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Jace Warkentien
Larry Dean

Leathernecks Continue Early Slate at SEMO

The three-game set begins Friday.

Western Illinois (0-3) at Southeast Missouri State (4-0)                                               
Date: Feb. 22-24, 2019
Site: Capaha Field 
Game Times:  1 p.m. (Friday - Sunday) 

Western's Last Outing
Tested in their very first series of the year, the Leathernecks traveled to Cookeville, Tenn., for a three-game set against the defending Ohio Valley Conference champions, Tennessee Tech.

Though the Leathernecks led in each of the final two games, they dropped the series by scores of 3-2, 8-3, and 7-4. 

Just Javin 
Javin Drake pitched a stellar outing on Opening Day, limiting the Golden Eagles to three runs (two earned) in 6.0 innings. 

As Western's lone starter with a sub-4 ERA last year, 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.  

Coming On in Relief
Jace Warkentien, Jordan Cheek, Austin Emanuel, and Jackson Gray all made an appearance in Opening Weekend, pitching at least one full inning with no runs allowed. 

For Cheek and Gray, the outings marked their first in a Leatherneck uniform and neither allowed a hit. 

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

at Tennessee Tech | March 15-16 | 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

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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