MVC Tournament Notes & Links
05/06/2015 | 12:00:00 | Softball
| SIU (21-25-1, 15-11 MVC) at MVC Tournament | |
| Dates | May 7-9, 2015 |
| Location | Wichita, Kan. | Wilkins Stadium (1,000) | Weather |
| Tournament Information | Tournament Central | Bracket (PDF) |
| Opening Round | #5 SIU (home) vs. #8 Indiana State | Game 1 | Thursday, May 7 | 9:30 a.m. CT | ESPN3 | Free Audio | StatBroadcast |
| Quarterfinal | Game 1 winner vs. #4 Wichita State (home) | Game 3 | Thursday, May 7 | 2:30 p.m. CT | ESPN3 | Free Audio | StatBroadcast |
| Semifinal | Game 3 winner vs. #1 Drake (home) | Game 5 | Friday, May 8 | 12 p.m. CT | ESPN3 | Free Audio | StatBroadcast |
| Championship | Game 5 winner vs. #2 Missouri State, #3 UNI, #6 Bradley or #7 Illinois State | Game 7 | Saturday, May 9 | 1 p.m. CT | ESPN3 | Free Audio | StatBroadcast |
| Broadcast Notes | ESPN3 Announcers: RC McBride (pbp) and Laura Leonard (analysis) SIU Radio: Bryce Williams (pbp) and John Lock *All games will be broadcast locally on 1300-AM WFRX All start times are approximate and subject to change due to weather or length of other games. Follow @SIU_Softball on Twitter for the most up-to-date information on SIU's games. |
| Game Notes | Southern Illinois | MVC |
| Statistics | Southern Illinois | MVC |
| Senior Features | Bertelsen | Harker | Kimball | Wilson | Wunderlich |
| Social Media | @SIU_Softball  | @SIU_Softball  | Saluki Softball  |
FAST FIVE
- SIU goes to Wichita, Kan., for the MVC Tournament from May 7-9. SIU earned the No. 5 seed in the tournament and will face eighth-seeded Indiana State at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 7. The tournament is single-elimination format, with the SIU-INS winner advancing to face host and No. 3 seed Wichita State later that same day.
- SIU is looking for its second-ever MVC Tournament title and first since 1991. SIU's five NCAA Tournament appearances since that 1991 title (2003, 04, 05, 06, 07) were all at-large selections.
- Southern Illinois has made the conference tournament 31 times in its 32 years of existence and won at least one game in 23 of those 32 appearances. SIU is 40-54 all-time in the MVC Tournament, and 43 of those 94 games have been one-run games (46 percent).
- SIU's current senior class is 3-3 in MVC Tournament play. SIU went 2-1 in 2012, 1-1 in 2013 and 0-1 last year.
- In MVC play, Kalyn Harker led the league in batting average (.466) and Katie Bertelsen led the league in wins (13). Harker is SIU's third-ever MVC batting champ and first since Lauren Haas in 2008. Bertelsen is the first SIU pitcher to lead the league in wins since Danielle Glosson tied a league record with 16 wins in 2010.
FOR STARTERS
Southern Illinois heads to Wichita, Kan., for the 2015 MVC Tournament. SIU earned the No. 5 seed for the tournament and will face eighth-seeded Indiana State in the single-elimination tournament's first game at 9:30 a.m. CT on Thursday, May 7. The winner of the SIU-INS game faces host Wichita State, the No. 3 seed, at 4 p.m. the same day. SIU is 40-54 all-time in the Missouri Valley conference tournament after losing its opening game last season to Loyola, 5-1. Prior to last season, SIU won at least one game in four consecutive trips to the postseason tournament. SIU is looking for its first MVC Tournament title since 1991. SIU split a doubleheader with Indiana State earlier this season, but the third game was canceled due to rain. Indiana State won the opener 5-1, and SIU overcame a six-run deficit in the second game to win 7-6 in eight innings.
Southern Illinois...
- has won eight of its last 11 MVC games after losing eight of nine in the middle of the season. SIU took two of three from second-place Missouri State to close the season.
- is the No. 5 seed this season in the MVC Tournament. SIU was the No. 3 seed last season with the exact same MVC record (15-11).
