Eagles Baseball Opens 2022 Season Saturday

The Eagles return several quality players from last season including first baseman Nick Allred and pitcher Garrison Keene, both of whom were AMC Golden Glove winners last season. He also returns Sam Philley (2B), Brady Sterns (RHP/SS), Palmer Campbell (OF), and Dezmond Cordova (3B/OF), all of whom had quality 2021 campaigns, both in the field and at the plate. 

Head Coach Stephen Abanathy has added several new pieces to his lineup this year whom he expects will have a big impact on the field: Nicholas Jones, a catcher transfer from Middle Tennessee State; Isaac Williams, a transfer from Blue Mountain College; Caleb Suiter, a RHP from Connors State; Spencer Burnham, a RHP from William Woods; Cole Manning, a freshman SS/RHP from Walnut Ridge; and Ray Ochoa, a freshman OF/RHP from Ellisnore, Mo. 

"Depth at the pitching position will be a strength for us, we have a lot of dynamic arms in the rotation and in the bullpen.  We have a strong core of leaders that have done a tremendous job at bringing the new guys along, and have been a great positive influence to our team," Abanathy remarked on the state of his team going into the season. 

The Eagles open up the season at Blue Mountain college on Feb. 5 with a doubleheader. They return home for a four-game series against Missouri Valley on Feb. 11-12. On the 15th, they travel to Searcy for a game against Harding. They return home again for a four-game series against Baptist Bible College on Feb. 18-19. On the 22nd, they travel down HWY 412 to take on Crowley's Ridge in a doubleheader. February ends with a four-game series against Ecclesia College on the 25th-26th. 

March opens with a return visit from Crowley's Ridge for a doubleheader. They host Lincoln College for four games on the 4th-5th. The next weekend they host Iowa Wesleyan on the 11th-12th for four games. On the 15th they travel again to Harding for a game. AMC play starts on March 18-19 with the Eagles traveling to Harris-Stowe for a doubleheader on Friday and a single game on Saturday. They host Columbia for a doubleheader on the 25th and then a single game on the 26th. To finish out the month, they travel to Champion Christian College on the 29th for a single game. 

They start April on the road at Missouri Baptist for a doubleheader on April 1 and then a single game on the 2nd. They visit Ouachita Baptist on the 5th for a doubleheader. They host Lyon for a single game on the 8th and then a doubleheader on the 9th. They travel to Blue Mountain for a doubleheader on the 12th, and then to Hannibal-LaGrange for a double header on the 15th and single game on the 16th. They continue their road trip with a visit to Central Baptist on the 22nd for a two-game bill and then the 23rd for a single game. They finish the season at home with a single game against Champion Christian on the 26th and then against William Woods for a single game on the 28th and a doubleheader on the 29th.