Southern Illinoise University Athletics
SIU at Stetson Invite: Game Notes & Links
02/25/2016 | 12:00:00 | Softball
| SIU (5-3, 0-0 MVC) at Stetson Invitational | |
| Dates | Feb. 26-27, 2016 |
| Location | DeLand, Fla. | Patricia Wilson Field |
| Game 1 | vs. Pittsburgh (6-4) | Feb. 26 | 11:15 a.m. CT | Live Stats |
| Game 2 | vs. Providence (3-2) | Feb. 26 | 1:30 p.m. CT | Live Stats |
| Game 3 | vs. Colgate (0-0) | Feb. 27 | 11:15 a.m. CT | Live Stats |
| Game 4 | at Stetson (8-4) | Feb. 27 | 5:30 p.m. CT | Live Stats |
| Previews | SIU Game Notes (PDF) | Providence | Stetson |
| 2016 Stats | Southern Illinois | Pittsburgh | Providence | Colgate | Stetson |
| Social Media | @SIU_Softball  | @SIU_Softball  | Saluki Softball  |
FOR STARTERS
Saluki Softball heads to DeLand, Fla., for the Stetson Invitational this weekend. The Salukis will play four games over two days in the third weekend of the season. Southern Illinois enters the weekend with a 5-3 record after going 2-1 last weekend at the FGCU Invitational and 3-2 on opening weekend. SIU opens the Stetson Invitational against Pittsburgh, who was a regional finalist in last year's NCAA Tournament, and then goes on to play.
Southern Illinois...
- is 5-3 after two weekends. SIU went 3-2 on opening weekend (Lion Classic) and 2-1 last weekend (FGCU Invitational).
- pitched four shutouts this season. SIU already has the most shutouts since 2011, and the season is only eight games old.
- pitched three shutouts in the first five games of the season for the sixth time under head coach Kerri Blaylock and the first time since 2006.
- has only allowed only one home run in 51 innings pitched.
- has 15 extra-base hits in eight games. SIU opponents have just six.
- earned its 1,200th win as a program last weekend. SIU is 1,201-743-4 since the program started in 1968.
- went 10-5 at Charlotte West Stadium in 2015, the 34th consecutive season SIU had a winning record at home.
- hosts the 2016 MVC Championships at Charlotte West Stadium.
- is 189-69 (.733) at home in 13 seasons at Charlotte West Stadium.
FGCU INVITE RECAP
SIU went 2-1 at the Florida Gulf Coast Invitational. The Salukis swept a doubleheader on Friday, beating LIU Brooklyn 9-0 before an impressive 8-6 win over a Marshall team that went 35-15 last season, while returning its top pitcher and hitter this season.
LION CLASSIC RECAP
SIU opened the season with five games in Hammond, La., at the Lion Classic from Feb. 12-14. The Salukis opened the season with a 3-0 win over UT Martin, with freshman Brianna Jones tossing a complete-game shutout. Jones followed that performance with a second-straight complete-game shutout the following day against Mississippi Valley. Sophomore Savanna Dover threw a complete-game shutout of her own the next day in an 8-0 (5) win over Buffalo.
Brianna Jones STARTS CAREER WITH THREE-STRAIGHT COMPLETE-GAME SHUTOUTS
True freshman pitcher Brianna Jones started her career with a bang, throwing complete-game shutouts in each of her first three starts. Jones leads the nation in shutouts with three. She opened her career with a 3-0 shutout win over regional rival UT Martin, then followed it up with another shutout the next day vs. Mississippi Valley State. After the two shutouts at the Lion Classic, Jones earned MVC Pitcher of the Week honors in her first week eligible for the award. A week later, Jones threw another one, this time a 9-0 win over LIU Brooklyn. In total, Jones didn't allow an earned run in the first 22.2 innings of her career.
NEWCOMERS STEPPING UP BIG
Southern Illinois has five freshmen in 2016, four of which are eligible to play (Nicole Doyle is recovering from an injury and is expected to return in March). All four made a big immeidate impact. Pitcher Brianna Jones opened her career with three-straight complete-game shutouts and earned MVC Pitcher of the Week honors after throwing two of those on opening weekend. Eyrika Brandenburg has started all eight games in left field and is hitting .385. Her first hit was an RBI single that scored SIU's first run of the season. Fellow freshmen Hanna Porter and Hanna Stam both recorded hits in their first career at-bats. Porter was dominant at the plate in her first collegiate weekend, reaching in 6-of-8 trips to the plate, including a three-run home run.
