Ohio Valley Conference

• OVC Baseball Report - April 8 (PDF)


This Week’s Schedule

Tuesday, April 9
Morehead State at Northern Kentucky, 2:00 p.m.
Southern Illinois at Southeast Missouri, 5:00 p.m.
Austin Peay at #13 Kentucky, 5:30 p.m.
Belmont at Lipscomb, 6:00 p.m.
Jacksonville State at Troy, 6:00 p.m.
SIUE at Saint Louis, 6:00 p.m.
Tennessee Tech at Middle Tennessee, 6:00 p.m.
Eastern Illinois at Illinois, 6:05 p.m.
UT Martin at #2 Vanderbilt, 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 10
Illinois College at Eastern Illinois, 2:00 p.m.
Austin Peay at Southern Illinois, 3:00 p.m.
Evansville at Murray State, 3:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
Eastern Kentucky at Ohio, 5:00 p.m.
UAB at Jacksonville State, 6:30 p.m.

Friday, April 12
*UT Martin at Eastern Kentucky, 2:00 p.m.
*Jacksonville State at Murray State, 3:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*SIUE at Belmont, 5:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Austin Peay at Southeast Missouri, 5:00 p.m.
Morehead State at Illinois State, 6:00 p.m.
*Eastern Illinois at Tennessee Tech, 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 13
Morehead State at Illinois State (2), 12:00 p.m.
*UT Martin at Eastern Kentucky, 1:00 p.m.
*SIUE at Belmont, 2:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Jacksonville State at Murray State, 2:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Austin Peay at Southeast Missouri, 2:00 p.m.
*Eastern Illinois at Tennessee Tech, 2:00 p.m.

Sunday, April 14
*UT Martin at Eastern Kentucky, 12:00 p.m.
*SIUE at Belmont, 1:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Jacksonville State at Murray State, 1:00 p.m. (OVC Digital Network)
*Austin Peay at Southeast Missouri, 1:00 p.m.
Morehead State at Illinois State, 1:00 p.m.
*Eastern Illinois at Tennessee Tech, 1:00 p.m.

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adidas® OVC Players of the Week
 
PLAYER
Daniel Miles, 3B • Jr., 6-2, 190 • Pascagoula, Miss. • Tennessee Tech
In four games last week Miles hit .500 (7-for-14) with seven runs scored, four home runs, nine RBI, a 1.357 slugging percentage and .632 on-base percentage. The junior had a pair of hits in the midweek game at East Tennessee. After going hitless in the opener with Austin Peay, Miles rebounded to go 3-for-4 with three home runs   (tying a TTU single-game record) and six RBI in a 10-7 victory over the Governors. He also drew a walk and stole a base in that contest. He ended the week with another home run and two RBI in a win over Austin Peay. Miles currently ranks fourth in the OVC in home runs (7) and seventh in RBI (28).

Others Nominated: Craig Massoni, Austin Peay; Judah Akers, Belmont; Nick Priessman, Eastern Illinois; Kyle Nowlin, Eastern Kentucky; Michael Bishop, Jacksonville State; Taylor Pickens, Morehead State; Matt Tellor, Southeast Missouri; Joel Greatting, SIUE; Matt Young, UT Martin.
 
PITCHER
Travis Felax, RHP • Jr., 6-4, 235 • Troy, Ill. • SIUE
Felax earned his second OVC Pitcher of the Week honor of the season after throwing a complete game shutout in the team’s win over Southeast Missouri on Friday night. It was his third complete game of the season (most in the OVC) and the first shutout of his career. The junior scattered four hits and struck out a career-high 10 batters without walking anybody. It marked the fifth consecutive start that Felax had pitched at least eight innings. Felax currently ranks second in the OVC in E.R.A. (1.38).
 
Others Nominated: Lee Ridenhour, Austin Peay; Austin Coley, Belmont; Garrison Stenger, Eastern Illinois; Luke Shearrow, Southeast Missouri.
 