- has taken the lead in its last at bat in eight of the team's 15 MVC wins.
- has used 41 different batting orders in 47 games this year.
- has a +20 run differential in the sixth inning, its only inning with a positive run differential.
- has played 17 one-run games. SIU is 11-6 in those games.
- is five wins away from 1,200 in program history. SIU is 1,195-741-4 since the program started in 1968.
- went 10-5 at Charlotte West Stadium, the 34th consecutive season SIU had a winning record at home.
- is 189-69 (.733) at home in 13 seasons at Charlotte West Stadium.
- has played six extra-inning games, going 3-2-1. SIU beat UMBC with an eight-inning walkoff single from Shaye Harre, lost to Ohio State and SEMO, and tied Northern Colorado thanks to an eighth-inning game-tying home run from Meredith Wilson. SIU beat Bradley 10-9 in the 10th inning thanks to a two-run walkoff home run from Sydney Jones. Most recently, SIU overcame a 6-0 fourth-inning deficit to beat Indiana State 7-6 in eight innings.
- has overcome five deficits of at least four runs. SIU erased a four-run seventh-inning deficit to beat Morehead State 8-6 with a six-run seventh and erased a five-run seventh-inning deficit in a 10-10 tie with Northern Colorado. In MVC play, both Bradley and Wichita State had early four-run leads before the Salukis came back to win both games. Then, SIU trailed Indiana State 6-0 in the fourth inning before scoring seven unanswered runs to win 7-6 in eight innings.
SCOUTING THE INDIANA STATE SYCAMORES
Indiana State won at least one game in all nine of their MVC series this season and set a school record for MVC wins in a season with 13. The Sycamores lineup is centered around Megan Stone, who hit an even .400 this regular season in 51 games, and she had 18 doubles and 11 home runs to go along with 46 RBIs, which led the leauge. Kassie Brown (.356) and Erika Crissman (.354) are the only other Sycamores batting over .300. Indiana State will run, swiping 58 bases this season, but will also get thrown out, getting caught stealing 26 times. Taylor Lockwood is the staff ace at 14-3 with a 3.49 ERA. Lockwood pitched well against SIU in the regular season, allowing just one run in a complete game in game one. She also threw a complete-game shutout against SIU in 2014.
 | Did you know? Forty-three of SIU's 94 MVC Tournament games have been one-run games. SIU has won 19 of those. |
HARKER LEADS LEAGUE IN BATTING AVERAGE VS. MVC
Kalyn Harker hit .466 in MVC play, which led everyone else in the Valley by 34 points. She ended the year with a 12-game hitting streak against MVC teams and hit in 21 of 26 MVC games. She has raised her career batting average over .300 and is hitting a team-best .355 on the season. Harker came into the first conference game with a batting average below .200 on the season but has hit .444 in the 31 games since league play opened up vs. Bradley. Harker is the first SIU player to lead the conference in batting average against league opponents since Lauren Haas did it in 2008 (.456). Haas and Krystal Stein (.493, 2005) are the only two other SIU players to lead the conference in batting average against MVC competition.
HARKER IN ELITE COMPANY
Kalyn Harker has 44 career stolen bases, which ranks eighth in SIU history. She has also shown power with the bat, piling up 29 career doubles. The Lebanon, Ind., native is only the second player in school history with at least 29 doubles and 40 stolen bases, joining Colleen Holloway (59 SB, 30 2B).
BERTELSEN LEADS MVC WITH 13 MVC WINS
Saluki ace Katie Bertelsen led the conference with 13 MVC wins in 2015. The Alexis, Ill., native has a career-best 17 wins this season and ranks in the top-10 in school history in career appearances, wins, innings pitched and complete games. She is closing her senior season strong, posting a 1.99 ERA in her last 10 appearances (56.1 innings). In that span, she's allowing opponents to hit just .251 off her and has 29 strikeouts. She pitched back-to-back complete-game shutouts in that span, a 2-0 win over Evansville and an 8-0 win over Loyola.
