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Justin Foy
Sarah Twidwell

WIU Ventures to Memphis for Three-Game Series

| By: WIU Athletic Communications

Action begins on Friday (Feb. 28) at FedEx Park with first pitch at 4 p.m.

Series Three 

Who | Western Illinois (0-6) at Memphis (5-3) 
When | Friday (Feb. 28) at 4 p.m. - Saturday (Feb. 29) at 2 p.m. - Sunday (March 1) at 1 p.m.
Where | FedEx Park - Memphis, Tenn. 
Social Media | Twitter and Facebook #TRADITIONofTOUGH

First Pitch | The Western Illinois baseball team heads to Memphis for a three-game series after being swept by Butler last weekend. 

New Skipper | This season the Leathernecks are led by first-year head coach Andy Pascoe who is the seventh head coach in program history. He was hired on Sept. 19, 2019, after he spent three seasons at Butler (2016-19) as an assistant/hitting coach.  

History vs. Memphis | Western Illinois has squared off 30 times against Memphis, also known as Memphis State. The all-time series favors the Tigers 21-8-1 as the two schools first met in 1965 and Western fell 6-1. Both schools constantly met in the 1970s-1980s with the most recent outing in 2004 and the lone tie occured in 1969. 

Last 5 meetings

3/12/04 | L, 2-6 | A
3/5/00 | L, 2-3 | A
3/4/00 | L, 0-6 | A
*1991 | L, 5-15 | A
*1991 | L, 3-6 | A

*No date of game


2020 Momentum | Last season the Leathernecks collected 22 wins, which tied the most single-season wins in 12 years. Also a program record was set for the most Summit League victories (16) in program history and handed Oral Roberts, a four-time league champion, its first-ever sweep in league play. 

The Leathernecks return the ace of the staff, Javin Drake and key offense pieces Drue Galassi (.298) and Kevin Raisbeck (.291) who each batted just a shy under .300. Both Drake and Galassi First Team All-Summit selections last season as well. 

DraKKKKe | A strikeout machine, Javin Drake will take the mound again as the Leatherneck ace. Last season he set the single-season program record for strikeouts (109) for a career total of 204 and is only 25 more away from becoming the all-time leader. He also tied 10th for wins in a season with seven and third in innings pitch at 103. 

Galassi's Grass | Drue Galassi has raked at the plate since he stepped foot at WIU. After earning a medical redshirt in 2016, he bounced back to be named a 2017 Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American while batting .281 with eight home runs and slugging .519. That season he also hit two grand slams in one inning to be named Collegiate Baseball Co-National Player of the Week en route, setting the single record of 10 RB.  

Galassi ranks ninth all-time in home runs (20) and seventh in RBI (107). He returns to the Purple and Gold as last seasons leader in slugging (.527), hits (56), RBI (51), triples (2), and home runs (10)

Quick Start | Catcher Jayden Gibson made his collegiate debut in the season opener at Tennessee one to remember as he recorded both of Western's two hits in the series opener. Off his bat in the second inning, he collected the Leathernecks first hit of the 2020 season and later singled up the middle in the bottom of the eighth. Gibson also threw out a runner at second in the bottom of the sixth. 

The freshman backstop has started four games and is batting .333 with four hits and four walks along with throwing out four runners. 
 
Returning Awards | Western received the Summit Player of the Week honor six times in 2019 and all three honorees are back in the purple and gold this season in Javin Drake (three), Kevin Raisbeck (twice) and Drue Galassi (once). 

A Whole New Staff | First-year head coach Andy Pascoe isn't the only new member of the staff this season. He adds assistant/pitching coach Braeden Ward, graduate assistant coach Adam McGinnis and volunteer assistant coach Trey Muilenburg.

New Faces | Leatherneck baseball welcomes 15 new faces for the 2020 season - Toby Allred, Johnny Beck, Jack Bell, Aidan Cossio, Gage Cruz, Austin Edwards, Tyler Estes, Jayden Gibson, Adam Juran, David Olejnik, Brian Raymond, Luke Schwartz, Brett Sears, Max Slavens and Chase VanDerGinst.

On Deck | Western Illinois travels to SEC Missouri for a three-game tilt that will serve as the Tigers home opener.  
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