EIU baseball is projected to finish fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference after a 29-29 finish last season, including 15-11 in the OVC.
Defending OVC Champion Austin Peay is expected to finish 1st once again with newcomer Belmont projected to grab 2nd place in the standings.
Southeast Missouri, Morehead State, Murray State and UT Martin rounded out the bottom of the predicted order of finish.
Junior catcher Jacob Reese was named to the All-OVC Preseason team after batting .271 in 2012 with 35 RBI.
Reese was the only Panther to receive this award in the 2013 season.
The Panthers open the 2013 campaign at the Jackson State Tournament in Jackson, Miss., on Feb. 15-17.