| Lineup Quick Notes | ||
| 00 | Sydney Jones | 28 RBIs (2nd on team)...Reached in 36 of 47G...Game-winning 2R HR vs. Morehead State...Walkoff 2R HR vs. BU (G2) |
| 1 | Merri Anne Patterson | 2015 MVC All-Tournament team...Hit 2 game-winning HRs vs. WSU (MVC POW)....726 slg% in MVC (5th)...All 6 HR vs. MVC |
| 2 | Brook Womack | 43 starts...Walk-off RBI single vs. Wichita State (G2)...Hit first career HR vs. BU...Reached in 6 of last 9 games |
| 5 | Lacey Newbold | 28 of 41 career starts this yr...Started 19 of last 23G at DP...Tying 2-RBI 2B vs. WSU...Go-ahead 2R HR vs. SIUE (First career HR) |
| 6 | Savannah Fisher | 3-5, HR on opening weekend...8 of 17 hits this season are extra base hits...1-for-3, run scored vs. #5 Kentucky...HR in G1 at LUC |
| 7 | Kelsey Gonzalez | .398 OBP (.304 BA) since hit leadoff @LIP...Reached in 26 of 32G since move to leadoff...372 OBP vs. MVC...17G reached streak |
| 10 | Caylee Cook | 69 career G & 34 career starts...3 2Bs and 2 HRs, both in 2014...2-4 vs. Morehead State...1-4, RBI vs. N. Colorado |
| 12 | Kalyn Harker | 2-time MVC Scholar-Athlete (4.0 GPA)....466 BA in MVC games (led MVC)....444 BA in last 32G (since hit 2nd)...Hit in 26 of last 32G | FEATURE |
| 17 | Kara Kimball | 5 starts in 2015 (1st starts of career)...170 career GP...8 career SB...60 career R...Former walk-on...Played on torn ACL in HS | FEATURE |
| 23 | Jessica Heese | True FR...1st career start vs. Charleston So...Got 1st career hit vs. Wichita State...Started 7G in RF when Wilson was injured |
| 24 | Alyssa Wunderlich | Two-time honorable mention MVC Scholar-Athlete...23 career Ws...4.32 career ERA...262.2 career innings...3 ER in 2.0 IP in 2015 | FEATURE |
| 25 | Shaye Harre | 2014 All-MVC...team-leading 73 career RBIs...Tying grand slam vs. Morehead...Started all 99 career G...2 CG MVC W's in last 3 wks |
| 27 | Katie Bertelsen | 2014 All-MVC...48 career wins (8th in SIU history)...52 career CG (22 in 2015)...2 ER vs. #5 Kentucky...1.99 ERA in last 56.1 innings | FEATURE |
| 28 | Taylor Harris | 73 career games and 27 career starts...Went 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs against Texas A&M Corpus Christi in 2014....318 career OBP |
| 32 | Jessa Thomas | Started 21x at C in 2015...Caught 3 base stealers in 2015...2 doubles, 4 RBIs in seven-run comeback at Indiana State |
| 33 | Meredith Wilson | 2-time All-MVC (2012, 13)...Last 20G: 13-39 (.319), 6 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBIs, Reached in 17 of 19G...Game-winning RBI @INS T8 | FEATURE |
| 59 | Savanna Dover | First career W vs. Morehead State...Since MVC play started: 3.80 ERA, .215 opp. BA (only 4 ex base hits)...CG vs. Creighton |
| Team | +20 run diff in 6th inn. (-86 in all other innings)...11 comeback wins...41 batting orders in 47G...2nd in MVC in doubles vs. MVC | |
| HC | Kerri Blaylock | Coached her 800th career game--all at SIU--on March 30, 2014, @ Missouri St. ... Highest Win% among MVC 500-win coaches...550th career W this season vs. Wichita State |
YOUNG SALUKIS BACK ON A ROLL
SIU plays seven position players who will return next season, and the young lineup has been streaky. SIU started conference play with back-to-back sweeps against Bradley and Wichita State, but the Salukis lost eight of their next nine Valley games. Since then, SIU has won eight of its last 11 MVC games to finish the league at 15-11. In those 11 MVC games, Harker is hitting .486 (17-for-35) with four doubles, two triples and a home run. Two sophomores, Merri Anne Patterson and Shaye Harre, are hitting better than .400 in that span. Harre is hitting .419 with four home runs and 13 RBIs, while Patterson is hitting .406 with four doubles and a home run.
