ELMHURST, ILL. ? Western Illinois University earned the number two seed in its fourth consecutive Mid-Continent Conference Baseball Tournament and will face No. 3 Oakland in the first round, Thursday at 3:30 p.m. in Tulsa, Okla.Host Oral Roberts University won its ninth consecutive regular-season title and will serve as the top seed in the three-day, double-elimination tournament at J.L. Johnson Stadium. The Golden Eagles will face No. 4 Centenary at 7 p.m. Thursday.Guided by head coach Stan Hyman, who is two wins shy of 300 for his career, Western Illinois (30-30, 14-8) has turned its season around after a slow start. After beginning the 2006 campaign with a 5-21 record, the Leathernecks have posted a 25-9 record since March 29 to earn its fourth-straight post-season berth. WIU?s 30 victories are the most in the school?s Division I history. Sophomore first baseman Matt Newquist and junior outfielder Travis Check have been the keys to the offense for WIU this year. Newquist recorded a .350 average with 16 runs scored and 18 RBI against Mid-Con foes, while Check ranks third in the league with a .371 overall batting average. Check is also in the Top 10 in the Mid-Con in hits (69), triples (4), on-base percentage (.437) and slugging percentage (.559).Newcomer Quinn Leath has been dominant on the mound for Western Illinois, posting a league-best 1.70 earned run average while holding opponents to a .212 batting average, which is tops in the Mid-Con. The junior?s earned run average is ninth in NCAA Division I as of May 15. Leath is also among the conference leaders in wins (8), strikeouts (53), innings pitched (74.0) and shutouts (1).The Golden Eagles (35-14, 17-2 Mid-Con) lead the Mid-Con in batting (.330), pitching (3.67) and fielding (.972). ORU?s team batting average ranks 15th in the NCAA as of May 15. Headlining the Oral Roberts lineup are sophomore outfielder Brendan Duffy and junior catcher Andy Bouchie. Duffy ranks in the Top 10 in the conference in batting (.346), runs scored (59), hits (62), triples (3), walks (32) and on-base percentage (.469). He came on strong against conference foes, posting a .400 average with 29 runs scored and 18 RBI. Bouchie has been a great addition to the ORU lineup with a .369 mark at the plate, 46 runs scored and 49 RBI. His .459 average in conference play is tops in the Mid-Con. Defensively, he has thrown out 11 potential base stealers this season.On the mound for the Golden Eagles is the tough combination of starters Chris Ashman and Nick Jones, followed by reliever Sean Jarrett. Ashman has been stellar in conference play, recording a 5-0 mark with a 0.72 earned run average and 25 strikeouts. Jones is third in conference play with a 4-1 overall record and a 1.97 ERA. The senior tossed just the seventh no-hitter in school history with a 9-0 decision over Chicago State on May 7. Jarrett?s move to the bullpen has paid off for ORU as he is 5-1 with five saves and a 2.44 earned run average. His 11.25 strikeouts per nine innings mark is tops in the Mid-Con.Under first-year head coach Dylan Putman, resurgent Oakland (19-36, 13-11) returns to the Mid-Con Championship after a three-year hiatus. The Golden Grizzlies? 11 wins in conference play are the most since the 2000 OU squad went 17-9. Leading the way for Oakland are junior second baseman Kyle Crepeau and freshman outfielder Justin Wilson. Crepeau had a solid conference season with a .420 average with 13 runs scored and 13 RBI, while Wilson, the April 10 Mid-Con Player of the Week, owns the ninth-best average in the league with a .341 mark. Wilson accounted for 19 runs and 19 RBI in conference play to go along with his .379 batting average.Junior starter Brad Noel and junior reliever Scott Boleski are key members of the OU pitching staff that settled in against Mid-Con opponents. Noel is in the Top 10 in conference action in ERA (5.16), wins (3) and opponents? batting average (.292). Boleski accumulated six of his league-best seven saves in league play while posting a 4.13 overall ERA.Centenary (23-28, 11-11) has reached the Mid-Con Championship in each of the three years it has been a member of the league. Senior outfielder Tim Ryan has been the top offensive threat for the Gents this season with a .398 average, which is tops in the league. He is also tied for the league lead with 74 hits and is first in on-base percentage (.491). Senior catcher Justin Darr has also been a solid threat, posting a .339 average with 24 runs scored and 35 RBI.Leading the way on the mound for Centenary are juniors Will Kaage, who has been tough with a 3.46 ERA, 23 strikeouts and four wins, and Brandon Fluenchek, who is 3-6 with a 5.48 ERA and 34 strikeouts.2006 Mid-Continent Conference Baseball ChampionshipThursday, May 25Game #1: #2 Western Illinois vs. #3 Oakland, 3:30 p.m.Game #2: #1 Oral Roberts vs. #4 Centenary, 7 p.m.Friday, May 26Game #3: Loser game #1 vs. Loser game #2, noonGame #4: Winner game #1 vs. Winner game #2, 3:30 p.m.Game #5: Winner game #3 vs. Loser game #4, 7 p.m.Saturday, May 27Game #6: Winner game #4 vs. Winner game #5, 1 p.m.Game #7: Winner game #6 vs. Loser game #6, 30 min. following game #6 (if necessary)Text courtesy of the Mid-Continent Conference