Panther baseball has momentum on their side for the first time this season. Now they need to keep it.

The Panthers took two games out of three from Conference USA opponent Memphis to close out their spring break road trip. The trip included four losses before the back-to-back wins.

With two consecutive wins under their belt, the Panthers lost Sunday, but that does not change the fact that they played three tough, close games against a tough Memphis team. And on top of that, they won two of those games.

The Panthers won the games they did because of resiliency, and even in the loss to Memphis they kept scrapping until the final out. They need to keep this quality about them in every game they play as they start their conference schedule this weekend at home.

But the win gave the Panthers something even more important than an improved record. It gave them momentum. The Panthers’ top starter red-shirt junior Mike Hoekstra pitched a complete game for the win on Friday, and between Saturday and Sunday the team hit three home runs after not hitting any in their first 16.

Now the team needs to hold on to this momentum however they can, and they will have a perfect opportunity to do just that as they open up their home schedule today and tomorrow before opening their conference schedule this weekend against Eastern Kentucky.

The Panthers will play Chicago State and Southern Illinois in non conference match-ups at home this week, and home-fan support can only help the Panthers improve their 3-12 record.

The only problem with the mid-week home games is that they are afternoon games, starting at 2 p.m., so many Eastern students will be in class during those games.

I believe I speak for baseball fans across campus and the country when I say that whoever is responsible for setting start times should have taken this into account. Start weekday games later to avoid conflicts with classes, and kill two birds with one stone. You can increase student attendance in class as well as at the games, making both teachers and coaches happy.

Getting back to the baseball though, the Panthers just need to continue to hit the ball with authority and pitch well as they head into their Ohio Valley Conference schedule. Now that their pre-conference schedule is wrapping up, they look to be hitting their stride at just the right time.

Brad Kupiec can be reached at 581-7944 or bmkupiec@eiu.edu