WILSON PROVIDES SPARK AFTER RETURN FROM INJURY
Senior outfielder Meredith Wilson has provided a huge bat in Southern's lineup since returning from an ankle injury that sidelined her for two weeks. In the 19 games since returning, Wilson has reached in 17, including a 16-game streak. In those games, Wilson is hitting .319 with four doubles, three home runs and 11 RBIs.
PATTERSON'S PLAYING AT ALL-MVC LEVEL
Merri Anne Patterson's slugging percentage in conference games (.726) ranked fifth in the league, and she hit .384 in her second trip through the Valley. She had 17 RBIs in Valley games, thanks to seven doubles and six home runs. In addition, she was a perfect 6-for-6 stealing bases and has drawn 10 walks to put her on-base percentage at .458. All six of her home runs this year came against MVC teams. She hit two game-winning home runs in the sweep of Wichita State, capped by a walk-off solo shot in the bottom of the seventh of game three. She also hit the go-ahead RBI double in a 4-2 win over Illinois State in the top of the seventh inning.
DOVER QUIETLY EMERGING
SIU freshman Savanna Dover is emerging as a great young arm for SIU. She holds an ERA of 5.09--a number that is down after hitting 6.10 after a game against UNI. In her eight appearances since, Dover's ERA is at 3.30 and opponents are hitting just .203 off her in 23.1 innings.
HARRE PITCHING BEST BALL OF THE YEAR
SIU sophomore Shaye Harre has thrown her best down the stretch this season. She pitched two complete-game wins, getting those against Loyola and Missouri State in a pair of Game Twos. After giving up five earned runs against Illinois State, Harre hasn't given up more than two earned runs in any of her last eight appearances. In that span, she has a 3.08 ERA in 25.0 innings.
HITTING UP AND DOWN THE LINEUP
SIU has had production from its entire lineup in MVC play. SIU ranked second in the conference in doubles in 2015 against MVC teams with 41, just one shy of league-leader Bradley. Eight SIU players have at least five doubles this season. Kalyn Harker (11), Merri Anne Pattrson (10), Sydney Jones (9) and Brook Womack (8) all have at least eight doubles.
COMEBACK KIDS
Southern Illinois has come from behind in 11 of its 21 wins and won 11 games in its last at bat. SIU has overcome four four-run deficits, as well, and has played five extra-inning games.
- The Salukis overcame a three-run sixth-inning deficit against UMBC to win on a Shaye Harre walkoff RBI single.
- Southern overcame a four-run seventh-inning deficit against Morehead State with six runs in the seventh to win 8-6.
- The Salukis overcame a five-run seventh-inning deficit against Northern Colorado to force extra innings, where Meredith Wilson's eighth-inning home run brough SIU out of another deficit and forced a 10-10 tie.
- In Mexico, SIU won on an overthrow to the pitcher in the eighth inning to beat Nevada 6-5.
- Two scored on a Caylee Cook ball hit to shallow right field in SIU's final at bat in game one against Bradley to win 2-1.
- Trailing by four against Bradley, SIU came back to take the lead. Bradley rallied to take two two-run leads after that, but Southern answered both times, including a game-winning walk-off home run by Sydney Jones to cap a three-run 10th inning that gave SIU a 10-9 win.
- Merri Anne Patterson hit a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth to give SIU a 4-3 win in the series opener with Wichita State.
- Brook Womack hit a walk-off RBI single to beat Wichita State in game two.
- Again trailing by four, this time against Wichita State, SIU rallied for a 7-6 win on Merri Anne Patterson's walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh.
- Trailing SIUE--which had a team ERA below 2.00 entering the game--in the fifth inning, Lacey Newbold hit a go-ahead two-run home run that started a five-run blitz over the final two innings. SIU beat SIUE 5-1 and broke the Cougars' 10-game winning streak.
