Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Baseball set to face defending national champions this weekend
02/23/2011 | 12:00:00 | Baseball
Feb. 23, 2011
By Jason Clay
SIUSalukis.com
South Carolina Series: Games 5-7
South Illinois (2-2, 0-0 MVC) at No. 6 South Carolina (3-0, 0-0 SEC)
Game Dates & Times:
Friday, Feb. 25 - 2 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 26 - 2 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 27 - 12:30 p.m.
Location: Columbia, S.C. - Carolina Stadium (9,000)
Radio: None
Live Stats: SIUSalukis.com
Video Streaming: gamecocksonline.cstv.com/
Weather Forecast:
Friday - 75 degrees, 30 percent chance of showers
Saturday - 68 degrees, sunny
Sunday - 77 degrees, partly cloudy
Quick Hits
→ The Southern Illinois baseball team travels to Columbia, S.C. to play the defending national champion South Carolina Gamecocks for a three-game weekend set. South Carolina enters the weekend ranked as high as No. 6 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
→ SIU and South Carolina have met twice before - once in 1984 and once in 1977. The 1977 game came in the College World Series and the Gamecocks edged the Salukis, 5-4.
→ The last time SIU faced a team the year after they won the national championship was in 1990. That came after Wichita State won the 1989 College World Series, and SIU split the four-game series with the Shockers. SIU went on to win the MVC regular season and tournament championship that year, knocking the Shockers off their crown.
→ Senior center fielder Chris Murphy was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week on Monday after going 7-for-13 on opening weekend with four RBIs. This is the first time in his career he's received the Valley's weekly award and he became the first Saluki to receive it since catcher Mark Kelly on March 5, 2007.
→ Last season, Southern Illinois did not have a starting pitcher last five complete innings until the ninth game of the season. This year in four games, all four starting pitchers have lasted as least five and in three of the four games the starter has gone at least six innings.
→ This weekend starts a stretch for the Salukis where they play 17 games over the next 25 days. After the series with the Gamecocks, Southern Illinois plays Tuesday at Arkansas State and the following weekend it competes in the Memphis Tournament. There SIU will face two solid ball clubs in Oral Roberts along with host Memphis, and Eastern Kentucky.
→ SIU sports 19 underclassmen on its 27-man roster, just three seniors and only one fourth-year senior. The Salukis welcomed in 13 newcomers in 2011.
→ The Salukis have held the opposition to a .234 batting average through four games.
