Eastern Illinois University

Anderson, Gildon sign contract extensions

todayJune 27, 2026 3

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CHARLESTON — Two coaches at Eastern Illinois would receive contract extensions, according to the Panthers’ athletic office earlier this week.

The Panthers will keep baseball coach Jason Anderson and track and field/cross-country coach James Gildon, per a news release on Thursday.

The multi-year extensions for Anderson and Gildon were approved by EIU’s Board of Trustees earlier this month. The goal for the extensions is to provide stability on the coaching staff in their respective programs.

Anderson’s extension keeps him around until 2031

Anderson’s extension will keep him in Charleston at the helm of the baseball program through June 2031.

The extension comes following back-to-back appearances in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Tournament Championship game. The Panthers won the OVC regular season title in 2025 before finishing second in the regular season standings this season.

Eastern Illinois won 33 games this season, marking the fourth time in the last five seasons that the Panthers have won 30 or more games. As a league, the OVC finished tenth in the NCAA Conference RPI, the highest ever finish for the league.

Gildon’s extension keeps him around until 2029

Gildon’s extension through 2029 will provide the track & field and cross country programs with stability.

Gildon led the men’s program to the OVC Outdoor Championships this past spring, earning Coach of the Year honors from the conference. The women’s program would finish second at the Championships, their highest finish since 2017.

This past season, three athletes would advance to the West Regional in track & field. He has also coached two All-Americans in his three seasons in Charleston.
 
Anderson and Gildon are the latest coaches to receive contract extensions this season, joining Marty Simmons (men’s basketball) and Dirk Bennett (women’s soccer), who both signed contract extensions in April.

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Jake Leonard, a broadcast media and journalism veteran, is the editor-in-chief of Heartland Newsfeed. Leonard is also GM and program director of Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network, wrestling editor and contributing writer for Ambush Sports, a contributing writer for My Sports Vote and Midwest Sports Network, and a former contributor to Bleacher Report and Overtime Heroics. He resides at home in Nokomis, Ill. with his dog Buster.


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Written by: Jake Leonard, Editor-In-Chief

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