- SIU fell behind 2-1 to Illinois State but scored three unanswered runs in the final two innings to complete the comeback 4-2 win. Sydney Jones hit the game-tying homer in the sixth and Merri Anne Patterson hit the go-ahead double in the seventh. SIU trailed Evansville 1-0 in the fourth inning before putting up a three-run fourth.
- After Evansville tied the game, Jessa Thomas hit an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth to give SIU a 4-3 win.
- Southern fell behind Indiana State 6-0 in the fourth inning in game two in Terre Haute before scoring seven unanswered runs to win 7-6 in eight innings. Jessa Thomas had two doubles and four RBIs in the comeback win, and Meredith Wilson's eighth-inning single scored Kalyn Harker for the game-winning run.
JONES: ONE OF TOP FROSH IN MVC
True freshman Sydney Jones ended her freshman campaign as on of the top freshmen in the MVC. Starting with the third game of her collegiate career, Jones embarked on a 16-game reached base streak, which is the second-best on the team this year. She is tied for the team lead with seven home runs and was second on the team with 28 RBIs this year, including a walkoff two-run bomb in the 10th inning to beat Bradley, 10-9, and a go-ahead, game-winning two-run homer in the top of the seventh of an 8-6 win over Morehead State. Behind the plate, she's thrown out nine would-be base stealers, which ranks third in the league overall, and she picked off two Evansville base runners.
GONZALEZ SPARKS OFFENSE FROM LEADOFF
Head coach Kerri Blaylock mixed up the lineup against Lipscomb right before MVC play started. Centerfielder Kalyn Harker batted leadoff for the season's first 14 games, but Blaylock moved Harker to the No. 2 spot and bumped Kelsey Gonzalez up to the No. 1 hole against Lipscomb. Since the move, Gonzalez is hitting .304 and has reached in 26 of 32 games as the leadoff hitter and is currently riding a 17-game reached base streak. Harker is hitting .436 in 32 games in the 2-hole and has a .596 slugging percentage and .495 on-base percentage.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Salukis went 10-5 at Charlotte West Stadium in 2015, the program's 34th-consecutive winning season in home games. SIU's 7-0 start was the fourth-best start at home without a loss since West Stadium was built prior to the 2003 season. Southern played its first 16 games away from Carbondale, going 5-10-1. The next six games were at home, and SIU won them all to go over the .500 mark for the first time this year at 11-10-1 after the Wichtia State series. SIU is 189-69 in 13 seasons at Charlotte West Stadium, which includes a 12-7 mark last season.
HARRE EARNS MVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
SIU sophomore Shaye Harre earned the most recent Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week nod after hitting .533 in five games against Evansville and Loyola. Harre hit .533, slugged .933 and reached at a .632 clip in SIU's 4-1 week. She hit two home runs and piled up seven RBIs while hitting in all five games of the week and scoring five runs. In one stretch of six plate appearances, Harre went 5-for-5 with two home runs and five RBIs. She had two games in which she reached in every plate appearance. For good measure, she pitched and didn't allow an earned run in a complete-game win at Loyola in the second half of a doubleheader.
PATTERSON EARNS MVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Merri Anne Patterson earned Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week honors on Monday after hitting two game-winning home runs in the series against Wichita State. Patterson hit .462 in SIU's 4-0 week, which included an 8-3 win over Bradley last Monday to complete a three-game sweep of the Braves. She slugged 1.231 in the four games, going 6-for-13 with a double, three home runs, seven RBIs, five runs scored and a stolen base. In the series opener with WSU, Patterson hit a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth that was the difference in a 4-3 win. In the series finale, Patterson hit a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the seventh in a 7-6 win.
HARRE: AS COOL AS THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PILLOW
SIU super sophomore Shaye Harre has been clutch for the Salukis in 2015. She showcased her two-way ability in Southern Illinois' 4-3 win over UMBC on the opening day of the season. Harre pitched 5.2 innings, allowing only two earned runs, in relief to help SIU stay within striking distance. After the Salukis tied the game at three, Harre came up in the bottom of the seventh with a runner on second; and she hit a walkoff RBI single to complete her 3-for-4 day at the plate.
