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Western Illinois University Athletics

Drue Galassi
Sarah Elsner

Opening Weekend: Western Illinois at Tennessee Tech

The Leathernecks will kick off their 2019 slate with a three-game set in Cookeville

at Tennessee Tech                                               
Date: Feb. 15-16, 2019
Site: Averitt Express Baseball Complex
Game Times:  1 p.m., DH Saturday at 11 a.m.

Scouting the Leathernecks 
Western concluded its 2018 season ranked second in the Summit League with 14 league victories. The tally marked the most league wins in 12 seasons and included Western's first-ever series win over the five-time defending league champions, Oral Roberts. 

The team is guided by head coach Ryan Brownlee who enters his seventh season at the helm of the program. He will be joined by assistant coaches Matt Risdon, Parker Osborne, and Trey Hannam. 

On Deck  
Western's 2019 calendar features three NCAA Tournament qualifiers from a season ago, including the 2018 College World Series runner-up Arkansas. 

Tested in their very first series of the year, the Leathernecks travel to Cookeville, Tenn., for a three-game set against the defending Ohio Valley Conference champions, Tennessee Tech. The Golden Eagles were selected as the No. 2 seed in the Oxford Regional a season ago and finished the season ranked 11th by both Baseball America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

at Arkansas | March 12-13 | Brownlee earned his first victory as a collegiate head coach over the previously top-ranked Razorbacks in the 2013 season. Arkansas posted a program-high 48 wins a season ago before falling 2-1 in the CWS Finals to Oregon State. 

Oral Roberts | vs. April 5-7, at May 3-5 | ORU is the five-time reigning Summit League champions and were voted to repeat in the 2019 Summit League preseason poll 

Iowa | A 1-and-1 will see the Leathernecks travel to Iowa City on April 30 before playing host to the Big 10 member on May 14 

Welcoming Committee
The Leathernecks added nine newcomers to the team with six true freshmen and three junior college transfers. Overall, the roster features six seniors, eight juniors, seven sophomores, and five freshmen. 

Veteran Leadership
The Leathernecks have six seniors on its 2019 roster and four were starters last season:

CJ Schaeffer Jr. | Catcher | 2018 Second Team All-Summit League; 2018 Stats: .275 AVG., 46 GS, 41 H, 18 R, 19 RCS 
Justin Fitzpatrick | Outfielder | 2018 Stats: 31 GP, 20 GS, 13 H, 5 RBI 
Bailey Montgomery | Utility | 2018 Stats: 42 GS, 22 R, 42 H, 7 2B, 23 RBI, .993 FLD%
Nolan Ard | Utility | 2018 Stats: 9 GP, 2 H, .923 FLD%
Deion Thompson | Utility | 2018 Stats: .271 AVG., 47 GS, 29 R, 48 H, 9 2B, 6 HR, 30 RBI, 17 SB, .913 FLD%
Steve McShane | Outfielder | 2018 First Team All-Summit League; 2018 Stats: .317 AVG., 38 GS, 18 R, 45 H, 7 2B, 9 SB

Just Javin
As Western's lone starter with a sub-4 ERA last year, Javin Drake's sophomore slate was his best to date. He allowed no more than four hits in each of his previous three starts and had one earned run in each of them. With 50 innings under his belt, Drake managed a 3.96 ERA last year (which ranked sixth in The Summit League) -- significantly lower than the 6.47 ERA he posted in 2017.  

Hitters Gonna Hit
Deion Thompson guided the Leathernecks in just about every hitting statistic a season ago with 48 hits, nine doubles, six home runs, and 30 RBI, while also being most active on the base paths with 17 stolen bags and 29 runs. The senior from Bloomington, Ill., crowned the campaign with a .271 batting average. 

Catch This
C.J. Schaeffer Jr. became Western's starting catcher a season ago and was a force behind the plate en route to Second Team All-Summit League honors. He led the league in runners caught steal (19) and was hitting a league-leading .395 against Summit League opponents just before the team's final SL series. 

He finished the year batting .275 (.353 in Summit League play) with 41 hits (11 for extra bases) and 12 RBI. 

Preseason Coaches' Polls
Alex Dorethy and Steve McShane garnered praise on The Summit League's preseason "Players to Watch" list as a utilityman and outfielder, respectively, while the team was picked to finish the regular season in fourth place. 

Alex Dorethy | So. | UT
- One of two freshmen to be named All-Summit League in 2018 (2nd; designated hitter)
- Ranked third on team with a .299 batting average and was second in RBI (27)
- Posted a 3.38 ERA in 10 relief appearances 

Steve McShane | Sr. | OF
- First Team All-Summit League in 2018 (outfielder)
- Led the Leathernecks in batting average (.318; 7th in The Summit League) in 2018; also hit team-best .325 in league play
- Second-Team All-Missouri Valley performer on the gridiron from 2016-18 (2,375 rushing yards; 22 rushing TDs)

Turning Pro
Western lost two of its starting pitchers to the Cincinnati Reds organization as Ryan Dunne and Ian Koch signed free agent contracts during the offseason. Both were All-Summit League selections a season ago with four wins apiece, over 80 innings pitched, and a 4.68 and 4.38 ERA, respectively.  

The team's former third basemen Mitch Ellis also signed his first professional contract with the Brisbane Bandits of the Australian Baseball League (ABL) and recently helped the team to its fourth consecutive ABL championship. Ellis concluded his senior career hitting a team-best .324 with 33 hits, 17 runs, and 10 RBI. 
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