Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Baseball Visits Murray State Thursday
03/17/2004 | 12:00:00 | Baseball
March 17, 2004
By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois (1-12) looks to win its second straight game Thursday when it visits Ohio Valley Conference foe Murray State (2-13) at 2 p.m.
SIU has won its last four games against MSU and leads the overall series, 31-8. Also, under head coach Dan Callahan, the Dawgs have squared off against the Thoroughbreds 12 times and are 9-3 in those contests.
SIU finally put an end to its season-opening 12-game losing streak when it defeated Penn State (3/9) in the consolation game of the Irish Classic.
Hitting .300 in the tournament, the Salukis raised their batting average by 33 points (.203 to .236), and will look to build on their success at the plate when they face a struggling MSU pitching staff.
So far this year, Thoroughbred pitchers have allowed 10 or more hits in all but five games and have given up between 10 and 13 runs in each of their last three outings. Most recently, MSU pitching surrendered a total of 26 runs in a doubleheader against Louisville (3/16).
While Thoroughbred pitching has had its share of problems, SIU's offense continues to improve.
In fact, the Salukis have registered 10 or more hits in four of their last five games, including a season-high of 14 against Penn State (3/7). The Dawgs also collected 45 of their 105 hits on the year in their last four games alone.
Seniors Cory Newman and Nick Baughman, along with freshman Kevin Koski power the Salukis' offensive attack as of late.
Having compiled just five hits in his first nine games of the season, Newman quickly surpassed that total at the Irish Classic, where he hit .375 (6-for-16) with two runs scored, two doubles, a triple and eight RBI en route to garnering all-tournament honors.
Currently on a six-game hitting streak, Koski has posted two hits in four of his last five outings. He, too, was named to the Irish Classic's all-tournament team after hitting .368 (7-for-19) with three runs scored and two RBI.
As for Baughman, he caught fire to hit .556 with a pair of doubles, a run scored and two RBI in SIU's final two games of the Irish Classic. Making both starts at designated hitter, Baughman went 3-for-5 with his two doubles, one run scored and two RBI to lead the Salukis to their only win of the season against Penn State.
MSU, on the other hand, plays at home for the third time this season when it hosts SIU. The Thoroughbreds have lost three straight games and are hitting just .205 as a team. Clint Griggs leads all MSU hitters with a .300 batting average.
Pitching wise, the Thoroughbreds have given up 153 hits and 123 runs in 121.2 innings.
Under Callahan, SIU has scored between 15 and 26 runs in four of its last 12 games against MSU. The Salukis defeated the Thoroughbreds, 20-8, in 1995, 20-3 in 1998, 26-10 in 2000 and 15-5 in 2002. SIU also posted a pair of shutouts and recorded four, one-run wins against MSU during that stretch.
Sophomore right-hander Ryan Welch will get the start on the mound for the Dawgs. The start will mark the 14th of his career and first since April 2, 2003.