 
Team Notes

Austin Peay (25-7, 8-3 OVC): Austin Peay topped both Lipscomb and Western Kentucky in non-conference play last week. On Friday night the team bested Tennessee Tech 7-3 as head coach Gary McClure won his 777th career game, establishing a new OVC all-time victories mark. McClure is currently in his 26th season at his alma mater. That would, however, be the only win the team would pick up in the TTU series, marking the first conference series loss for the team since April 2012 (vs. Jacksonville State), ending a stretch of six consecutive OVC series wins. Senior closer Tyler Rogers picked up his 12th save of the season last week, tying the Austin Peay single-season mark that he established last year. The 12 saves are tied for the third-most in OVC single-season history, three away from the record. Rogers now has 24 career saves, also third-most in OVC history (8 away from the record). Junior hurler Lee Ridenhour struck out nine in eight innings of work against TTU on Friday night. Junior 1B Craig Massoni hit .476 (10-for-21) with three runs scored, five doubles, a home run and eight RBI last week. Senior outfielder Cody Hudson recorded his 200th career hit last week, becoming the 15th Austin Peay player to reach that milestone. Austin Peay will battle nationally-ranked Kentucky (No. 13 in the Baseball America poll) on Tuesday and play at Southern Illinois on Wednesday. This weekend the Governors, who are two games out of first place, will play at Southeast Missouri.
 
Belmont (23-7, 10-2 OVC): Belmont won three of four games last week, topping Evansville in a non-conference game and then taking the first and third game of an OVC series at UT Martin. The Bruins have won 10 of its last 11 games and are now in first place in the OVC standings (10-2), percentage points ahead of Tennessee Tech. Senior 1B Judah Akers hit .500 (9-for-18) with five runs scored, four doubles, three home runs and six RBI. On Sunday he had a two-run homer which marked his eighth long ball of the season, which is tied for the most in the OVC. Sophomore hurler Austin Coley struck out nine batters in 5.1 innings of work on Friday; he scattered four hits and struck out nine in combining with two other pitchers in producing a shutout. With the victory Coley improved to 5-0 on the season which is tied for second most wins in the OVC (behind teammate Dan Ludwig who has six victories). Coley ranks seventh in the OVC in E.R.A. (3.20) while the Belmont team is first overall (3.00 - 1.32 points better than second place). Belmont will play at in-city rival Lipscomb on Tuesday before hosting SIUE for a three-game OVC set this weekend.
 
Eastern Illinois (10-18, 3-8 OVC): Eastern Illinois snapped an eight-game losing streak in OVC play by sweeping Murray State by scores of 6-3, 15-8 and 16-6 over the weekend. It was the first OVC victories of the season for the Panthers, who also topped in-state rival Illinois State 20-2 in non-conference play during the week. Overall the team outscored their opponents 57-19 during the week. Senior outfielder Nick Priessman hit .563 (9-for-16) with three runs scored, three doubles and nine RBI in four games. Priessman hit 6-for-10 with runners in scoring position,  .500 with two outs and had a .750 slugging percentage. As a team the Panthers hit .404 while the pitching staff combined for a 3.50 E.R.A. Cameron Berra hit .667 (8-for-12) with five runs scored and four RBI while Treysen Vavra hit .471 with six runs scored and seven RBI. Overall seven players on the team had four or more RBI during the week. Eastern Illinois will play at Illinois on Tuesday night before hosting Illinois College on Wednesday afternoon. The team plays a three-game weekend series at Tennessee Tech.
 
Eastern Kentucky (9-19, 5-7 OVC): After a loss to Appalachian State to open last week Eastern Kentucky was on an eight-game losing streak. But that streak ended last week with a 10-3 victory over Marshall and then carried over to the OVC portion of its schedule when the team swept Morehead State to improve to 5-7 in Conference play. The Colonels won 5-4 on Friday night then exploded for a combined 48 runs over the final two games of the series, winning 18-6 on Saturday and 30-14 on Sunday. The Colonels had 33 total hits on Sunday’s slugfest and now ranks fourth in the OVC in team batting average (.282). Freshman outfielder Kyle Nowlin hit .529 (9-for-17) with 10 runs scored, three home runs (his first long balls of the season), six RBI, a 1.059 slugging percentage and two stolen bases. The rookie hit .750 in the Morehead State series and raised his season batting average from .204 to .311. In Sunday’s finale he was 5-for-6 with two home runs, three RBI and five runs scored. Two EKU players drove in 10 runs during the week, as Doug Teegarden hit .400 and smashed a home run and Shaun Ball hit .375 with three home runs. Eastern Kentucky will play at Ohio on Wednesday before returning home to host UT Martin for a three-game series this weekend.
 
