Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Baseball opens series play against Northern Illinois this weekend
03/05/2009 | 12:00:00 | Baseball
March 5, 2009
By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com
Games 11-13
Southern Illinois University (3-7) vs. Northern Illinois (2-6)
Dates: Friday-Sunday, March 6-8
Location: Carbondale, Ill.
Series Schedule: Fri. - 2 p.m., Sat. - 2 p.m., Sun. - 1 p.m., CT
Stadium: Abe Martin Field (2,000)
Head Coaches: SIU: Dan Callahan (393-397-1/15th Year); NIU: Ed Mathey (169-175-1/7th Year)
Radio: WFRX 1300 AM. Mike Reis (Play-by-Play)
Audio Webcast: www.siusalukis.com (Saluki All-Access)
Live Stats: www.siusalukis.com
Weekend Forecast: Fri. - Sunny, 66 degrees; Sat. - Sunny, 74 degrees; Sun. - Sunny, 68 degrees
Probable Pitching Matchups:
Friday: RHP Adam Curynski (1-0, 3.29 ERA) vs. RHP Andy Deain (1-0, 4.35 ERA)
Saturday: RHP Nathan Forer (0-1, 5.56 ERA) vs. LHP Chuck Lukanen (0-2, 3.00 ERA)
Sunday: LHP Jimmy Cornell (0-1, 3.12 ERA) RHP Chris Wakefield (0-2, 9.58 ERA)
Lengthy Homestand
SIU is in the midst of a 10-game homestand, which began against Tennessee-Martin (3/3) earlier this week. The Salukis are 1-1 on the current stretch, which also involves games against Ball State (Mar. 10-11) and North Dakota (Mar. 13-15). SIU plays 15 of its scheduled 21 games in March at home.
Salukis Win Home-Opener
The Salukis improved to 12-3 in home-openers under head coach Dan Callahan with their 5-4 win over Tennessee-Martin (3/3). SIU owns a five-game winning streak in home-openers dating back to 2005.
Last Time Out...
SIU recently saw its two-game winning streak come to an end after suffering a 5-1 loss to in-state rival Eastern Illinois (3/4). The Salukis had only three hits in the game, as the Panthers beat SIU in Carbondale for the first time since 1997.
Dog Fight
This year marks the sixth-straight where Northern Illinois visits Carbondale for a three-game series. The Huskies have posted series wins in three of the last five years. NIU took two of three from the Salukis in 2008. Two of those games were played at Rent One Park in Marion due to inclement weather.
