Southern Illinoise University Athletics
SIU vs. Loyola: Game Notes & Links
03/18/2016 | 12:00:00 | Softball
| SIU (14-8, 0-0 MVC) vs. Loyola (15-7, 0-0 MVC) | |
| Dates | March 19-20, 2016 |
| Location | Carbondale, Ill. | Charlotte West Stadium (502) | Weather |
| Game 1 | March 19 | 1 p.m. CT | Live Stats | Free Video Stream |
| Game 2 | March 19 | 3 p.m. CT | Live Stats | Free Video Stream |
| Game 3 | March 20 | 1 p.m. CT | Live Stats | Free Video Stream |
| Game Notes | SIU Game Notes (PDF) |
| 2016 Stats | Southern Illinois | Loyola | MVC |
| Social Media | @SIU_Softball  | @SIU_Softball  | Saluki Softball  |
FAST FIVE
- Brianna Jones leads the nation in shutouts with six. Her 11 wins rank ninth nationally and tied for second among freshmen.
- Shaye Harre leads the team with 23 RBIs this year, which ranks fourth in the MVC. Loyola's Brooke Wyderski leads the conference with 26. Harre is four RBIs away from 100 in her career.
- Freshman Nicole Doyle threw a no-hitter in her first collegiate start. After spending eight months recovering from a torn ACL, Doyle no-hit Hartford last weekend in a 5-0 win.
- SIU has won six of its last seven games and outscored opponents 40-5 in that stretch.
- Southern Illinois' team ERA is nearly two runs better than last year. In 2015, the team ERA was 4.72. This year, it's 2.88.
FOR STARTERS
Saluki Softball opens Missouri Valley Conference play with a three-game series against Loyola on March 19-20 at Charlotte West Stadium. The series starts a seven-game home stand, the longest SIU will have this season. The Salukis and Ramblers will play a doubleheader on Saturday, starting at 1 p.m., and a single game on Sunday, also starting at 1 p.m. SIU swept Loyola last season and leads the all-time series 8-1. Loyola is off to a hot start this year at 15-7 overall. The Ramblers lead the MVC in team batting average (.327) and are led by Brooke Wyderski, who leads the conference in home runs and RBIs. LUC also ranks second in the MVC in ERA at 2.61.
Southern Illinois...
- is 14-8 and has won six of its last seven games. In that seven-game stretch, SIU is outscoring its opponents 40-5.
- pitched eight shutouts this season. SIU already has the most shutouts since 2011 (13), and all three pitchers have already thrown at least one shutout.
- has only allowed only five home run in 138.2 innings pitched. SIU allowed 53 home runs last year (about one every six innings).
- is out-homering opponents 21-5 this season. SIU has 55 extra-base hits, compared to just 25 for opponents.
- leads the MVC in home runs per game with 21 home runs in 22 games.
- 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 191-71 (.729) at home in its 14th seasons at Charlotte West Stadium.
NON-CONFERENCE COMPARISON SHOWS SIU IMPROVEMENT IN 2016
The Salukis are dramatically improved from last year's 21-26-1 team, and the statistics back that up. Last year's team went 6-15-1 in non-conference games, and this year's team already has 14 wins. In the same number of non-conference games so far in 2016 as SIU played in 2015, the Salukis have improved in every single statistical catagory. Most notably, SIU has scored 30 more runs while posting a team ERA that is more than two fulls runs better than last year. In addition, this year's team has a higher fielding percentage, higher batting average (by .048 points), higher slugging percentage (by .122), higher on-base percentage, and lower opposing batting average (.314 vs. .229).
B. JONES LEADS THE NATION IN SHUTOUTS
True freshman pitcher Brianna Jones leads the nation in shutouts with six. She opened her career with three-straight shutouts and didn't allow an earned run in the first 22.2 innings of her career. She has earned MVC Pitcher of the Week twice and MVC Newcomer of the Week twice more.
Jones has allowed six runs twice this season. Outside of those two starts, Jones has an 0.53 ERA in 65.2 innings, with six shutouts in 15 appearances.