Jacksonville State (16-15, 9-3 OVC): Jacksonville State had a bye from OVC competition last week and only played two midweek non-conference games. The Gamecocks hosted rival Samford on Tuesday and scored four times in the bottom of the ninth inning to force extra innings where the team won 12-11 in the 10th inning. In that extra frame Andrew Bishop singled home Coty Blanchard to give the team its fourth victory in its final at-bat of the season. The team is now 6-0 in one-run games at home this season. Michael Bishop hit .667 (4-for-6) with four runs scored, a double, triple, RBI and stolen base in two games. Bishop and Griff Gordon are now tied for the team lead in multiple-hit game (13), which ranks fifth in the OVC. The team is now 11-0 this season when leading after the sixth inning. Jacksonville State will host UAB on Wednesday night and then head to Murray State for a three-game weekend series.
 
Morehead State (9-22, 4-11 OVC): Morehead State suffered a winless week, losing a non-conference game against Campbellsville and then suffering a sweep at home against rival Eastern Kentucky. The Eagles have now lost seven games in a row and 13 of its last 15 overall. Taylor Pickens hit .500 (8-for-16) with six runs scored, two doubles, two home runs, five RBI and a 1.000 slugging percentage. Kane Sweeney, who leads the team in hitting at .355 (which is sixth in the OVC), has reached base safely in 22-straight games, the longest streak for the team this season. Morehead State will play at Northern Kentucky on Tuesday night before playing a four-game non-conference series at Illinois State this weekend.
 
Murray State (12-19, 6-9 OVC): Murray State dropped a non-conference game at Southern Illinois to start last week and then dropped a three-game OVC series at Eastern Illinois. The Thoroughbreds have now lost seven games in a row and six-straight OVC contests. Ty Stetson led the team with a .556 (10-for-18) average while adding three runs, a double and four RBI. Mike Kozlowski hit .313 (5-for-16) and added two doubles and eight RBI. For the season Brandon Eggenschwiler continues to lead the team in batting with a .342 average which ranks 10th in the OVC. Murray State currently ranks fifth in the OVC in team batting average (.281). Murray State will play eight of its next nine games at home beginning with Evansville on Wednesday night. The week also includes a three-game OVC weekend home series with Jacksonville State, a team that is just 1.5 games out of first place in the league.
 
Southeast Missouri (17-16, 9-6 OVC): Southeast Missouri lost a non-conference game at Arkansas State (9-8) to open the week and were then shutout in the first game of its OVC series at SIUE. But the Redhawks rebounded to win the final two games of the series by margins of 8-4 and 13-11 to improve to 9-6 in league play; that puts the team in fifth place in the conference standings. Junior 1B Matt Tellor hit .353 (6-for-17) with three runs scored, three doubles, a triple, two home runs and seven RBI in the four games. He had two doubles and a triple against ASU and followed that with two home runs in Sunday’s series clinching victory over SIUE. As a team the Redhawks stole 19 bases last week, including 10 in Saturday’s win over the Cougars (the most in a game in the OVC since the 2006 season). Southeast now has 54 stolen bases on the season which is the most in the OVC. Southeast Missouri will host Southern Illinois in a non-conference game on Tuesday and this weekend will welcome OVC preseason favorite Austin Peay to town for a three-game series.
 
