While the Eastern baseball team winds down what has, to this point, been a disappointing 2010 campaign, I remember the feeling I had toward the team a year ago at this time when I was working the beat on an everyday basis.

The feeling was brought back by the start of the Major League Baseball season, which began last week. As the season began, I saw fans of all different teams begin to hang on edge with every pitch, every at-bat, and the outcome of every game.

You see, in the majors, wins and losses matter no matter the time of year. While getting worked up about an April loss seems silly, those games matter just as much as wins in September. They count as one win or one loss, regardless of the time of year.

The same cannot be said in college.

The Panthers entered 2010 with overwhelming expectations. Coming off an Ohio Valley Conference Regular Season Title last year, the team was projected by many to repeat, and seemed to have a good chance of making it to the NCAA Regional.

After the abysmal start, those thoughts quickly faded. And as the team sits in fifth place in the conference with a 4-5 record and a league-high 22 losses overall, thoughts of an NCAA Tournament appearance have likely drifted out of the minds of fans and players alike.

But what makes college interesting is that there is always hope.

I remember covering a Saturday doubleheader early in the season last year when the Panthers hosted Tennessee Tech. Eastern was on a roll, as it was throughout the season, and throttled the Golden Eagles 25-5 in the first game.

I remember this well, not because of how well the Panthers played, but because of how poorly Tech played. It looked like the worst team in baseball. How could things get any worse for that program?

Flash-forward less than two months later and that same Tennessee Tech team was celebrating an OVC Tournament Title and a berth in the NCAA Regionals with an upset victory over Jacksonville State.

Tennessee Tech’s dramatic turnaround from miserable season to glory is what makes college sports so interesting. Some may call it unfair, but regardless, it gives teams hope no matter how the regular season goes.

The Panthers and their fans have undoubtedly been disappointed in how this season has gone, and rightfully so.

But there is always hope. The OVC Tournament begins in about six weeks, and the Panthers will be there with just as good a chance as last year’s Golden Eagles of pulling off an upset and turning their season around in one short weekend.

Collin Whitchurch can be reached at 581-7942 or cfwhitchurch@eiu.edu.