Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Baseball Hosts Wichita State This Weekend
05/07/2003 | 12:00:00 | Baseball
May 7, 2003
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Dates: Fri.-Sun., May 9-11
First Pitches: Fri.-3 p.m.; Sat. - 1 p.m. (DH); Sun. - 1 p.m.
Ballpark: Abe Martin Field (2,000)
Location: Carbondale, Ill.
Radio: WJPF 1020 AM
Rankings: Neither team is ranked
Series History
SIU trails its overall series against Wichita State, 21-65. Last year, both teams split their four-game series. The split marked the Salukis' first against the Shockers since 1987.
Painter to Throw Out First Pitch
SIU's recently appointed head men's basketball coach Matt Painter will throw out the first pitch prior to the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against Wichita State. The twin bill starts at 1 p.m., and will have a down time of approximately 20-30 minutes in between games.
Senior Farewell
Seniors Jake Alley, Ross Kowzan, Toby Barnett and Sal Frisella will play their final home games at SIU this weekend against Wichita State. Each senior, who will be honored in a special presentation between games of Saturday's doubleheader, has had an outstanding Saluki career.
Dawgs Stand One Game Back
Despite winning its series at Creighton (5/2-4), 2-1, SIU remains a game behind first-place SMS in the Missouri Valley Conference standings. The Salukis didn't get as much help from Wichita State as they would have liked. Last weekend, the Shockers dropped three of four games to the Bears. Heading into this weekend, SMS currently stands at 17-9 (.654) and SIU is 16-10 (.615). WSU then rounds out the top three at 13-11 (.542). Following its bye this weekend, SMS plays a four-game series at Illinois State (5/15-17) to close out league action.
Shock Treatment
Wichita State has given SIU the most trouble of any opponent in the Missouri Valley Conference. Standing at just 21-65 all-time, the Salukis have never won a four-game series against the Shockers. However, last season SIU split a series with WSU for the first time since 1987. Here is a list of the series records against WSU following that year:
Richard "Itch" Jones
1988 0-4
1989 1-3, 0-2 MVC Tourn.
1990 2-2
Sam Riggleman
1991 1-3
1992 0-3
1993 0-2
1994 0-3
Totals 1-11
Dan Callahan
1995 0-4
1996 1-3, 0-1 MVC Tourn.
1997 1-3, 0-1 MVC Tourn.
1998 0-4
1999 0-4
2000 1-3, 0-1 MVC Tourn.
2001 1-3
2002 2-2, 0-1 MVC Tourn.
Totals 6-26, 0-4 MVC Tourn.
Head Coach Dan Callahan
Dan Callahan (Quincy College, '81; SIU, '87) is 219-262 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.
Head Coach Gene Stephenson
Gene Stephenson (Missouri, '68) is the winningest active coach in NCAA Division I Baseball. In his 26th season at the Wichita State helm, Stephenson has compiled a career record of 1,392-443-3. Guiding the Shockers to MVC regular season titles in 16 of the last 18 years, Stephenson has helped his teams to 13 NCAA Regional appearances and seven seven College World Series berths. Of those trips to the CWS, WSU won the national title in 1989, while finishing runner-up in 1982, 1991 and 1993.
SIU Pitching Rotation
Friday - Jake Alley (RHP, 6-2, 2.76 ERA); Saturday - Game One: Bryan Rueger (LHP, 5-2, 3.51 ERA); Game Two: Josh Joiner (RHP, 5-3, 5.19 ERA) or Tyler Norrick (LHP, 2-0, 2.60 ERA); Sunday - To be announced.
WSU Pitching Rotation
Wichita State's pitching rotation is undetermined at this time, but here is a list of probables: Mike Pelfrey (RHP, 6-2, 2.53 ERA); Reuben Kerbs (LHP, 4-3, 2.86 ERA); David Sanders (LHP, 6-3, 6.22 ERA); Steve Uhlmansiek (LHP, 7-1, 4.42 ERA). Others who may throw are Noah Booth (LHP, 2-2, 2.70 ERA) and Kyle Banick (RHP, 3-1, 4.09 ERA).
About the Salukis
SIU enters this weekend coming off a 2-1 series win at Creighton (5/2-4). Trailing league-leading SMS by one game, the Salukis are led by senior catcher Toby Barnett who is hitting .322 with a team-leading eight home runs and 36 RBI. Senior outfielder Sal Frisella follows hitting .318. Frisella has has homered in three of his last five games. This week's MVC Player of the Week, Greg Andrews (.311), is also hitting over .300.
