Senior Montana Timmons played his free three years of collegiate baseball at Wabash College until he transferred to Eastern in the fall.

Following a pinch-hit appearance Saturday against Louisiana-Lafayette, Eastern baseball coach Jim Schmitz gave Timmons the start the following day.

The transfer responded, going 4-for-5, while also driving in a run for the Panthers. The four-hit performance against the No. 14 ranked team in the country was good enough for Schmitz to give Timmons another start in Eastern’s first game against No. 25 Arkansas on Friday.

“You always have about seven guys you’re going to hang with and then you have two that it’s not fair, but it is fair that a guy will play himself in and another will play himself out,” Schmitz said. “Montana has definitely earned that spot.”

The game against Louisiana-Lafayette was not the only reason that swayed Schmitz’s decision.

Schmitz said assistant coach Ty Rogers has been working with Timmons’ swing, changing it since the fall. With an adjustment to Timmons’ swing, Schmitz said the right-handed batter could bring more power to the Eastern lineup.

“He’s been working so hard and now his swing is coming out so good and he could maybe gives us some pop in the lineup that we know we don’t have.”

Timmons was the designated hitter for Eastern in his first start of the year, replacing left-handed hitter Jason Scholl.

The sophomore began the season batting second for Eastern, but after two starts Scholl went 1-for-6 with an RBI and no extra-base hits.

Schmitz said Timmons would bat sixth like he did Sunday against the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Eastern will also have Jake Johansmeier pitch Friday in the series-opener against Arkansas, following his six-inning, one-run outing in a win against Louisiana-Lafayette in the Panthers’ season-opener.

Johansmeier enters his second start of the season as the reigning Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week, following Eastern’s upset win against the Cajuns.

The sophomore is starting because red-shirt senior Troy Barton was given the weekend off by the coaching staff after suffering from a back spasm in his lower back in his start Sunday, when he was removed after two innings of work.

Schmitz said the decision to give Barton rest was because of how early the OVC schedule begins and Eastern wanting Barton to be ready for the first series against a conference opponent.

“We used to have five weekends to get ready for conference play and now we have three,” Schmitz said. “We want Barton for that first weekend in the OVC, so we’re going to make sure he’s ready to roll.”

With Johansmeier pitching Friday, Eastern will keep its next two starters in order, as Matt Borens will start Saturday and Christian Slazinik will get the start Sunday.

Arkansas is coming off a three-game sweep of Appalachian State.

Last season the Razorbacks ended their season with the nation’s best ERA at 1.89.

Jalen Beeks, Chris Oliver and Alex Phillips started Arkansas’ first three games and allowed a combined seven earned runs. As a complete pitching staff, Arkansas had a 2.67 ERA in its three-game series against Appalachian State.

Schmitz said now that Arkansas has a scouting report after Eastern’s series in Louisiana, Panther hitters have to recognize that Razorback pitchers know how to get them out.

“As a hitter you have to have that in your mind, knowing that that is how you’re going to get pitched to,” Schmitz said.

The series begins at 3:05 p.m. Friday in Baum Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark., followed by 1:05 p.m. starts on Saturday and Sunday.

Aldo Soto can be reached at 581-2812 or asoto2@eiu.edu.