Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Baseball Opens 2003 Season at Centenary College This Weekend
02/12/2003 | 12:00:00 | Baseball
Feb. 12, 2003
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Ladies and Gents
Southern Illinois University's baseball team opens its 2003 season this weekend when it visits Centenary College for a three-game series, Feb. 14-16. The Salukis and Gents play Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 6 p.m., and Sunday at noon, in Shreveport, La.
Series History
SIU and Centenary meet for the second time in three years this weekend at Shehee Stadium. The Salukis, who hold a 1-0 series lead, defeated the Gents, 10-2, at the Northwestern (La.) State Tournament in 2001.
Scouting the Gents
Centenary is 3-3 on the young season and has won three of its last four games. The Gents are led by junior first baseman Patrick Jolley who hit .500 with two RBI in two games. Starting senior catcher Jon Marshall follows with a .471 clip which includes five runs scored, eight hits and six RBI. On the mound, left-hander Jacob Willett and right-handers J.C. Biagi and Kevin Cassidy have each earned one win apiece.
About the Salukis
Southern Illinois opens its 2003 campaign this weekend at Centenary College. Preseason ranked fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference, the Salukis return 21 letterwinners and six positional starters, including 2002 MVC Newcomer of the Year and first-team all-MVC choice Toby Barnett (Sr., C). Barnett, who was named to the Valley's preseason unit this year, hit .306 for the Salukis last season.
The Coaches
Dan Callahan (Quincy College, '81; SIU, '87) is 101-144 heading into his ninth season as head coach of SIU. With 14 years of Division I coaching experience, Callahan guided the Salukis (32-24) to their best season in over a decade last year. Centenary is coached by Ed McCann who is in his fifth season.
The Defense Rests
Although Head Coach Dan Callahan was hesitant in pointing out the strength of this year's team, he believes his squad will be tough again defensively. SIU finished its 2002 season ranked first in the Missouri Valley Conference in overall defense with a .969 fielding percentage. That percentage also tied for 14th nationally and fell just two points shy of the current school record (.971).
Welcome Back
Pitching coach Ty Neal and outfielder Sal Frisella (St. Louis, Mo.) traveled to Cape Cod, Mass., during the summer of 2002. Both Neal and Frisella either played or coached an average of six games per week from June until August, before returning to Carbondale. Neal coached for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, while Frisella played for the Falmouth Commodores. The Cape Cod League is nationally known for showcasing some of the best talent in college baseball since 1885.
Thunder From Down Under
Senior catcher Toby Barnett (Kallaroo, Australia) will look to resume starting duties behind the plate this season. A first-team all-MVC choice and the winner of the league's prestigious Newcomer of the Year award last season, Barnett hit a fifth-best .306 with a team-high 67 hits, 16 doubles, 45 RBI and 111 total bases. In addition to his offensive skills, he is a tremendous leader who has developed an outstanding rapport with the Saluki pitching staff.
Middle Men
Anytime you lead your conference in team defense, as well as rank nationally in fielding, chances are you're probably going to have a solid infield. Along with Barnett, SIU returns junior second baseman Greg Andrews (Peoria, Ill.) and sophomore P.J. Finigan (Springfield, Ill.) who look to start in the middle of the infield again this season. Andrews hit .281 with a third-best 10 doubles last year, while Finigan hit .310 with 34 RBI en route to being named honorable mention Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American.
Covering Ground
SIU's outfield will be strong again this year as it returns all three starters from 2002. Seniors Cory Newman (Ottawa, Ill.), Ross Kowzan (DuQuoin, Ill.) and Sal Frisella (St. Louis, Mo.) give the Salukis an extremely experienced lineup along the wall. Newman, who is tabbed by his coaches as the best centerfielder in the MVC, was one of six Salukis to hit over .300 last season. Named honorable mention all-MVC, Newman posted a .301 batting average with eight doubles, two triples and three home runs. Additionally, he put together a remarkable 22-game hitting streak which lasted from March 14-April 20. Kowzan, on the other hand, will look to resume his post in left field where he made 46 starts last season. SIU's top hitter with a .361 average, Kowzan registered 57 hits and 24 RBI. Meanwhile, Frisella hit .292 with a team-leading 10 home runs and a second-best 43 RBI.
