LA GRANDE, Ore. – Mountaineers Baseball is back on the road this weekend, this time for a three-game series. Eastern Oregon will look to get back above .500 as the team will face an NCAA Division III opponent.

OPPONENT
Linfield Wildcats (0-0)

WHERE
McMinnville, Ore. - Jim Wright Stadium

WHEN
Friday-Sunday, Feb. 4-6
Friday, Feb. 4 - 3 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 5 - 1 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 6 - 1 p.m.

First Pitch
• The Mountaineers (2-2) are coming off a productive season opening weekend at the Coach Calderone invite picking up wins over Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) and Oklahoma Panhandle State.
• Eastern is starting the season playing its first 19 games away from home. They are just four games in with the next seven being in-state contests.
• The Mountaineers entered the 2022 campaign preseason picked to finish sixth in the CCC Coaches' Poll. 
• Following the three-game road series at Linfield, EOU will remain in-state for a four-game series at Pacific University next weekend.

How to Watch/Follow
• Livestream and live stats for this weekend's series can be accessed on the EOU Baseball schedule page and by clicking the respective link above
• All home games this year will be webcast on the Mountie Sports Network at www.EOUSports.com/watch. All EOU home games will be Pay-Per-View and can be purchased for $7.95 per game or 11.95 for a day pass of doubleheaders. Fans can also purchase an Eastern Oregon All-Access pass to watch all 2021-22 EOU home sporting events for $100.
• Livestreams for all home games will begin 15 minutes prior to tip-off.
• Live stats coverage for EOU Baseball games this season can be accessed at www.eousports.com/livestats.

Story Lines
• The Mountaineers are one the road for 19 straight games to start the 2022 season.
• Eastern is .500 (2-2) for the first time in program history since its reinstatement in 2021.
• EOU and Linfield will match-up for the first time since the 2006 season. 
• The Mountaineers next 11 games will all be against in-state NCAA opponents.

Quick Hits
Last Time Out
• The Mountaineers opened the 2022 campaign playing four games in Arizona at the Coach Calderone Invite. EOU went 2-2 over the weekend, scoring 38 runs total.
• EOU dropped its season opener to host Arizona Christian 18-3, but bounced back with an 8-1 win over Embry-Riddle (Ariz.).
• The Mountaineers second win of the weekend was a 16-12 shootout victory over Oklahoma Panhandle State. They then dropped a 16-11 bout against the No. 23-ranked Benedictine Mesa Redhawks.
• Three Eastern players hit over .500 for the weekend with Matt Garcia leading the way at .538. He tallied seven hits and had nine RBIs. He also scored four runs and hit a triple.
• On the mound, Nick Jennings and Dylan Myers each fanned four batters over the weekend. Picking up wins on the bump were Myers and Davis Brown in relief efforts.

Series History vs. Linfield
• From 1973-2006, Linfield owned a 17-3 edge over the Mountaineers, but lost the final match-up between the two squads back in 2006.
• Eastern last played the Wildcats back on February 19, 2006 and won by a final of 7-4. On the road, EOU is 0-5 all-time against the Wildcats in McMinnville.
• The only two other wins for the Mountaineers in the series came in 2002 and 1996. 

Road Warriors
• The Mountaineers are on the road for their first 19 games of the season before stepping onto their home field.
• EOU is scheduled to play a total of 35 games on the road this season and just 16 at home.
• Of the 35 road games this season, 19 will be in-state contests.

Batter Up!
• Through the last two games played, EOU has racked up 10-plus hits against opponents.
• Eastern tallied a season best 19 hits in the win over Oklahoma Panhandle State.
• When the bases are loaded EOU has hit 5-11 on the year for a .455 average.
• Matt Garcia and Donovan Gonzalez have earned their keep in bases loaded at bats as both have gone 2-2 in those moments this season.

Scouting the Competition
Linfield Wildcats
• The Wildcats will open the 2022 campaign against the Mountaineers this weekend. They finished the 2021 season with a 10-28 overall record and went 8-22 in conference play.
• Looking to lead the bats this year will be junior Jackson Horner. He was second last season with a .320 average. He had 12 RBIs and scored 19 runs in 33 games played.
• Mike LaVigne will also look to add a spark as well for the bats as he was third in hitting last season. He hit .300 for the year with two home runs and 14 RBIs.
• Waytt Smith is the top returner in terms of RBIs. He had 17 last year to finish second on the team and hit .264 on the year. He also had two homers and seven doubles.
• For the pitching staff, Colton Meyer will once again look to lead the way. He had a team-high 37 strikeouts in 31.2 innings of work. 
• Also back is Gage Mack who was second in strikeouts last season with 31. He led the team in innings pitched with 46 complete. 
• Rounding out the top-three in the pitching staff is Andrew Del Biaggio. He finished third in strikeouts with 28 last season and tied for second in innings pitched at 40.1.
• As a team, the Wildcats hit .248 for the season and racked up 154 RBIs for the year. They hit 20 home runs and scored 166 runs.
• On the mound, Linfield posted a 6.24 ERA last year. They fanned 192 batters in 290 innings of work. They gave up 37 home runs on the year.

Up Next
• Eastern will continue its lengthy road swing with a four-game two-day series at Pacific University. The Mountaineers series against the Boxers will be Feb. 12-13, with both days being doubleheader tilts. First pitch will be at 12 p.m. PT both days.

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