Baseball travels to SEMO for Tuesday evening game

April 9, 2012

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois baseball team will travel to Southeast Missouri State to face the Redhawks on Tuesday, April 10 at 5 p.m. at Capaha Field. For the Salukis, it will be the first of four consecutive road games after winning two out of three games at home against Evansville this past weekend.

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Tuesday, April 10
Time: 5 p.m.
Location: Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Site: Capaha Field
Radio: WVZA 105.1-FM
Video: KFVS12.com
Live Stats

Game Notes

TUESDAY'S STARTER Junior Nathan Dorris will make his first midweek start after starting the Salukis first seven Sunday games. He will be on extra rest with his last start coming on Sunday, April 1 at Wichita State. In his first four starts of the year, Dorris was 4-0 with a 2.96 ERA. He lasted six innings or longer in three of those starts. However, in his last three starts, he is 0-2 with a 12.75 ERA and has not lasted more than four and a third innings. He is 4-1 with a 4.40 ERA in five nonconference starts.

SEMO SERIES NOTES SIU leads the all-time series, 46-26-1 but has lost its last three games against SEMO. Prior to the losing streak, SIU had won its last four meetings with the Redhawks. The series dates back to 1923, and only twice have the Salukis lost more than three in a row to SEMO. Southern's last win against the Redhawks was on April 6, 2010 at Capaha Field. With the exception of a rainout in 1996, the two schools have met annually since 1985 and have played each other every year in a home-and-home series since 1998.

SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS Southeast Missouri State beat Eastern Kentucky 9-7 on Sunday to avoid being swept at home. The win snapped the Redhawks' four-game losing streak and improved their record to 9-24 overall. After starting the season 5-4, they have lost 20 of their last 24 games. SEMO lost 10 pitchers and 19 total letterwinners from last year's team. The Redhawks are hitting .281 as a team and are led offensively by Trenton Moses who is hitting .414 with 12 home runs and 37 RBI in 33 games. However, the Redhawks have a team ERA of 7.36, and not one pitcher on the staff who has thrown over six innings this season has an ERA under 4.50.

BACK FROM INJURY Lee Weld will be available out of the bullpen for SIU this week after missing all of last season and the first part of the 2012 season while rehabbing a shoulder injury. Weld has not pitched in a game for the Salukis since May 22, 2010. He was slotted to be SIU's closer last season before undergoing shoulder surgery in January 2011.

ERROR FREE After committing at least one error in each of its first 30 games, SIU played consecutive error-free games on Saturday and Sunday against Evansville. Following Sunday's game, Southern has not committed an error in its last 22 innings.

LOOKING AHEAD The Salukis will visit Dallas Baptist this Thursday, Friday and Saturday for a three-game, non-conference series beginning Thursday, April 12 at 6:30 p.m. SIU's next scheduled home game is against UT-Martin on Wednesday, April 18 at 3 p.m.