DOYLE TOSSES NO-HITTER IN FIRST CAREER START
Freshman pitcher Nicole Doyle spent eight months recovering from a torn ACL suffered in late June. After throwing some relief innings the first weekend of March, Doyle threw a no-hitter in her first collegiate start. SIU beat Hartford 5-0 in the seven-inning game, and only one walk separated Doyle from a perfect game. She struck out seven and limited Hartford hitters to 0-for-21 from the plate. The no-hitter was the first for an SIU pitcher since 2011 and the first for a freshman since 1997.
HARRE: MIDDLE OF THE ORDER MONSTER
Southern Illinois junior first baseman Shaye Harre is one of the best hitters in the MVC. She has started all 122 games in her career and hit in the middle of the order since her first game of freshman year. Not even halfway through her junior season, Harre has collected 113 hits (.324 career hitter), 23 doubles, 16 home runs and 96 RBIs.
This season, Harre is hitting .393 with five doubles, six home runs and a team-high 23 RBIs. Harre led the team in RBIs in each of her first two seasons as a Saluki and is on pace to do it again. She is slugging .770 in 2016 and reaching at better than a .500 clip. She hit a walk-off double to beat Iona earlier this season, her second career game-winning walk-off hit.
Caylee Cook IN MIDST OF BREAKOUT SENIOR SEASON
SIU senior Caylee Cook has become a middle of the order force for the Salukis in her senior season. Cook is hitting .277 in 16 starts this year and already has career highs in hits, doubles, home runs and RBIs. Her slugging percentage is approaching .500 and she has stolen two bases, as well. Her RBI total this year (10) matches her total from the first three seasons of her career combined. She has come through in big situations, hitting a bases-clearing double in an 8-6 win over Marshall and a go-ahead RBI double in the seventh inning of a 4-1 win over Butler.
S. JONES: BUILDING ON OUTSTANDING FRESHMAN SEASON
Sydney Jones is hitting .321 this season, and her batting average hasn't dipped below .300 at any point this season. She has reached in 20 of 22 games this year and already has six multi-hit games. She has a team-best 18 walks drawn this year, already surpassing her total from her freshman season and giving her an even .500 on-base percentage.
In an outstanding freshman season, Jones led the team with seven home runs and was second on the team with 28 RBIs. She also splits time at catcher, where she has a dangerous arm. She threw out nine would-be base stealers last year and has already caught five more this year.
HITTING UP AND DOWN THE LINEUP
Southern's entire order has been productive this year and done damage with power. SIU has 55 extra-base hits this year (more than twice as many as its opponents), and seven players have at least five. Ten have at least one double and 12 have multiple RBIs. Southern hit seven home runs in four games at the Coach B Classic, and all seven came from different people.
Four players are hitting .300 or better, led by Shaye Harre (.393) and Eyrika Brandenburg (.338). Seven players have slugging percentages north of .360, led by Harre's .770 mark.
NEWCOMERS STEPPING UP BIG
Southern Illinois has five freshmen in 2016, and all five made a big immediate impact. Pitcher Brianna Jones opened her career with five shutouts in her first six starts and earned MVC Pitcher of the Week honors twice in the first three weeks of the season. Eyrika Brandenburg started 21 games in left field and is hitting .338. Fellow freshmen Hanna Porter and Hanna Stam both recorded hits in their first career at-bats. Porter has been an immediate-impact power bat in the middle of the order, hitting three home runs and two doubles in 35 at-bats. Nicole Doyle didn't play until March while recovering from a torn ACL suffered in June, but she announced her return loudly with a no-hitter in her first collegiate start.
