Leathernecks Gear Up For Six Straight Against St. Thomas

Monday, May 08, 2023 | By: WIU Athletic Communications

Who | St. Thomas
Where | Macomb, IL & St. Paul, MN
When | May 9 & 12-14
Social Media | Instagram & Twitter

Last Time Out
WIU headed to Omaha this past weekend, matching up with the Mavericks. The Leathernecks took game one of the three-game series 5-2. WIU surrounded themselves with dominant pitching as Jake Armstrong and Jack Bell helped seal the victory. WIU dropped the final two games of the series 11-8 and 3-2.

Schedule Change
Western Illinois and St. Thomas will square off in a six-game set. Initially scheduled for March 24-26, the Leathernecks will now square off in two games in Macomb, Ill, on Tuesday (May 9) and then in St. Paul for four games over the weekend.

Leathernecks Stat Leader
Nick Mitchell remains at the top of offensive categories for the Leathernecks. The former Summit League All-Freshman teamer leads WIU in batting avg (.384), OPS (1.093), runs (33), hits (58), doubles (15), triples (5), total bases (92), SLG% (.609), walks (29) OB% (.484).

Double Digit Hits
Western Illinois collected 11 hits in their 11-8 loss to Omaha. WIU has collected double-digit hits for the 14th time this season on Saturday night.

Chasing Fargo
Western Illinois is looking to return to the Summit League Championships for the first time since 2019. The Leathernecks are sitting 2.5 games back from Omaha for the fourth spot in the Summit League standings that would guarantee them the 656-mile trip to Fargo, ND.

Getting on Base
Nick Mitchell stayed an on-base machine in Omaha. The Carmel, Ind native collected hits in all three games over the weekend. Mitchell increased his on-base streak to 24 games which is a team-high this season. Jake Allgeyer reached base in 19 straight games to start the season.

Chasing The Record Book
Jack Bell engraved his name in Leatherneck Baseball history last season, setting the record for single-season appearances (31). Bell is chasing more WIU Baseball season records. Bell currently sits six appearances from breaking the all-time career appearance record at 72. He also sits eight appearances away from breaking his single-season appearance record.

Scouting St. Thomas
The Tommies were swept by the Golden Eagles of Oral Roberts this past weekend. They fell 8-3, 11-2, and 8-1 in their three-game series. Evan Esch has made a name for himself on the mound. The sophomore leads all active Tommies with 94 career strikeouts during the Division I era.

Up Next
WIU returns home to wrap up their regular season. The Leathernecks will take on Eastern Illinois in a mid-week matchup on Tuesday (May 16). They will finish their regular season welcoming Oral Roberts in a three-game set.

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