SALUKI PITCHING FUELS SUCCESS
From 1987-2007, Southern Illinois had a team ERA under 2.00 18 times and a team ERA under 3.00 all 21 seasons. On the opening weekend of the season, the 2016 pitchers were just as dominant. Freshman Brianna Jones and sophomore Savanna Dover combined to post an 0.90 ERA in 31.0 innings, allowing only four earned runs in five games. Jones pitched two complete-game shutouts, and Dover pitched one. Opponents hit only .183 off the pair (only .175 off Dover), and each of them struck out 16 batters. They only allowed two total extra-base hits (both doubles) in 109 official at-bats. SIU already has the most shutouts this year (4) since 2011, and Jones earned MVC Pitcher of the Week after her first collegiate weekend.
HITTING UP AND DOWN THE LINEUP
SIU has 12 hitters on the roster, and 11 recorded already have at least one hit, while all 12 have at least one RBI. All three freshmen have already recorded their first career hits. Eight players have batting averages above .300 this season, including five with averages better than .350. Jessica Heese has been a breakout star early this season; in half of the at-bats of last season, Heese has doubled her hit total and is leading the team in hitting (.462). She also is slugging .692 thanks to a double and a triple. Freshman Eyrika Brandenburg has been another breakout player; she's riding a four-game hit streak into the weekend and already has three multi-hit games. She ranks fourth nationally with two triples and went 5-for-11 with five runs scored last weekend, her first weekend hitting leadoff.
Shaye Harre: PICKING UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF
Junior slugger Shaye Harre has started all 108 games in her career. She made an immediate impact, hitting .329 as a freshman in 2014. She holds a .313 career batting average, with 19 doubles and 12 home runs. This season, Harre is hitting .364 with a double and two home runs. Her six RBIs lead the team.
GONZALEZ SPARKS OFFENSE FROM LEADOFF
Kelsey Gonzalez enters his fourth year as a starter at shortstop for the Saluki Softball team. In addition to being one of the best defensive shortstops in the MVC over that span, she also has been a pivotal bat in the lineup.
Gonzalez hit just .210 as a true freshman in 2013, but she has been among the best hitting shortstops in the MVC over the past two seasons, hitting .307 and piling up 59 runs, 95 hits, 14 doubles and seven home runs. She has started 154 of a possible 159 games in her career while maintaining a 3.96 GPA.
MERRI ANNE PATTERSON LOOKING TO FOLLOW UP POWERFUL JUNIOR SEASON
Merri Anne Patterson is coming off an All-MVC season in 2015. Patterson earned All-MVC, MVC All-Defensive Team, MVC Player of the Week (3/23), MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week (3/25) and MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team honors a year ago. Now a junior, Patterson moves over to center field, taking over a long line of stellar SIU center fielders that includes 2012 MVC Player of the Year Mallory Duran-Sellers and 2015 MVC batting champ Kalyn Harker. Patterson has three career game-winning home runs and ranked in the top-10 in the MVC last year in batting average, slugging percentage, total bases, doubles per game and home runs per game. She was outstanding in every aspect last season, hitting .321 with 10 doubles and seven home runs while also being a perfect 7-for-7 stealing bases.
COMEBACK KIDS
Southern Illinois came from behind in 11 of its 21 wins last year and won 11 games in its last at bat. SIU overcame five four-run deficits, as well, and played five extra-inning games. SIU already has one come-from-behind win in 2016, beating Marshall 8-6 after an early 2-0 deficit. The Salukis nearly overcame a five-run deficit against Florida Gulf Coast, stranding the tying run on third in the bottom of the seventh.
JONES: ONE OF TOP FROSH IN MVC
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 was the second-best on the team in 2015. She tied for the team lead with seven home runs and was second on the team with 28 RBIs, 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 threw out nine would-be base stealers, which ranked third in the league overall. In 2016, Jones is hitting .318 with a double, home run and seven RBIs. She is slugging .500 and reaching base at a .444 clip.
SALUKI SOFTBALL: THE NATION'S MOST WELL-ROUNDED PROGRAM
The Salukis are among the most well-balanced programs in the nation. Under head coach Kerri Blaylock (16 seasons), the Salukis have finished among the top-20 program-wide GPAs 15 times, including eight top-five finishes. This past year (2014-15), the Salukis had a 3.62 team GPA, the fourth-best in all of Division I softball. Under Blaylock, Southern Illinois has won 562 games, three MVC championships and gone to five NCAA Tournaments while finishing with a team GPA among the top-10 in the nation 11 times. SIU's WORST program-wide GPA in Blaylock's 16 seasons is a 3.37 GPA, which was still good for 31st-best GPA of 335 Division I softball teams.
