Farewell to, and a Look Back From, ‘Neath the Elms

4 min readApr 26, 2024

Faith Bachtold (left), Morgan Osborn (center) and teammates celebrate after clinching the Eureka softball team’s first-ever SLIAC Tournament Championship and second-ever NCAA Tournament berth with an 11–3 win over Spalding on May 5, 2019. This is still my favorite photo that I’ve ever taken while working at EC.

by Blake Baxter

You may have heard: After 5 1/2 years, I am moving on from Eureka College to join the City of Peoria as Communications Specialist next week.

Simply put, Eureka College has been a major part of my life. I basically grew up on the campus, going to games and special events with my dad from the mid-90s to the late 2000s. I became a student in 2009, played soccer and was active in my fraternity for four years before graduating with a degree in communication in 2013.

After spending several years of chasing stories and working in the newspaper industry in Iowa and Nebraska, I returned to my alma mater in 2019 to become Media Relations Coordinator(/Sports Information Director), a role I filled until 2023 when I was named Sports Information and Gameday Operations Coordinator.

It’s bittersweet to leave the place where I have built so many rewarding relationships and had so many good memories over the years. It’s also particularly strange to be leaving the world of athletics and sports media after a decade in the field.

I have a feeling, however, that my passion and fondness for what’s come before will stay with me as I transition to the next phase of my life.

Before I move on to the next chapter, I wanted to take a look back at some of my favorite (and/or most memorable stories) that I’ve done at Eureka. They are linked below, and I had a lot of fun revisiting them and maybe I’ll add to this list at a later date.

As always, I have a million people to thank for all of the love and support that they have generously extended to me over the years.

To my family and friends, co-workers, student-athletes, student workers and other supportive members of the EC campus community, thanks so much for reading and following along.

2019

Samantha Sarnes Realizing ‘Big-Game Potential’ for Red Devils

Rarely Flashy, Alex Wiegand ‘a Substance Guy’ for EC

Eureka Endures, Outlasts Greenville on Record-breaking Night, 161–153

Eureka Takes Down Webster, Clinches First SLIAC Championship in Program History, 70–69

Energetic and Matured, Sean Green Taking Advantage of Last Year at EC

The Red Devils are Mashing

Humming to History: Red Devils Overwhelm Spalding, Seize Second NCAA Tournament Berth

After 116 College Acceptances and Nearly $4 Million in Scholarships, Antoinette Love Chooses Eureka College

In 2019, Accomplished Red Devils Aiming to Sustain Success, Level Up

Eureka Nets Pair of Penalty Kicks, Edges Emmaus in OT, 2–1

2020