Pitching may win championships, but catchers lay the groundwork.

That may be the best way to sum up Eastern Illinois winning six of its last eight games. The Panthers struggled in the early part of their non-conference schedule as they got out to a 1-6 start with their pitchers posting a 5.85 ERA.

In the first seven games, Jason Cobb, Joe Hernandez and Chris Thompson shared the catcher duties.

With the catcher position as the backbone of all successful baseball teams, it appeared the Panthers were spineless early on.

In the last eight games, Eastern’s ERA dropped to 3.37. Is it a coincidence the Panthers’ ERA has fallen with Ryan Campbell behind the plate?

If you ask the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox, the answer would be yes.

While the Cubs have a great long-toss pitching staff, it’s no surprise that their ERA has increased since the departure of Damian Miller after the 2003 season.

Michael Barrett has been an upgrade on the offensive side, but has proven to not be as good a signal caller as Miller.

The White Sox experienced the same thing their North Side counterparts went through. However, it was the reversal of fortune for the White Sox.

After the Sox were playing musical catchers with Miguel Olivo, Josh Paul and Sandy Alomar Jr., they made the right choice in solidifying the position by signing problem child A.J. Pierzynski.

Pierzynski turned out to be a bargain for the South Siders last season as he transformed their pitching staff into the most dominant starting five in the league.

Not to say Campbell is on the same wavelength as Miller and Pierzynski, but it seems he’s no Barrett or Paul.

It’s also not saying that the three catchers prior to Campbell were at fault either. Maybe the young Eastern pitchers are starting to find the strike zone better or maybe Campbell is calling a better game behind the dish.

So far, Campbell has turned out to be the Panthers most valuable player as he has carried a 21-game hit streak into the season and he has switched from third base to catcher.

“I’m not worried about him switching positions,” Eastern coach Jim Schmitz said. “He’s good enough where his game won’t be affected.”

The move of Campbell to catcher also gives the Panthers a chance at an Ohio Valley Conference crown, something that may have not been possible three weeks ago.

Catcher has been often compared to an NFL quarterback and NHL goalie as the hardest position to play in sports.

It’s also no secret that the top teams every year are the teams with the best catchers behind the plate.

The New York Yankees have had the ongoing presence of Jorge Posada, while Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez was the star of the Florida Marlins’ 2003 World Series run.

With Eastern’s young pitching staff, it will be important for Campbell to try and help develop them as much as possible.

If not, the Panthers’ ERAs could rise and their wins could fall.

Marc Correnti is a junior journalism major. If you think that Ron Karkovice is the greatest catcher of all time, e-mail him at EIU3583@yahoo.com.