The Eastern baseball team will continue its seven-game home stand, as the Panthers are set to host Saint Louis on Wednesday afternoon.

Following their first home series of the season, which resulted in 2-1 weekend record against IPFW, the Panthers enter Wednesday’s game with an overall record of 6-17.

The Billikens have won six of their last seven games and are riding a five-game winning streak that includes a three-game sweep of Rhode Island to open up Atlantic 10-play.

Saint Louis has won two consecutive conference championships and has started this season with a 14-8 overall record.

Eastern coach Jim Schmitz will send freshman Jake Haberer to the mound in Coaches Stadium, as the right-hander will make his third start of the season.

The game was moved back a day because of the cold temperatures and the possibility of snow falling.

Haberer’s previous starts have also been during the midweek, as he has faced Southern Illinois-Carbondale and Louisville.

The freshman heads into Eastern’s last game against non-Ohio Valley Conference opponents in more than a week, with a 0-1 record and 7.30 ERA.

The Billikens’ offense is averaging a little more than five runs per game, hitting .265 as a team.

Junior Mike Vigliarolo leads Saint Louis with a .348 average. He is tied with the most homer runs on the team with Danny Murphy, as both players have hit three. Vigliarolo also has a team-high 20 RBIs.

Junior outfielder Caleb Howell is hitting .416 for Eastern, leading the Panthers and fourth best in the OVC.

Howell is coming off 7-of-11 weekend against IPFW that also included an on-base percentage of .733. In the series finale Sunday, he reached base five times, recording two hits and walking three times as the Panthers’ leadoff man.

Red-shirt sophomore Demetre Taylor is also coming off a successful series against IPFW, as the left-handed batter complied four extra-base hits, (two doubles, two triples) while also logging seven RBIs with a slugging percentage of .769.

Taylor and Howell along with the rest of the Eastern offense will see Robert Plohr pitch for Saint Louis.

The righty for Saint Louis is 1-2 this season, making his third start for the Billikens Wednesday.

Plohr has a 5.79 ERA in seven appearances, as batters are hitting .240 off of him. In 14 innings of work, the right-hander has allowed nine walks, while striking out seven.

As a team, Eastern has been struck out 159 times and has walked 85 times.

In their series against IPFW, the Panthers’ strikeout to walk ratio narrowed, as Eastern had 18 strikeouts and 15 walks.

Schmitz said he is hoping the team continues to gain even more confidence after the IPFW series, as conference games will be played every weekend until the end of the season starting Friday against Jacksonville State.

Last season, inclement weather force both scheduled games with Eastern and Saint Louis to be canceled.

Temperatures are expected to be in the low 40s at first pitch, which is scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday at Coaches Stadium.

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