SIUE (8-18, 6-9 OVC): SIUE lost a non-conference game at home to Saint Louis before rebounding to shutout Southeast Missouri 4-0 on Friday night. The Cougars ended the weekend with two losses to the Redhawks to slip to 6-9 in OVC action on the season. Junior pitcher Travis Felax earned his second OVC Pitcher of the Week honor of the season after throwing a complete game shutout on Friday night. It was his third complete game of the season (the most in the OVC) and the first shutout of his career. The junior scattered four hits and struck out a career-high 10 batters without walking anybody. It marked the fifth consecutive start that Felax had pitched at least eight innings. Felax currently ranks second in the OVC and 41st nationally in E.R.A. (1.38) and is now 3-3 on the season. Senior 1B Joel Greatting hit .500 (8-for-16) with six runs scored, a home runs, five RBI and a stolen base. In Sunday’s finale with Southeast, the senior was 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI and was also hit by a pitch twice. SIUE will have a rematch with regional rival Saint Louis on the road on Tuesday before heading to OVC leader Belmont for a three-game weekend series.
 
Tennessee Tech (23-9, 12-3 OVC): Tennessee Tech was shutout at East Tennessee to begin last week and then dropped the first game of its OVC series with Austin Peay to see its losing streak reach three games, its longest streak of the season. But the Golden Eagles rebounded to take the final two games of the series from the two-time defending OVC champions by margins of 10-7 and 12-4. Tech is now 12-3 in OVC play, a few percentage points behind OVC leader Belmont. Overall the team has won 16 of its last 19 games. Junior 3B Daniel Miles was named National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball newspaper after hitting .500 (7-for-14) with seven runs scored, four home runs, nine RBI, a 1.357 slugging percentage and .632 on-base percentage. On Saturday Miles went 3-for-4 with three home runs (tying a TTU single-game record) and six RBI and on Saturday added another home run and two RBI. Miles currently ranks fourth in the OVC in home runs (7) and seventh in RBI (28). Teammates Zach Stephens and Brandon Thomasson are still tied for the league lead in home runs (8) with Belmont’s Judah Akers. Tennessee Tech currently ranks second in the OVC in both team batting average (.288) and team E.R.A. (4.32). Tennessee Tech will play at Middle Tennessee on Tuesday and then return home to host Eastern Illinois in a three-game weekend OVC series.
 
UT Martin (9-22, 2-13 OVC): UT Martin lost a game at Evansville to start last week and was shutout 4-0 in the series opener with Belmont. But the team got on the winning side of things on Saturday as the Skyhawks scored just their second OVC win of the season with a come-from-behind victory. UTM trailed 7-0 after the top of the fourth inning but scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game and won in the bottom of the ninth on a squeeze bunt play by Matt Haynes to score Wade Collins. Byron Johann and Nico Zych each hit .400 (6-for-15) in four starts last week. Junior reliever Chris Ross earned his co-team-high third win of the season on Saturday, tossing 1.1 innings of shutout ball; he did not allow a hit and walked one batter against two strikeouts. Despite taking the loss, senior starter Dan Tobik pitched well on Friday, allowing just one run off five hits; he fanned five against two walks. UT Martin will play at No. 2 Vanderbilt on Tuesday and then head to Eastern Kentucky for a three-game weekend OVC series.
 
 
Notes From Around the League
 
OVC Overview/This Week’s Highlights: Belmont took two of three games from UT Martin and Tennessee Tech won two of three from Austin Peay to stand atop the OVC standings...The Bruins are 10-2 and are a few percentage points ahead of the 12-3 Golden Eagles...Jacksonville State, who did not have an OVC series this past weekend, is in third place while Austin Peay is now fourth...APSU head coach Gary McClure won his 777th career game on Friday as he became the OVC’s all-time leader in wins, passing Murray State Johnny Reagan (776 from 1958-93)...Tennessee Tech 3B Daniel Miles was named National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball newspaper after hitting .500 with seven runs scored, four home runs, nine RBI, a 1.357 slugging percentage and a .632 on-base percentage...Both Austin Peay (Kentucky) and UT Martin (Vanderbilt) will play nationally-ranked opponents this week.
 
McClure Sets OVC All-Time Coaching Victories Record: Austin Peay head coach Gary McClure, now in his 26th year at his alma mater, set the OVC career victories record when he recorded his 777th victory with a 7-3 win over Tennessee Tech on April 5. He broke the previous record of 776 held by Murray State’s Johnny Reagan (1958-93). Last season McClure began the first coach in OVC history to reach 300 Conference victories in a career.
 
