Home field advantage could loom large as the Cornell College Rams baseball team (10-6 overall) enters conference play this afternoon. The Midwest Conference season begins at Ash Park in Mount Vernon for the Rams as they play host to the Illinois College Blueboys (9-5 overall).

Cornell head baseball coach Seth Wing was a guest on this week’s PM Sports Page and says his team has a tough start to the conference season. The Rams and Blueboys were both named as co-favorites to win the conference’s south division. The team’s split last year’s four game series in Jacksonville, Illinois.

The Rams bring two streaks into this week’s conference opener. The Rams are on a seven-game overall winning streak and haven’t lost at Ash Park in their last 13 contests dating back to last year. In four games this season, Cornell has outscored their opponents 63-25 at home.

Several area athletes are near the top of the statbook for the Rams. Sophomore Walker Breard, a 2014 Washington graduate, leads Cornell with three home runs and 22 runs batted in this season. Junior Andy Dodson, a 2013 Lone Tree graduate, enters the weekend with a .571 batting average, the second highest on the team. Senior T.J Rausch, a 2012 Washington senior, has recorded a team best five doubles and is tied for fourth on the team with 10 runs batted in. Senior Jared Henry, a 2012 Washington graduate, has appeared in eight games for the Rams’ pitching staff, second most on the team, and has posted an earned run average of 2.16.

First pitch of game one between the Rams and the Blueboys is scheduled for noon at Ash Park in Mount Vernon.