The Salukis have had at least two student-athletes earn first-team MVC Scholar-Athlete team honors for 18 consecutive seasons, and Saluki Softball has the second-most Academic All-Americans of any Division I softball program. Last season, Kalyn Harker became the latest Saluki Softballer to earn first-team Academic All-America honors, and Shaye Harre earned first-team Academic All-District along with Harker, who went on to be a finalist for NCAA Woman of the Year.
Starting in 2004-05, the NCAA started recognizing programs for being among the top 10 percent of their sport for Academic Progress Rate. Southern Illinois and Loyola are the only two MVC schools to earn the honor even once, and the Salukis have earned it seven of the 10 years it has been awarded.
JONES EARNS MVC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
True freshman pitcher Brianna Jones earned Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week honors after throwing two complete-game shutouts and not allowing a single earned run on opening weekend. Jones threw complete-game shutouts against UT Martin and Mississippi Valley State, joining former Saluki greats Amy Harre and Cassidy Scoggins among SIU pitchers who have started their careers with complete-game shutouts. Jones (2-1, 0.00 ERA in the week) struck out 16 batters in 14 innings and held opponents to a .192 batting average.
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.
FOLLOW THE DAWGS
Fans can keep up-to-date on all the latest Saluki Softball information by following the program on its official social media accounts.
- Facebook.com/SalukiSoftball
- Twitter.com/SIU_Softball
- Instagram.com/SIU_Softball
Schedules, scores, press releases and statistics are available on SIUSalukis.com.
| Lineup Quick Notes | ||
| 00 | Sydney Jones | 2016: 7-22 (.318), 2B, 5 RBIs...AS FROSH (2015): 28 RBIs (2nd on team)...Started all 56 career games...2 game-winning HRs |
| 1 | Merri Anne Patterson | All-MVC & MVC All-Defensive Team (2015)...MVC All-Tournament Team (2014)...Hit .321 last year and career .291 hitter |
| 6 | Savannah Fisher | 2 sac flies in `16...3-run HR vs. FGCU...9-of-19 career hits went for extra bases...MVC Academic Honor Roll (2015) |
| 7 | Kelsey Gonzalez | CAREER: 154 starts, 124 hits, 18 doubles, 8 HRs, .368 OB%...Hit .307 over last 2+ seasons (102 starts)...Team captain |
| 9 | Hanna Stam | True freshman...Recorded hit in first collegiate at-bat...142 hits, 143 runs and 92 RBIs in HS career |
| 10 | Caylee Cook | CAREER: 75 games, 39 starts, 20 hits, 4 doubles, 2 HRs, 13 RBIs...Reached in all six games played in 2016 |
| 15 | Nicole Doyle | True freshman, 3-time All-Conference, 2-time conference MVP, 28 career Ws and ERA under 1.00...6 career no-hitters in HS |
| 17 | Eyrika Brandenburg | True freshman...Started all 8G in left field...First hit was SIU's first RBI of the season...Hitting .385...4th nationally w/ 2 triples |
| 20 | Hanna Porter | True freshman...Hitting .357...Hit 3-run homer vs. Buffalo...Singled in first career at-bat...Two home runs |
| 22 | Brianna Jones | True freshman...MVC Pitcher of the Week (2/15) (2 CG SHOs, 0.00 ERA)...Leads nation w/ 3 complete-game shutouts. |
| 23 | Jessica Heese | Team-leading .462 batting average...Hit first 3B & first RBIs on opening weekend...Already twice as many hits as last year |
| 25 | Shaye Harre | Started all 108 games in career...First-team Academic All-District (2015)...Career: .313 batting average, 79 RBIs...Team captain |
| 28 | Taylor Harris | CAREER: 80 games, 28 starts, 12 hits, 2 doubles, HR, 9 RBIs...Stole first career base in 2015...Started 11G in 2015 |
| 32 | Jessa Thomas | CAREER: 36 games, 32 starts at catcher...Hitting .400 in 2016...DNP last weekend (illness)...Team captain |
| 59 | Savanna Dover | CG SHO vs. Buffalo...2.59 ERA, 22 K's in 27.0 IP in 2016...Allowed only 10 extra base hits in 91.2 career innings |
| Team | 1,201 program wins...4 shutouts in 2016 (most since 2011) | |
| HC | Kerri Blaylock | Won 567 games at SIU...Three MVC titles and five NCAA Tournament appearances |