Miles Named National Player of the Week (April 8): Tennessee Tech junior 3B Daniel Miles was named National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball newspaper on April 8 after hitting .500 (7-for-14) with seven runs scored, four home runs, nine RBI, a 1.357 slugging percentage and .632 on-base percentage in four games. The junior had a pair of hits in the midweek game at East Tennessee. After going hitless in the opener with Austin Peay, Miles rebounded to go 3-for-4 with three home runs   (tying a TTU single-game record) and six RBI in a 10-7 victory over the Governors. He also drew a walk and stole a base in that contest. He ended the week with another home run and two RBI in a win over Austin Peay.
 
Finch Tosses First No-Hitter in OVC Since 2006: Murray State junior Cameron Finch tossed a no-hitter in the Thoroughbreds 1-0 victory over SIUE on March 22. It was the first no-hitter in the OVC since Eastern Kentucky’s Christian Friedrich tossed a 7-inning no-hitter versus Morehead State on March 26, 2006. It was the first 9-inning no-hitter since Southeast Missouri’s Tim Alvarez accomplished the feat on May 22, 2003 during the OVC Tournament. Overall it was the eighth no-hitter in Murray State history (and first of nine innings) and first since the 1986 season.

OVC Players in the Pros: Entering the 2013 season, there are five players from OVC schools on Major League Baseball Opening Day rosters. Austin Peay had the distinction of having three former players on teams including pitcher Matt Reynolds (Arizona), catcher A.J. Ellis (Los Angeles Dodgers) and relief pitcher Shawn Kelley (New York Yankees). Former Morehead State pitcher Jon Rauch is now a setup man with the Miami Marlins while former Tennessee Tech standout Stephen Pryor is a setup man with the Seattle Mariners. Former Eastern Kentucky pitcher Christian Friedrich will start the year in the minor leagues with the Colorado Rockies but is on the Rockies 40-man roster will likely be called up at some point (after being up with the parent team last season).
 
Finch Named National Pitcher of the Week by Collegiate Baseball News (March 25): After throwing a no-hitter against SIUE on March 22, Murray State junior Cameron Finch was named National Pitcher of the Week by Collegiate Baseball News. Finch retired the first six and 15 of the first 17 batters he faced and struck out five on only 96 total pitches in the 1-0 victory.
 
Hudson Named National Player of the Week by NCBWA and CollegeBaseballInsider.com (March 11): Austin Peay senior outfielder Cody Hudson was named the National Player of the Week by both the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and CollegeBaseballInsider.com on March 11 for his outstanding play. Hudson hit .500 (11-for-22) with 11 RBI and three stolen bases to help the Govs post a 5-0 mark during that week. He posted multiple hits in each of the five games during the week, including three game-winning hits. Hudson began the week with a walk-off three-run home run in the Govs victory against Michigan State, Monday. Hudson added a walk-off suicide squeeze in the 10th inning of the Govs win against Milwaukee, Saturday. He then added a game-winning two-run double in the eighth inning of APSU’s 9-8 win against Creighton.
 
Harper and Brookshire Named Candidates for Senior CLASS Award: Two Ohio Valley Conference baseball student-athletes, Austin Peay’s Reed Harper and Belmont’s Chase Brookshire, are among the 30 candidates for the 2013 Senior CLASS Award ®. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.  To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition. The candidate class will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2013 NCAA College World Series® in Omaha June 15-26.
 
Hankins and Stephens Named Preseason All-Americans: Austin Peay junior second baseman Jordan Hankins and Tennessee Tech junior first baseman Zach Stephens were each named Preseason All-Americans this year. Hankins was tabbed a third-team Louisville Slugger All-American by Collegiate Baseball News and a third-team selection by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). Stephens was named a third-team selection by the NCBWA as well.
 
Six OVC Coaches Coaching at Their Alma Mater: This season five of the 11 OVC head baseball coaches are currently coaching at their alma maters. That lists includes Austin Peay’s Gary McClure (1987), Eastern Kentucky’s Jason Stein (1997), Murray State Rob McDonald (1984), Southeast Missouri’s Steve Bieser (1989) and SIUE’s Tony Stoecklin (2003).
 
