Who | SEMO

Where | Macomb, IL 

When | May 10-12

Social Media | Instagram & Twitter

Senior Day

Western Illinois will celebrate five seniors during their on-field senior day ceremony on Saturday. Max Slavens, J.R. Heavilin, Adam Juran, Caden Kratz, and Kyle Rosenfeld have all been vital parts of the Leatherneck baseball family in how they play on the field and interact with the community.

Post Season Push

Western Illinois is sitting two games out of the final 8th spot in the OVC tournament. With tiebreaker wins over Lindenwood and UT Martin, the Leathernecks look to gain ground on Eastern Illinois, which sits two games above WIU but holds the tiebreaker.

OVC Pitcher of the Week

Western Illinois pitcher Jason Buhl has been named Ohio Valley Pitcher of the Week, the league announced on Monday afternoon. This is Western Illinois and Buhl's first pitcher of the week since joining the OVC.

Buhl was lights out on Saturday afternoon, pitching the first complete game for Western Illinois since 2022. The junior went 9.0 full innings, allowing just one run while striking out five batters. Buhl helped the Western Illinois pitching staff set multiple milestones this weekend, including the fewest runs allowed in a three-game series since 2014.

Pitching On Point

Western Illinois pitching staff dominated the Lindenwood Lions over the weekend. Jason Buhl started the weekend pitching the first complete game for WIU since 2022. Tyler Kapraun and Caden Kratz followed Buhl's performance with the first shutout by the Leathernecks since March 2021. Western Illinois pitching staff as a whole only allowed four runs over the three-game series, which is the fewest since 2014

Walk Off Winner

Cesar Franco delivered his biggest home run of the season in Sunday's match-up against SIUE. Down 6-4 in the bottom of the ninth, Franco smacked a ball over the right field fence to give Western Illinois the 7-6 win.

Setting The Tone

Over the past week, Liam Bushey and J.R. Heavilin set the tone for the Western Illinois offense. Bushey and Heavilin belted two home runs well, driving in six runs. Bushey tied a program record for at-bats (7) at Southern Illinois. He also tied for second with total bases (12) and third in hits in a game (5). J.R. Heavilin reached base in every game, tallying two extra-base hits.

The Big 100

Over the weekend, Western Illinois catcher Adam Juran surpassed the 100 career hit mark with a double to right center field.

In State Battles

Western Illinois finishes off their five games in a row against teams from Illinois on Tuesday against the University of Illinois. Western Illinois picked up their first win against an in-state school against SIUE 7-6.

Putting the Hitter in Designated Hitter

J.R. Heavilin has solidified his position as Western Illinois designated hitter through the first 24 games. Against Tennessee Tech, Heavlin batted .556, going 5-9 with a double and a home run. Heavilin came around to score twice, slugging at a 1.000% clip.

Close Games

All six Western Illinois wins have been within two runs. The Leathernecks have won four one-run games and two-run games. Western Illinois is a combined 6-1 in games separated by two or more runs.

Leading From Behind the Plate

Catchers Adam Juran and Brock Lummus saw themselves go 5-10 (.500) at the plate against UT Martin. Lummus, who captivated the Leatherneck crowd with a leadoff double in a come-from-behind 7-6 victory in game three, saw himself drive in two RBIs and score the game-winning run. Playing the first two games at first base and wrapping up the series behind the plate, Lummus posted a 1.000 fielding percentage. Juran started games one and two as the primary catcher and strung together five hits in the three-game span, including a pair of doubles.

Caden The Closer

Western Illinois closer Caden Kratz picked up two more saves against UT Martin over the weekend. Kratz has six total saves on the year, ranking him third in NCAA baseball.

Liam Stay Hot

Liam Bushey was on a tear in the batter's box against Cincinnati and Iowa for Western Illinois. The Leathernecks right fielder batted .588, slugging at a .882 clip. The junior drove in four RBI with two doubles and a home run. Bushey scored four times and drove in the game-winning run against power five Cincinnati.

Power Five Win

Western Illinois's 12-11 win against Cincinnati on March 12th was the first win for the Leathernecks against a Big 12 opponent since 2009 when they defeated Oklahoma State. In 2008, WIU beat Missouri when they were part of the Big 12 Conference.

King of K's

Caden Kratz had a dominant weekend out of the bullpen, picking up two saves against Eastern Kentucky. Kratz dealt a total of 3.0 innings, striking out six well and not allowing a walk. 

Player of the Week

Western Illinois catcher Adam Juran has been named Ohio Valley Player of the Week, the league announced on Monday (February 19th) afternoon. This is Western Illinois and Juran's first honor since joining the OVC.

Juran started the season red-hot from both the offensive and defensive sides. In the batter's box, he hit .333 with a pair of home runs. Juran also posted three walks well, batting a 1.611 OPS on the weekend. Juran led the team with ten total bases, two home runs, 1.111 slg%, and 1.611 OPS. Juran posted a 1.000 FLD% on the defensive side with 13 putouts and three 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 1st, becoming the 11th member. Every team transitioned to the OVC as of January 1st.

New Look

Western Illinois will be wearing a new style this upcoming weekend. The Leathernecks were lucky enough to receive a donation from the 1974 Hall of Fame Baseball team that allowed them to buy new purple and white uniforms. The team donated the funding as part of a celebration of its 50th Anniversary. The 1974 team made the NCAA regional tournament and was inducted into the Western Illinois Hall of Fame in 2019.

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 3rd, 2024. The Park Place of Macomb event brought together the community, Leatherneck baseball alums, and the 2024 team and coaching staff to support the baseball program. The money raised is allocated to various aspects of the baseball program, including upgrades to training facilities, equipment, and new software to aid 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.

50th Anniversary

Western Illinois Baseball will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the 1974 Hall of Fame team this season. The 1974 team went 31-12 in the year for the most single-season wins at that time and second most today. The campaign concluded 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.