Scouting the Shockers
Wichita State has lost three of four games to its respective league opponent for three straight weeks. The Shockers, who enter the weekend three games out of first place, have lost three of four to Bradley (4/18-20), Creighton (4/25-27) and SMS (5/2-4). Despite the setback, WSU has won its last two games, including a 2-0 victory over Kansas State on Tuesday. Hitting .305 as a team, the Shockers are led by junior first baseman Logan Sorensen who hits .333 with 43 runs scored, 15 doubles, two triples, eight home runs and 51 RBI. Junior outfielder Drew Moffitt has also been impressive when hitting with runners in scoring position. Moffitt has registered a team-leading 57 RBI. On the basepaths, WSU has stolen 81 bases in 104 attempts. And on the mound, the Shockers boast a pair of talented freshmen in right-hander Mike Pelfrey (6-2) and lefty Steve Uhlmansiek (7-1). Pelfrey and Uhlmansiek have each been named the Valley's Pitcher of the Week two times this season.
57 and Counting
One of the Salukis' strengths this season has been their ability to turn double plays. Averaging 1.3 per game, SIU currently stands with an impressive 57 twin killings after 45 contests. In addition, the Dawgs are on pace to break the school's single-season record of 66 DPs which was done in 1990.
Andrews Named MVC Player of the Week
Junior second baseman Greg Andrews was named this week's Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week, announced Monday by the league office. Andrews garnered the weekly honor for the first time in his career. A native of Peoria, Ill., Andrews is the first Saluki to be named MVC Player or Pitcher of the Week this season. Last weekend, Andrews hit a blistering .727 (8-for-11) in three games against Creighton to help keep SIU within a game of first-place SMS. He had five extra-base hits, including three doubles, a triple and a homer, and he knocked in four runs, while scoring three others. In the first game of the series, Andrews narrowly missed hitting for the cycle, going 3-for-4 with a home run, a triple and two runs scored. The last Saluki to be named MVC Player of the Week was Jeff Stanek on April 1, 2002. Stanek was one of five Salukis to take the weekly award during that season.
Home Run, Sal Style
Senior outfielder Sal Frisella registered his second-best seventh home run of the season in game two of SIU's series against Creighton (5/3). Frisella, who has now homered in three of his last five games, took over sole possession of fifth-place on SIU's all-time career home run list. His 25 career home runs surpassed Tim Kratochvil (1993-96) and Brad Benson (1997-98) for that spot.
Battle-Tested
SIU managed to win two of three games at Creighton last weekend without the services of Adam Snyder and Marshall Tucker, two of the team's top relievers. Game one starter Jake Alley struck out six batters and gave up eight hits in 7.2 innings, while Joiner (Game three) fanned two batters and scattered 10 hits in 7.1 frames. Tyler Norrick then sealed the wins for both Alley and Joiner.
Norrick Saves the Weekend
Freshman left-hander Tyler Norrick came out of the bullpen to save both of SIU's wins at Creighton last weekend. Norrick, who hails from Festus, Mo., threw a total of 2.1 innings in which he gave up one hit, issued a walk and struck out two. Norrick's two saves marked the first of his Saluki career.
Where Have you Ben?
Freshman walk-on catcher Ben Hoffman smoked a double down the left field line in his first collegiate at-bat against Creighton (5/3). Hoffman, who hadn't played in a game all season, was on his first road trip with the club. His double, along with teammate Sal Frisella's home run, were pretty much the only highlights of the Dawgs' dismal 11-1 loss to the Bluejays.
Dawgs Dominating Valley Games in Pitching
In MVC games alone, SIU currently stands atop the league with a 3.69 ERA. Boasting a 16-10 league mark, Saluki hurlers have joined forces for a 133/93 strikeout-to-walk ratio against Valley foes. In 210.0 innings, SIU pitching has also registered five saves, while scattering 218 hits and allowing 115 runs.
Putting the Alley in Valley
Senior right-hander Jake Alley currently leads the Valley with a 1.24 ERA in conference games only. Alley, who is 5-1 in seven league appearances this season, has struck out 44 batters and walked 23 in 50.2 innings. He has also given up 42 hits and 12 runs. Alley stands atop Bradley's Collin Walker (1.44 ERA) and Wichita State's Mike Pelfrey (1.60 ERA) in individual pitching.
Here I Come
Jake Alley struck out another six batters against Creighton (5/2), and as a result, moved to within 10 Ks of becoming the school's all-time career strikeout leader. Fanning a total of 269 batters in his career, Alley currently trails Jason Frasor (1996-99) who holds the school record with 278 whiffs.
