Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Baseball to Host Tennessee-Martin Tuesday
03/24/2003 | 12:00:00 | Baseball
March 24, 2003
Carbondale, Ill. - Red-hot Southern Illinois (13-8) will look to extend its winning streak to six games Tuesday when it hosts Tennessee-Martin (8-9) in a non-league matchup at 2 p.m. The Salukis, who are coming off a four-game, league-opening sweep of Northern Iowa, have won seven of their last eight games.
Tomorrow's game against the Skyhawks could be a momentum-builder for SIU, who will square off against Indiana State in a first-place MVC showdown later this week. The Dawgs and Sycamores will tangle in a four-game series beginning Friday, March 28 in Terre Haute.
However, not to overlook the task at hand, SIU enters Tuesday's contest led by junior transfer Josh Markle who is hitting .383 with three doubles, 13 runs scored, a homer and nine RBI. Markle was one of two Salukis to deliver game-winning hits in Saturday's doubleheader against the Panthers.
As a team, the Dawgs are hitting .288, and have registered between 10 to 13 hits in three of their last four outings. SIU's batting average has steadily risen by 18 points since March 12.
On the mound, the Saluki bullpen has been impressive as of late. Relief pitchers Bryan Rueger, Marshall Tucker, Eric Haberer and Josh Joiner each came out of the pen to post wins against the Panthers this past weekend. After holding an ERA of 7.15 at one time this season, that mark has considerably gone down, as it now stands at a season-low 5.46.
Meanwhile, Tennessee-Martin heads into Tuesday's game hitting .305 after 17 games. The Skyhawks sport six players hitting .317 or better in a minimum of 14 starts this season. Senior infielder Brady Nighswonger holds a .441 clip to lead all Skyhawks. In 17 starts, Nighswonger has accumulated 30 hits, 21 runs scored, five doubles, a triple, a home run and seven RBI.
Defensively, the Skyhawks aren't nearly as good. Averaging nearly three errors per game, UTM has committed a total of 48 miscues which outweigh SIU's 37.
SIU is 14-3 all-time against UTM. Both teams were scheduled to meet on March 5, but that game was cancelled due to rain.