SALUKI PITCHING FUELS SUCCESS
From 1987-2007, Southern Illinois had a team ERA under 3.00 all 21 seasons. This year, SIU's ERA is back under than 3.00 mark at 2.88, and Southern already has the most shutouts this year (8) since 2011 (13). Brianna Jones has earned MVC Pitcher of the Week honors twice after throwing a nation-leading six shutouts. The pitching staff of Jones, Savanna Dover and Nicole Doyle has only allowed five home runs in 138.2 innings; and two of those homers came from the same EIU batter in the same game, which SIU won. Last year, the Salukis allowed a home run, on average, about every six innings. This year, it's one home run allowed every 27 innings. Opponents are hitting .229 this year, compared to .314 last year in non-conference play, and the pitchers are averaging about twice as many strikeouts per game.
GONZALEZ SPARKS OFFENSE
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-and-a-half seasons, hitting .306 and piling up 71 runs, 107 hits, 15 doubles and eight home runs. She has started 168 of a possible 173 games in her career while maintaining a 3.96 GPA.
PATTERSON BREAKS OUT
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.
Patterson started slowly this season just 2-for-20. But she broke out in a big way recently. In her last 15 games, Patterson is hitting .275 with three doubles, four home runs and 10 RBIs, which is second on the team in that span. She is slugging .650 and has five walks while going a perfect 5-for-5 stealing bases.
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.
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.
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: 18-56 (.321), .500 OB%...AS FROSH (2015): 28 RBIs (2nd on team)...Started all 70 career games...2 game-winning HRs |
| 1 | Merri Anne Patterson | All-MVC & MVC All-Defensive Team (2015)...MVC All-Tournament Team (2014)...Hitting .275, 3 2B, 4 HR, 10 RBIs in last 15G |
| 6 | Savannah Fisher | Started season 0-14; Since: 9-36 (.250), 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBIs, 7R, 3 SB, .472 SLG%...MVC Academic Honor Roll (2015) |
| 7 | Kelsey Gonzalez | CAREER: 168 starts, 136 hits, 19 doubles, 9 HRs, .373 OB%...Hit .306 over last 2+ seasons (116 starts)...Team captain |
| 9 | Hanna Stam | True freshman...Recorded hit in first collegiate at-bat...Hitting 6-for-30 with 3 RBIs...OB% is .314...11 starts |
| 10 | Caylee Cook | CAREER: 88 games, 50 starts, 29 hits, 7 doubles, 4 HRs, 20 RBIs...Already career bests in hits, doubles, HRs & RBIs |
| 15 | Nicole Doyle | True freshman...Threw no-hitter in 1st career start...HS: 2-time conference MVP, ERA under 1.00 & 6 career no-hitters |
| 17 | Eyrika Brandenburg | True freshman...Started 21G in left field...First hit was SIU's first RBI of the season...Hitting .338...4 doubles, 2 triples |
| 20 | Hanna Porter | True freshman...Hitting .257....517 SLG%...Three home runs, 9 RBIs...Singled in first career at-bat |
| 22 | Brianna Jones | True freshman...National leader w/ 6 shutouts...2-time MVC Pitcher of the Week (2/15 & 2/29)...1.59 ERA (3rd in MVC) |
| 23 | Jessica Heese | .293 batting average...First career HR was grand slam at SLU...Already 4x as many hits as last year |
| 25 | Shaye Harre | Started all 122 career G...First-team Academic All-District (`15)...Career: .324 batting average, 96 RBIs...Team captain |
| 28 | Taylor Harris | CAREER: 90 games, 28 starts, 12 hits, 2 doubles, HR, 9 RBIs...3-3 on stolen bases in 2016, 8 runs scored |
| 32 | Jessa Thomas | CAREER: 46 games, 40 starts at catcher...3 doubles and 6 RBIs last year...4-21, 2R, 3RBI in 11 starts this year...Team captain |
| 59 | Savanna Dover | CG SHO vs. Buffalo...52 K's in 53.2 IP in `16...Allowed only 18 EX base hits in 118.1 career IP...1.35 ERA last 2 starts (10.1 IP) |
| Team | 8 shutouts (most since `11)...Extra base hits: SIU 55, OPP 25...5 HR allowed in 138.2 IP | |
| HC | Kerri Blaylock | 17th Season...Won 576 games at SIU...Three MVC titles and five NCAA Tournament appearances |