The Ballpark at Jackson to Host 2013 OVC Baseball Championship: For the fourth year in a row The Ballpark at Jackson (formerly Pringles Park) in Jackson, Tenn. will host the Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship. The Championship was held there for the first time in 2010 at the venue, which is the home of the Jackson Generals, the AA affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. This year the six-team, double-elimination tournament will be held May 22-26 and marks the 35th OVC Baseball Championship. The first elimination style tournament was held in 1979, most usually being played at the site of the regular season champion. Beginning in 2001 the tournament switched to a neutral site for the first time (and was held at Brooks Stadium in Paducah, Ky. for nine years). The Ballpark at Jackson opened in 1998 and has a seating capacity of 6,000. The venue hosted the 1999 and 2011 Southern League All-Star Games. The park also has luxury suites, a video board and merchandise shop that will be used for the championship. Jackson, Tenn. is located 130 miles from Nashville and 77.2 miles from Memphis on Interstate 40. Tickets for the event will be $10 per day or $30 for an all-session pass (up to 11 total games). There is also an $8 a day rate for students/faculty of OVC-member schools or groups. All seats at the 6,000-seat park are general admission for the OVC Championship. Fans can purchase tickets in person at the Generals box office or by calling (731) 988-5299.
 
Austin Peay Picked as 2013 Preseason Favorite: After winning the OVC regular season and tournament championships each of the past two years, Austin Peay has been tabbed the 2013 preseason favorite for the 11-team league in a vote of OVC head baseball coaches and sports information directors. The first-place votes in the preseason poll were split among two schools with Austin Peay picking up 14 of the votes and OVC newcomer Belmont picking up the other eight. Overall Austin Peay received 193 total points to be picked the favorite while Belmont finished with 182 points. Jacksonville State (156 points) was picked third and followed by Eastern Kentucky (139), Eastern Illinois (133), Tennessee Tech (107), SIUE (91), Southeast Missouri (73), Morehead State (70), Murray State (45) and UT Martin (21).
 
APSU’s Hankins, TTU’s Stephens, Belmont’s Brookshire Earn Preseason OVC Player/Pitcher of the Year Honors: Austin Peay junior second baseman Jordan Hankins and Tennessee Tech junior first baseman Zach Stephens were named OVC Preseason Co-Players of the Year while Belmont senior Chase Brookshire was named OVC Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Last season Hankins hit .336 with 16 doubles, 10 home runs and 66 RBI a season ago on his way to first-team All-OVC honors. After the season he was named to the OVC All-Tournament team as well as the Eugene All-Regional squad and this past summer he was a member of the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, joining a select group of 30 players from across the country. Last season Stephens ranked fourth nationally in home runs (18, 0.34/game) and sixth in slugging percentage (.696) while hitting .368 overall with 13 doubles and 52 RBI. He was a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Award and participated in the TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby in Omaha last season. Last season the lefty Brookshire had 16 starts and compiled an 8-4 record and a 2.45 E.R.A. in 110 innings of work. He struck out 81 batters while walking just 26 and holding opponents to a .217 batting average.
 
Belmont and SIUE Ready for Full OVC Schedule This Season: On July 1, 2008 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) became the 11th member of the Ohio Valley Conference. Last season marked the first for the Cougars playing a full OVC schedule and this year marks the first that the program is postseason eligible (after completing the reclassification process to Division I). On July 1, 2012 Belmont became the 12th member of the OVC. The University is located just nine miles north of the OVC headquarters and had previously played in the Atlantic Sun.
 
OVC Digital Network: The OVC launched the OVC Digital Network (OVCDN) in August 2012. The OVCDN is the exclusive home for live web streamed athletic contests involving OVC schools. This marks the seventh year the OVC has streamed live events, but first time the events will be offered free of charge and in an HD format and will feature improved quality thanks to an investment in new equipment conference-wide. Fans will also find it easier to log onto OVCDigitalNetwork.com and access the streams and can do so without any registration. The events will be available on any computer, tablet or smart phone without needing any special downloads or apps thanks new streaming technology. Select baseball games will be aired on the OVCDN this season.