Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Baseball Hosts Illinois Tuesday
04/28/2003 | 12:00:00 | Baseball
April 28, 2003
Date: Tuesday, April 29
First Pitch: 3 p.m.
Ballpark: Abe Martin Field (2,000)
Location: Carbondale, Ill.
Radio: No Radio
Rankings: Neither team is ranked
Series History
SIU leads its overall series against Illinois, 26-17. The Salukis and Illini last met on May 2, 2001 in Champaign. Illinois won that game by a score of 7-3.
Break's Over. Get Back to Work!
SIU has gone the last two weeks without playing a mid-week tilt. Holding a record of 1-4 in those contests, the Salukis will play just one more mid-week game after Tuesday's matchup. SIU will face Saint Louis at GMC Stadium in Sauget, Ill., on Tuesday, May 13 (7 p.m.).
SIU Against the Big Ten
SIU has faced nine opponents from the Big Ten Conference. Against those nine schools, the Salukis have fared well putting together an all-time record of 56-36. Here's a glance at how SIU matches up against the Big Ten:
vs. Illinois, 26-17
vs. Indiana, 2-5
vs. Iowa, 3-2
vs. Michigan, 2-1
vs. Michigan State, 4-1
vs. Minnesota, 4-3
vs. Ohio State, 6-6
vs. Purdue, 2-0
vs. Wisconsin, 7-1
Northwestern and Penn State stand as the only opponents from the Big Ten Conference that SIU has never played. The last time SIU beat a Big Ten school was on March 9, when the Dawgs defeated Iowa, 5-3.
Legendary Coach "Itch" Jones Returns to Southern
The winningest coach in SIU baseball history, Richard "Itch" Jones returns to Carbondale as the Illinois skipper. Jones, a member of SIU's Hall of Fame, guided the Salukis to a 738-345-5 record in 21 years (1970-90). During that span, he also led SIU to three College World Series appearances and seven NCAA Regional berths. Following his SIU stint, Jones took over the Illinois helm in 1991. Since that time, he has compiled a record of 412-311 in 13 seasons. An American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame Inductee, Jones holds a career record of 1,178-689-5 which places him among the Top-10 active winningest coaches in NCAA Division I Baseball.
Head Coach Dan Callahan
Dan Callahan (Quincy College, '81; SIU, '87) is 217-261 in his ninth season as head coach of SIU. With over 14 years of Division I coaching experience, Callahan guided the Salukis (32-24) to their best season in over a decade in 2002. Most recently, however, Callahan recorded his 200th career win against Iowa on March 9.
About the Salukis
SIU returns home after splitting a four-game league series with Evansville last weekend. While at UE, the Salukis snapped a four-game losing streak and moved into second place among Valley contenders. Freshman Nathan Emrick currently leads SIU hitting .320 in 23 starts this season. He is followed by Toby Barnett (.319) and Sal Frisella (.310) who each hit over .300 in 40 or more starts.
Scouting the Illini
Illinois was swept in four games at Northwestern last weekend, and as a result, saw its losing streak reach six games. The Illini enter Tuesday's game led by Eric Eymann (.364), Andy Schutzenhofer (.333) and Drew Davidson (.333) who each boast .333 or better clips at the plate.
Frisella Explodes
After having gone a mere 2-for-22 (.090) in seven games (4/12-26), senior outfielder Sal Frisella busted out of his slump with a pair of home runs, two doubles, three runs scored and six RBI in a four-game series at Evansville (4/26-27). A two-run smash, Frisella's first round-tripper came in the top of the eighth to give SIU a 2-1 extra-inning win in what was scheduled to be a seven-inning contest. In that same doubleheader, his second long ball snapped a 1-1 tie in the top of the sixth of game two. Having not homered since March 22, Frisella's long balls added to a total of six this season. Additionally, he moved into a three-way tie for fifth on SIU's all-time career home run list. Frisella, Tim Kratochvil (1993-96) and Brad Benson (1997-98) now share that spot with 24 home runs apiece.
55 and Counting
One of the Salukis' strengths this season has been their ability to turn double plays. Averaging 1.3 twin killings per game, SIU currently stands with an impressive 55 after 42 contests. In addition, the Dawgs are on pace to break the school's single season record of 66 DPs which was done in 1990.
Yard Work
SIU tied a MVC series-high of five home runs against Evansville last weekend. Sal Frisella led the Salukis with two, while Toby Barnett, Ross Kowzan and Nathan Emrick each had one. The five homers added to a total of 29 on the year. SIU also registered five round-trippers against Northern Iowa (3/21-23).
School Days
Junior designated hitter Tyler Schooley went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles, two runs scored and three RBI to help lead SIU to a 20-6 win over Evansville (4/26). A native of Bloomfield, Iowa, Schooley's doubles marked his first extra-base hits as a Saluki. The multiple-hit effort also marked his second of the year.
Twenty-Twenty Visions
After being held scoreless on just one hit, SIU erupted for a season-high 20 runs and 20 hits in a 20-6 win over Evansville (4/26). SIU's 20 runs marked the most scored in a game since the Dawgs plated 26 against Murray State in 2000.
Opportunity Knocks
The Salukis, who shared a 2-2 series split with Evansville (4/26-27), missed a golden opportunity to take sole possession of first place in the MVC after Wichita State dropped three of four to Creighton and SMS split with Indiana State last weekend. Instead, SIU moved into second with a 14-9 (.609) league mark that barely tops WSU's 12-8 (.600) record. Meanwhile, SMS remained atop the Valley at 14-8 (.636).
Alley Keeps Rolling
Despite the fact SIU's offense was limited to just one hit, that didn't stop Jake Alley from having another solid performance on the mound for the Salukis. Alley, who suffered his first MVC loss of the season in game one against Evansville (4/26), struck out a season-high 10 batters, gave up five hits and allowed two runs in eight innings of work. The native of Anna, Ill., who dropped to 5-2 on the year, also moved to second on SIU's all-time career strikeout list. With 263 career Ks, Alley needs just 16 whiffs to become the school's all-time strikeout leader. As of now, Jason Frasor (1996-99) holds the record with 278 Ks.
Nasty Norrick
In the first MVC start of his SIU career, freshman left-hander Tyler Norrick won his second decision of the season at Evansville (4/27). In seven scoreless innings, Norrick scattered four hits, gave up four walks and struck out six. The win pushed his record to a perfect 2-0 on the year.
MVC Dominating Illinois in 2003
If SIU defeats Illinois Tuesday, it will become the fourth Missouri Valley Conference member to beat the Illini this season. Indiana State (4-0, 4/8), Bradley (12-8, 4/15) and Illinois State (14-6, 4/22) also posted wins over Illinois earlier this year.
On Deck
SIU hits the road for a key MVC series at Creighton, as the 2003 regular season starts to wind down. The Salukis and Bluejays open a four-game series on Friday at 3 p.m. Following its visit to Omaha, SIU will host Wichita State (5/9-11), before concluding its regular season against Saint Louis (5/13) in Sauget, Ill.
