SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Drury baseball will put the finishing touches on its 2026 regular season this weekend with a four-game road Great Lakes Valley Conference series against Southwest Baptist, beginning with a 5 p.m., contest Thursday (April 30) at Dodson Field in Bolivar. The Panthers and Bearcats will also square off in a Noon doubleheader Friday, before concluding the weekend and the GLVC season with another Noon game Saturday.
Winners of 16 of their last 20 conference games, the Panthers (29-17, 20-8 GLVC) are one of five clubs that have clinced a spot in next weeks GLVC Baseball Championship in Marion, Ill. Drury enters the series in the third position in the conference's regular-season standings, one game behind UMSL and two games behind league-leading Missouri S&T. The Panthers are coming off a three-games-to-one series win over Rockhurst in their final home series of the season this past weekend.
SBU (18-26, 10-18 GLVC) dropped three of four games at William Jewell last weekend.
Fans may follow the action through the GLVC Sports Network (subscription required), where games will be streamed live throughout the regular season. New for the 2025-26 academic year, viewing access to live broadcasts from GLVC regular season and postseason contests will be available via monthly subscription ($30) or annual subscription ($140). Single-event access can also be purchased for $15.
LEADING OFF
- Drury closes out its 2026 regular season having already secured its eighth 20-win GLVC season under head coach Scott Nasby.
- The Panthers have clinched a spot in next week's GLVC Baseball Championship, which will take place May 6-9 at Mtn. Dew Park in Marion, Ill.
- Now in his 14th-year leading the Panthers, Nasby enters the weekend just four wins shy of 400 for his career with an overall mark of 396-293-1 as Drury's all-time winningest coach.
- Drury leads the GLVC in hitting (.346), team fielding percentage (.970), double plays turned (35) and doubles per game (2.52).
- DU has gone 16-4 over its last 20 GLVC contests, hitting .370 and averaging 8.95 runs per game and fielding at a .984 clip with just 10 errors.
- INF Logan Reidelberger enters play Thursday one double shy of Drury's single-season mark of 21, shared by Clayton Engel and R.J. Knese.
- LHP Anthony Vita has been lights out during conference play, logging a 6-0 mound mark with a 1.66 ERA and three-straight complete games.
- INF Jackson Crider ranks as DU's career leader in hitting (.419), on-base percentage (.530) and slugging percentage (.639).
- OF Connor Bain leads the GLVC in batting (.425) and RBIs (62) and was named the league's Player of the Week for the third time on Monday.
SERIES HISTORY
- The Panthers bring a 24-11 series advantage over SBU into this weekend's series.
- Drury swept SBU in their four-game set last May in Springfield, but the Bearcats took two of three from DU in its last trip to Bolivar two years ago and three of four overall from the Panthers in 2024.
- DU is 22-9 vs. SBU under head coach Scott Nasby, dating back to 2013.
LAST TIME OUT
- Behind a four-hit day from Jackson Crider and a record-tying performance by Connor Bain, Drury notched its third-straight victory over Rockhurst to clinch a key GLVC series win with a 9-6 decision over the Hawks Sunday afternoon on Mark Worley Field.
- Crider delivered his first four-hit game of the season, finishing 4-for-5 with a pair of runs batted-in, while Bain drove in two runs as well to match the Drury single-season record for RBIs (62).
- Each of Crider's four hits contributed to a Panthers scoring rally, and Drury turned the momentum for good with a three-run sixth inning that snapped a 5-5 tie.]
- Logan Reidelberger posted his third multi-hit effort of the weekend, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs to help the Panthers claim a three-games-to-one series victory.
- Bain, Crider, and Reidelberger -- each of whom were honored as part of Drury's Senior Day festivities prior to Sunday's first pitch -- combined to hit .564 (22-of-39) with 18 RBIs over the four-game series.
SEEING 20/20
- The Panthers have put together a 20-game stretch to remember, going 16-4 in their last 20 GLVC contests dating back to March 27.
- Drury has batted .370, while posting a much-imporoved 5.84 ERA and an eye-popping .984 fielding percentage as a team over the same span.
- The Panthers have been led by the exploits of Connor Bain, who has hit .515 and slugged .912 with 37 RBIs in the 20-game stretch.
