Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Baseball Opens at Home Against Northern Illinois This Weekend
02/26/2004 | 12:00:00 | Baseball
Feb. 26, 2004
By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Believing in the supernatural can be a funny thing, especially in baseball, where players often do whatever it takes to establish a routine. After losing six straight games like the Southern Illinois University baseball team has, it's interesting what one might try in order to get his club back on the winning track.
As evidenced throughout last week's series at Vanderbilt, superstition started to take its toll on the Dawgs.
Following a 12-6 loss to the Commodores Friday, several Salukis sat in different seats on the bus from the hotel to Hawkins Field, hoping the switch would bring them luck on Saturday. It didn't happen.
Another sign was when someone asked the bus driver to change the radio station on the way to Sunday's game. That particular Saluki was determined the Dawgs' luck would be different if his team listened to something other than country music. That didn't work either.
Sooner or later this bizarre, yet clever behavior has to result in good fortune, and SIU hopes that happens this weekend when Northern Illinois (1-2) visits Abe Martin Field for a three-game series beginning Friday at 2 p.m.
SIU, who is 0-6 after suffering back-to-back three-game sweeps to start a season for the first time since 1997, enters this weekend's series looking to get its bats going, eliminate errors and cut down on strikeouts. Through their first six games this season, the Dawgs are hitting .194, committing 3.3 errors and striking out 10.3 times per game.
Individually, senior Greg Andrews and sophomore Nathan Emrick are each coming off big series against Vanderbilt.
Andrews hit .364 with a career-high two home runs, two runs scored, a double and three RBI against the Commodores, while Emrick hit .308 with a pair of doubles, one run scored and two RBI. Additionally, Andrews' pair of round-trippers added to a total of four Saluki home runs in the first game of the series.
Meanwhile, NIU has one win under its belt after winning game two of its series at nationally-ranked Texas Tech (Feb. 20-22). Saturday's starting left-hander Zach Minor earned his first career Mid-American Conference Pitcher of the Week honor after shutting down the Red Raiders for 6.2 innings. In helping the Huskies build a 7-2 lead through seven frames, Minor scattered four hits and allowed just one earned run, while striking out seven.
Offensively, Scott Simon is hitting .385 with five hits, one run scored, two doubles and five RBI to lead NIU.
SIU is 38-14 all-time against NIU. Both teams last met on Mar. 2, 2003, where the Salukis prevailed, 8-4. SIU and NIU weren't initially scheduled to play each other in 2003, but after inclement weather wiped out SIU's home series against Blackburn (Mar. 1-2), the Salukis traveled to Memphis, Tenn., to play the Huskies at Gagliano Field.
Senior right-hander Marshall Tucker (0-2, 6.43 ERA) will start on the mound for SIU, while senior left-hander Joe Piekarz (0-0, 0.00 ERA) gets the start for NIU.
All three games of SIU's series against NIU this weekend will be broadcast live over the internet at www.siusalukis.com. To access each broadcast, click on the Listen Live link on the left-hand side of the site's home page. Then, scroll down to the game you wish to listen to and click on the Listen Live link next to that game. QuickTime Player is required for all web broadcasts.
And, if for some reason you are unable to get the web broadcasts for this weekend's series between SIU and NIU, you can access live stats on the internet through the Salukis' gametracker. The gametracker links are located in the live coverage box located at the bottom right of the site's homepage.