Pitching Power
SIU returns 12 pitchers, including four of which started at some point during the 2002 campaign. Senior Jake Alley (Anna, Ill.) and junior Jerel Deitering (Auburn, Wash.), who both experienced some minor arm problems this past fall, are expected to be healthy by the start of the 2003 season. Right-hander Alley started as the Salukis' ace hurler last season, registering a 6-3 record. The team's leader with 81 strikeouts, he also started the season at 4-0, pitching seven or more innings in four of his first six starts. Also a right-hander, Deitering proved himself worthy of a spot in the top half of the rotation when he went 4-1 en route to a third-best 3.65 ERA, before suffering an elbow injury. In 37 innings of work, he struck out a fourth-best 31 batters, including a career-high 11 in his first start of the season at Louisiana-Monroe (2/16).
Moving On Up
After Deitering's injury, sophomore righty Ryan Welch (Brentwood, Tenn.) became the Dawgs' number two starter last season. Named second-team all-MVC and honorable mention Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, Welch (5-4) threw four complete games and registered a third-best 39 strikeouts in 68 innings. Junior right-hander Josh Joiner (Jonesboro, Ill.) also moved up in the pitching rotation, taking over the number three spot. Joiner, who came on strong toward the end of the 2002 term, held a 2-1 record and a second-best 3.38 ERA in seven starts. Additionally, he fanned 19 batters, seven of which were caught looking.
What About Me?
In addition to Alley, Deitering, Welch and Joiner, sophomore lefty Eric Haberer (Bloomington, Ill.) also saw considerable playing time in 2002. Haberer was primarily used as the Salukis' closer last season. With that being said, he went a perfect 4-0 with a team-leading four saves in 21 appearances. An honorable mention Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, Haberer also struck out 24 batters in 39.1 innings.
Salukis Sign Catcher Rush Olson
SIU baseball coach Dan Callahan announced Nov. 21 that the Salukis have signed catcher Rush Olson to a national letter of intent for the 2004 season. Olson, a native of McLean, Ill., comes to SIU from Olympia High School, where he helped lead the Spartans to the Class A State Baseball Championship, while going 35-1 last spring. A 6-2, 210-pounder, he also threw out 16 of 19 runners trying to steal.
Baseball America Picks Salukis Fifth
In its 2003 College Baseball Preview (Feb. 3-16), Baseball America voted SIU to finish fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference this season. The Salukis, who placed fourth after being preseason-ranked eighth in the Valley a year ago, were picked to finish behind Southwest Missouri State (1st), Wichita State (2nd), Indiana State (3rd) and Creighton (4th). Illinois State (6th), Northern Iowa (7th), Evansville (8th) and Bradley (9th) rounded out the league, respectively.
Salukis Tabbed Third in MVC by Collegiate Baseball
Southern Illinois University was picked to finish third according to Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, which recently released its 2003 Collegiate Baseball Preview. The Salukis were picked behind projected league favorite Southwest Missouri State and runner-up Wichita State. Creighton, Indiana State, Northern Iowa, Illinois State, Evansville and Bradley closed out the voting. The Missouri Valley Conference was also rated as the seventh-best conference in 2002.
Barnett Named Preseason All-MVC
Senior catcher Toby Barnett was named preseason all-Missouri Valley Conference for the second straight year. Barnett, first-team all-conference and MVC Newcomer of the Year in 2002, hit .306 with a team-leading 67 hits, 16 doubles and 45 RBI for the Salukis last season.
Poll Position
SIU was picked to finish fifth in this year's Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll, announced Jan. 31. For the second consecutive year, league coaches voted Southwest Missouri State as the top baseball team in the MVC. The Bears led all voting with 78 points and six of nine first-place nods.
Radio at Centenary
There will be no radio broadcast for the three-game series at Centenary.
Dawgs on the Radio
All regular season Missouri Valley Conference day games and all postseason games (regardless of time) can be heard live on WJPF 1020 AM. Mike Reis and Russ Eisenstein will handle play-by-play duties. In addition, the radio feed will be carried live through the SIU Athletics website at www.siusalukis.com.
Saluki Baseball on the Web
Media, student and fans can access the most up-to-date information pertaining to Southern Illinois University Baseball by visiting the team's official website at www.siusalukis.com. Features of the site include player and coach profiles, statistics, schedules, rosters and up-to-the-minute press releases.
Missouri Valley Conference Scoreboard Phone
Once again this season, you can get the latest scores from around the Missouri Valley Conference by calling the league's Scoreboard Phone at (314) 997-9877. Scores and highlights from all conference sports will be updated each night.
