The Georgia Southern Eagles just had their first break from midweek action, and it couldn't have come at a better time.
    The Eagles, who have lost eight in a row and 12 of their last 15, dropped from first place in the Southern Conference to sixth, five games behind first-place Western Carolina.
    "It was a good thing to get back on the practice field," GSU coach Rodney Hennon said. "We tried to just focus on the little things. Without a doubt it was good for our team."
    During the eight-game skid, the Eagles (21-19, 10-11 SoCon) hit just .196.
    The week off was spent getting back to the basics.
    "We've obviously had our struggles offensively, and sometimes you can get consumed with that," Hennon said. "I think we've just got to focus on playing the game in every phase, every aspect. That's how we started the year. That was our focus then. We went out and did a pretty good job of executing. If we can get back to those things, the bigger things will take care of themselves."
    The Eagles host a three-game series against second-place Elon (22-21, 14-7), which begins today at 6 p.m., in J.I. Clements Stadium.
    Elon swept the regular-season series in 2012, but GSU answered in the SoCon tournament, defeating the Phoenix twice.
    "It's going to be a battle all weekend long," Hennon said, "and our guys need to be excited for the opportunity to be on the field Friday night. It's an opportunity for us to go out and get this thing headed back in the right direction."
    GSU has nine conference games left in the battle for seeding in the SoCon tournament, but that's the last thing on Hennon's mind.
    "I really have not thought about it at all, whatsoever," he said. "I can honestly tell you that right now. My biggest concern is getting us to play as well as we can play Friday night at six o'clock."
    Justin Hess (3-2, 2.85 ERA) will get the nod from the mound today against Elon's Dylan Clark. Jason Richman will start Saturday's 2:30 p.m., contest for the Eagles.

    Matt Yogus may be reached at (912) 489-9408.