davis celebrated his first victory leading Western Illinois with a win over Austin Peay, marking him as the first head coach since 1955 to begin his tenure with a win.

The university joined the Ohio Valley Conference on July 1 and has fully transitioned all teams into this conference by January 1.

In February, Western Illinois' baseball program raised over $18,000 during their First Pitch Dinner event aimed at supporting various aspects of their program including facility upgrades and player development resources.

This season also marks the celebration of the 50th anniversary of WIU's Hall of Fame team from 1974 that achieved notable success during its campaign.