Eastern is supposed to host a tournament this weekend at Williams Field.

However, the Panther Prowl Tournament might turn into a Saturday doubleheader for Eastern against Northern Illinois instead.

The Panthers originally had Wisconsin-Green Bay and Northern Illinois coming, but UWGB dropped out late, leaving head coach Kim Schuette this week to find a team to replace them.

“Hopefully by the end of this week (another team) will fall out of the sky,” Schuette said.

Schuette said she is working the phones and e-mails trying to get another team to Charleston.

Last season, Eastern didn’t have its first home game until March 29, playing its first 32 games away from Charleston.

“Last year at this time, it happened to be nice weather,” Schuette said. “We were practicing outside at least two times a week before we started playing. So I figured why not try and play at home instead of traveling 10 hours to warm weather.”

Senior breaks another program record

It only took Sandyn Short 11 games this season to break the program’s all-time RBIs record.

The senior from Davis, Calif., needed 9 RBIs this season to break Emily Starkey’s program record of 94.

Short’s 3 RBIs Sunday against Tulsa pushed her past Starkey’s name in Eastern’s record books and gave Short 95 for her career.

Short said the talent of this year’s team has helped her break the record.

“There’s been a lot more people on base so it makes it easy to break the record,” Short said.

Short also holds the program’s record for doubles (51 and counting) and home runs (21 and counting).

She is currently fifth on Eastern’s all-time hit list with 180 hits. Jennifer Cheveny holds the program’s all-time lead with 284 hits.

Iapala recovers from shoulder injury

Last year’s starting center fielder Chelsy Iapala has not started any games this season because she is recovering from a right shoulder injury.

The sophomore injured her shoulder two-and-a-half weeks ago, Schuette said, and cannot throw.

All Iapala can do is run and hit, Schuette said.

Iapala has played in six games, having 1 hit in four at-bats and has scored 2 runs.

The 5-foot-3 native of Stanwood, Wash. has also stolen 2 bases this year.

“She should be released (to compete) at the beginning of this week,” Schuette said.

Last season, Iapala started 50 games and hit .174, but was second on the team in stolen bases (10) and sacrifice bunts (7).

In her place, freshman Megan Nelson has started all 11 games, hitting .237 and producing 5 RBIs to go along with a team-leading 4 stolen bases.

Working in four pitchers

The addition of junior transfer pitchers Maegan Golloway and Ashley Robison have helped ease the burden off returning pitchers Karyn Mackie and Kathleen Jacoby.

Golloway, a left-handed pitcher who transferred from Kankakee Community College, has appeared in five games, starting one.

Golloway struggled Saturday against Missouri State, allowing 8 earned runs in 2 innings. Galloway’s ERA now sits at 12.92 in 4.1 innings of work. The start against Missouri State was her first of the year.

Robison, a transfer from Lake Land College, allowed 6 earned runs in 2.2 innings of work against Missouri State to push her ERA up to 11.40.

Mackie, who is 2-1 with a team-leading 2.14 ERA this year, said she likes the addition of Robison and Golloway.

“Me and Kathleen actually talked about it the other day,” Mackie said. “It’s nice to know we have two other starting pitchers.”

Mackie threw 148.2 innings last year as a sophomore while the sophomore Jacoby threw 234.1 innings, the third-most in Eastern history.

The duo accounted for 88 percent of the total innings Eastern pitchers threw last year.

“Four pitchers is nice, and it’s also frustrating at times because that’s four kids you want to get innings for and see how they react,” Schuette said.

Chelsy Iapala, sophomore center fielder expected to recover next week.

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