Against Morehead State, the Salukis trailed by four in the seventh inning when Harre came to the plate with the bases loaded. She hit a game-tying grand slam ahead of Sydney Jones' game-winning two-run home run. In the second game of the Bradley series, Harre came up in the eighth inning with the Salukis down a run, but she singled home the game-tying run. Then again in the 10th, Harre doubled to keep the inning alive, and SIU eventually won with a three-run 10th. In the middle game against Wichita State, Harre again led off the final inning with a double, which became the game-winning run on Brook Womack's walk-off RBI single. Against Missouri State in Game Two, Harre gave herself a short-game win with a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the fifth in a 10-2 win.
PLAYING FOR JC
Saluki Softball will be Playing for JC all season long. JC Bass is a two-and-a-half year old friend of Saluki sophomore Merri Anne Patterson. JC has brain cancer and will be going through a six-month chemotherapy treatment throughout the spring. To assist with JC's medical bills, donate at http://www.gofundme.com/fdvqow. Follow JC's battle on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pullin-for-JC/1492123607727346.
GONZALEZ, HARKER, WILSON NAMED TEAM CAPTAINS
Junior Kelsey Gonzalez, senior Kalyn Harker and senior Meredith Wilson were named the 2015 team captains, head coach Kerri Blaylock announced in August. Gonzalez hit .328 last year, second in the MVC among shortstops. Harker, in addition to being one of the best outfielders in the MVC (only one career error and .995 career fielding percentage), hit .313 as a junior last year and showcased an impressive combination of power (10 doubles) and speed (14 stolen bases). Wilson is a two-time All-MVC hitter with 131 career starts for the Salukis under her belt. She has a .449 career slugging percentage and hit a walk-off single to beat MVC Pitcher of the Year Brittany Gardner and Loyola.
GONZALEZ HAS BREAKOUT SOPH SEASON
SIU junior captain Kelsey Gonzalez is coming off a breakout sophomore season. Gonzalez started all 52 games in her freshman year and hit .210. Last season, Gonzalez hit .328 in 47 starts and 51 total games. She hit at nearly every spot in the lineup and ended the year in the middle of the lineup. She earned MVC Player of the Week honors after she slugged .933 against Wichita State. She had two doubles, two home runs, six RBIs and 14 total bases in leading Southern to a series win over the eventual MVC champion Shockers.
HARRE HAS MONSTER FRESHMAN SEASON
Shaye Harre was immediately a force in the middle of the lineup for SIU as a freshman. She was second on the team in 2014 with a .329 average and hit an even better .368 in MVC play. She led the team with 43 RBIs, second in program history among freshman. Her on-base percentage, RBIs, doubles and walks all ranked among the top 10 in the MVC. Harre joined Bertelsen as a second-team All-MVC honoree after the season.
TEAM OVERVIEW
SIU is replacing five starting positional players this year. Last year's starters included four spots around the infield (C, 1B, 2B, 3B) and one outfielder. Jayna Spivey, last year's second baseman, was a four-time All-MVC player and led the team in hitting last year with a .337 average.
Southern returns four of its top five hitters and the team's No. 1 pitcher, Katie Bertelsen. Shaye Harre (.329), Kelsey Gonzalez (.328) and Kalyn Harker (.313) all return after hitting better than .300 last year. Freshman Sydney Jones and sophomore Jessa Thomas are splitting time at the catcher spot, while Jones and Kara Kimball have been splitting time at third base.
CONTINUING TRADITION OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
Saluki Softball posted a team GPA of 3.616 in the fall 2014 semester. All 17 players in the program earned at least a 3.2 GPA during the semester. SIU has a history as one of the best academic and athletic softball programs in the country under head coach Kerri Blaylock. Southern Illinois has posted a team GPA among the top-20 nationally in 13 of the past 14 academic years, including ten top-10 finishes. Since the NCAA began publicly recognizing softball programs that finish in the top 10 percent of their sport academically, Saluki Softball has been recognized six times and is the only program in the MVC to earn the honor even once. Earlier this season, Merri Anne Patterson earned MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week honors after her two game-winning home runs vs. Wichita State. Patterson has a 3.9 GPA in exercise science.
