WIU Baseball Heads to Millington, TN

Thursday, February 22, 2024 | By: WIU Athletic Communications

Who | Saint Louis University
Where | Millington, TN
When | Feb. 23-25
Social Media | Instagram & Twitter

Last Week
Western Illinois took on Austin Peay to open the season. The Leathernecks took game one 6-5 as junior Trevor Leon had game winning RBI double. Jason Buhl goes 4.1 innings striking out three in his first outing. The Leatherneck bullpen goes 4.2 striking out three well allowing zero runs. WIU dropped Sunday's double header 18-9 and 7-6, but the bats were awake as WIU hit four home runs in game one and one in game two.

Player of the Week
Western Illinois catcher Adam Juran has been named Ohio Valley Player of the Week the league announced on Monday afternoon. This is Western Illinois and Juran's first honor since joining the OVC.

Juran started the season red hot from both the offensive side and defensive side. In the batter's box he hit .333 with a pair of homeruns. Juran also posted three walks well batting a 1.611 OPS on the weekend. Juran led the team with 10 total bases, 2 home runs, 1.111 slg% and 1.611 OPS. On the defensive side Juran posted a 1.000 FLD% with 13 put outs and 3 assists well throwing out three baserunners including a strike them out throw them out to end Friday's game.

Big First Win
With Western Illinois 6-5 over Austin Peay Head Coach Terry Davis earned his first win as a skipper of Western Illinois. Davis is the first head coach since 1955 to start his Leatherneck coaching career 1-0.

New Era
Western Illinois Athletics joined the Ohio Valley Conference on July 1^st. They became the 11^th member to join the conference and have had every team make the transition to the OVC as of Jan. 1^st.

New Skipper
Head Coach Terry Davis was hired to become the ninth coach in WIU Baseball program on July 7^th. Coach Davis comes to Western Illinois after serving as an assistant baseball coach and recruiting coordinator at Washington State. Before Washington State Davis, served as an assistant coach at New Mexico State from 2016-2019.

OVC Outlook
The Ohio Valley Conference announced the preseason players and team polls for the 2024 season on Thursday. The Leathernecks are projected to finish 10th in the OVC, with Little Rock projected to take home the league title. Head Coaches and Communication Directors select the Ohio Valley preseason team. Players are automatically assigned to the 18-player OVC preseason team if they earned first or second-team all-conference in the OVC last season. Due to all the 18-player slots being filled by OVC first- and second-team players from the 2023 season, WIU was not represented on the preseason team.

Returning Stars
Western Illinois returns two all-conference members from the 2023 season. Adam Juran and Kyree Alexander earned Summit League Honorable Mention honors last season. Juran spent all his time behind the plate as the starting catcher for WIU. Juran posted a career-high .288 batting average, hitting four home runs and knocking in 19 RBIs. Juran also set career highs in slugging percentage (.466), doubles (7), triples (1), and stolen bases (4).

As a true freshman, Kyree Alexander tied for a team-high with four home runs. Alexander batted at a .300 clip well in conference play, driving ten RBIs. Alexander was a threat on the base paths, leading the team with nine stolen bases.

Raising Money
The Leatherneck Baseball team got the spring 2024 season off to a great start, raising more than $18,000 at their First Pitch Dinner on February 3, 2024. The event, held at Park Place of Macomb, brought together the community, Leatherneck baseball alumni, and the 2024 team and coaching staff in support of the baseball program. The money raised is being allocated to various aspects of the baseball program, including upgrades to training facilities, equipment, and new software to aid in player development and recruiting. Western Illinois Athletics and the Leatherneck Baseball team would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to all those in attendance at this year's event.

50 Year Anniversary
Western Illinois Baseball will be celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the 1974 hall of fame team this season. The 1974 team went 31-12 on the year for the most single season wins at that time and second most today, and concluded the campaign with a trip to the NCAA Division II Mideast Regional. The postseason appearance marked the first-ever for WIU baseball. This team is arguably one of the greatest Leatherneck Baseball teams to ever step on the diamond.

Print Friendly Version

Upcoming Events and Recent Results

Related Videos

Related Stories