Leathernecks Close Regular Season at Omaha & Kansas

In their final prep before The Summit League Tournament, the Leathernecks will play at Omaha and Kansas.

MACOMB, Ill. – Four games remain on the Western Illinois baseball team's 2018 regular season schedule. The Leathernecks will hit the road for a three-game set at Omaha (May 17-19) and a single game at Kansas (May 20) before trekking to Tulsa, Okla., for The Summit League Tournament.

All three games at Omaha will have live stats as well as a radio stream. First pitch on Thursday is at 4 p.m., followed by 2 p.m. on Friday and noon on Saturday. Links are available HERE.

The Leathernecks will close their regular season at Kansas Sunday at 2 p.m.

Omaha Probable Pitchers
Game 1 | Ryan Dunne (5.17 ERA)
Game 2 | Javin Drake (4.23 ERA)
Game 3 | Ian Koch (3.52 ERA)

Last Outing
Western wrapped its home slate on Tuesday with a heartbreaking, 5-4 decision against Iowa. The Leathernecks never trailed until the final inning where the visitors stole home for the go-ahead run.

Johnathan Fleek and Drue Galassi each finished the game with two hits while Alex Dorethy and Steve McShane added two RBIs apiece.

Western received a stellar outing from its starting pitcher Jordan Mikel who went three innings in a no-decision. He yielded only one hit and struck out a career-high five batters.

Summit League Success
The Leathernecks clinched a spot in the upcoming Summit League Tournament after taking a series win at South Dakota State.

The four-day championship tourney begins May 23 and will be hosted on the campus of Oral Roberts at J.L. Johnson Stadium in Tulsa, Okla.

WIU's league successes include series wins over SDSU, Fort Wayne, North Dakota State and Oral Roberts.

Koch'N
Ian Koch continues to pace Western's starting rotation with a 3.52 ERA in 76.2 innings pitched. The totals rank third and fourth in the Summit League, respectively.

The right-handed junior also has 70 strikeouts on the season which ranks third in the league.

Consider It Dunne
In his inaugural Leatherneck campaign, Ryan Dunne leads the league with 84 strikeouts in 71.1 innings pitched. He's averaging 10.60 Ks per game, dealing nine in his last two starts (at South Dakota State and Fort Wayne) and a career-high 10 versus Oral Roberts (April 7).

Keep It Going
Senior shortstop Johnathan Fleek has two seasons under his belt at WIU, and in that time he has never missed a game. He is the lone Leatherneck to start every game this year and is currently managing 35 hits with 12 RBIs. He commands one of the toughest positions in baseball with a career .964 fielding percentage.

What A Time
When comparing numbers between league and nonleague action, CJ Schaeffer has been a force against Summit foes.

His batting average improves from .293 overall to a league-leading .395 in Summit action, and 30 of his 39 hits have occurred in league play.

The catcher also leads the Summit in runners caught stealing (16).

Scouting the Opposition – Omaha
The Leathernecks have only faced Omaha once this season, dropping the ballgame, 8-5, at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium (April 13).

The Mavericks are in search of their first win since a 13-2 victory over North Dakota State (April 28). Four players are posting 40-plus hits on the year, guided by Braden Rogers' 48.

Joey Machado has seen the most action on the mound this season, where he manages at 4.40 ERA in 75.2 innings.

Scouting the Opposition – Kansas
The Jayhawks (23-27) conclude Big 12 action at home against Oklahoma before welcoming Western.

Four of the team's regular starters are hitting above .300, and two of its starting pitchers have an ERA under four.

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Players Mentioned

#22 Alex Dorethy: INF/P; 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman; L/L

#44 Javin Drake: P; 6' 4"; Sophomore; R/R

#35 Ryan Dunne: P; 6' 3"; Senior; R/R

#3 Johnathan Fleek: INF; 5' 7"; Senior; R/R

#13 Drue Galassi: OF; 6' 2"; Sophomore; L/R

#23 Ian Koch: P; 6' 4"; Junior; R/R

#39 Steve McShane: OF; 5' 8"; Junior; R/R

#5 CJ Schaeffer Jr.: C; 5' 10"; Junior; R/R

#25 Jordan Mikel: P; 6' 5"; Freshman; R/R

Players Mentioned

#22 Alex Dorethy
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman; L/L
: INF/P

#44 Javin Drake
: 6' 4"; Sophomore; R/R
: P

#35 Ryan Dunne
: 6' 3"; Senior; R/R
: P

#3 Johnathan Fleek
: 5' 7"; Senior; R/R
: INF

#13 Drue Galassi
: 6' 2"; Sophomore; L/R
: OF

#23 Ian Koch
: 6' 4"; Junior; R/R
: P

#39 Steve McShane
: 5' 8"; Junior; R/R
: OF

#5 CJ Schaeffer Jr.
: 5' 10"; Junior; R/R
: C

#25 Jordan Mikel
: 6' 5"; Freshman; R/R
: P