- Logan Reidelberger has been tough to handle at the plate as well, registering a team-best .581 on-base percentage.
- On the mound, Anthony Vita has gone 5-0 with a 1.48 ERA, while holding the opposition to a .167 batting mark.
- Kaleb Thomas has fanned 38 hitters in 34.1 innings in going 3-0 over the same stretch.
GREAT IN THE GLVC
- Drury secured its 20th conference victory Sunday, marking the third-straight season in which the Panthers have achieved the milestone.
- This season is the eighth time under head coach Scott Nasby the Panthers have won at least 20 games in GLVC play and the 11th time overall.
- In those previous 10 times Drury has topped the 20-win mark, it has finished among the top three teams in the GLVC race seven times.
HOME SWEET HOME
- Drury concluded its 2026 home slate with an 18-7 record on Mark Worley Field.
- The Panthers went 13-3 at home in GLVC play, marking their best home conference winning percentage since returning to Meador Park for the 2024 season.
- Drury posted a seven-game home win streak from April 3-18
- DU, which is 47-31 on Mark Worley Field since returning to the facility in 2024, won its 200th game at Meador Park with its April 18 win over Upper Iowa.
- In 12 seasons at Meador Park (2007-15; 2024-26), the Panthers have compiled a 203-104 overall mark at the facility.
- Drury has batted .344 and slugged .539 as a team, while averaging 8.8 runs per contest in its 25 home games this spring.
- Jackson Crider has been DU's most prolific hitter at home, going 40-for-92 (.435) with seven of his eight home runs coming at Mark Worley Field.
- On the mound, Caden Crask-Weeks has gone 2-0 with a 2.95 ERA and one save, while striking out 29 hitters in 21.1 innings over six total appearances at home.
- Additionally, freshman lefty Anthony Vita has logged a 4-0 mound mark and two complete games at home this season.
VENI, VITA, VICI
- Freshman LHP Anthony Vita continued his emergence as one of the GLVC's top rookie hurlers with his third-consecutive complete-game victory last Saturday vs. Rockhurst.
- Vita held the Hawks hitless through 5 1/3 innings and allowed just two hits in all to lift DU to a 2-1 win.
- That effort followed a two-hit shutout of Upper Iowa (April 17) in a 6-0 Drury victory.
- Vita has been lights out during conference play, logging a 6-0 mound mark with a 1.66 ERA over seven GLVC appearances, including the first complete-game shutout by a Panther since Nick Gales blanked William Jewell on two hits on March 8, 2025.
- The Joliet, Ill., product leads all GLVC freshmen with his six mound victories and paces all league hurlers with his three complete games.
PANTHERS PUTTING UP NUMBERS
- Drury enters the weekend with the No. 1 offense in the GLVC with its .346 team batting average and 531 total hits on the season, ranking eighth and 20th in the nation, respectively.
- DU leads the conference in doubles per game (2.52) and ranks third in on-base percentage (.442) and slugging percentage (.524).
- The Panthers have also been one of the GLVC's best defensive teams, bringing a league-leading .970 fielding percentage into this weekend's series; Drury has turned a GLVC-best 35 double plays as well.
- Individually, Jackson Crider brings the No. 5 OBP (.509) in the GLVC into the weekend; he leads the league in HBPs (24).
- Connor Bain leads all GLVC hitters with his .425 average and 62 RBIs, matching the Drury single-season record in the latter category last weekend.
- Bain has hit safely in 10-straight games dating back to April 12, marking his third hitting streak of at least 10 games this season.
- Logan Reidelberger ranks second in the GLVC in hits (72), while his 20 doubles rank second in the circuit -- and in DU single-season history, just one behind joint record-holders Clayton Engel and R.J. Knese with 21.
- Luke Matschiner's 60 runs scored is the fourth-best figure in the GLVC; Matschiner also ranks second in the GLVC in steals (28).
- Kaleb Thomas ranks third in the conference in WHIP (1.30), while his 60 strikeouts and 9.20 K/9.0 IP both rank fifth in the GLVC.
LOOKING AHEAD
Drury will travel to Marion, Ill., where it will compete for the 2026 GLVC Baseball Championship, which runs May 6-9 at Mtn. Dew Park.
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