Southern Illinoise University Athletics
SIU vs. SEMO: Notes & Links
03/21/2016 | 12:00:00 | Softball
| SIU (16-8) vs. SEMO (8-12) | |
| Date and Time | March 22, 2016 | 4 p.m. CT |
| Location | Carbondale, Ill. | Charlotte West Stadium (502) | Weather |
| Follow Along | Live Stats | Free Video Stream |
| 2016 Stats | Southern Illinois | SEMO | MVC | OVC |
| Social Media | @SIU_Softball  | @SIU_Softball  | Saluki Softball  |
FAST FIVE
- Shaye Harre was named MVC Player of the Week on Monday. Harre hit three home runs and had nine RBIs in SIU's 3-0 week last week.
- Brianna Jones ranks second in the nation in shutouts with six. Her 12 wins rank 12th nationally and tied for second among freshmen.
- 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 in a 5-0 win.
- SIU has won eight of its last nine games and outscored opponents 49-8 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 2.73.
FOR STARTERS
Saluki Softball hosts Southeast Missouri State on Tuesday at Charlotte West Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT. SIU won its opening mid-week game of the season last Wednesday at Saint Louis, 14-2. SEMO beat Southern last year in Cape Girardeau, 4-3 in 10 innings.
Southern Illinois...
- is 16-8 and has won eight of its last nine games. In that nine-game stretch, SIU is outscoring its opponents 49-8.
- pitched nine 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 six home runs in 153.2 innings pitched. SIU allowed 53 home runs last year (about one every six innings).
- is out-homering opponents 24-6 this season. SIU has 61 extra-base hits, compared to just 29 for opponents.
- leads the MVC in home runs per game with 24 home runs in 24 games.
- went 10-5 at Charlotte West Stadium in 2015, the 34th consecutive season SIU had a winning record at home. Southern is 4-2 so far in 2016.
- hosts the 2016 MVC Championships at Charlotte West Stadium.
- is 193-71 (.731) 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 non-conference 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 ALREADY WITH SIX SHUTOUTS
True freshman pitcher Brianna Jones ranks second nationally with six shutouts, which leads all freshmen in the country. 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.
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.
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 2.73, and Southern already has the most shutouts this year (9) 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 six home runs in 153.2 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. Since the start of her sophomore season, Gonzalez is hitting .306 and piling up 71 runs, 107 hits, 15 doubles and eight home runs. She has started 170 of a possible 175 games in her career while maintaining a 3.96 GPA.
Gonzalez has been on fire for the last month. She has hit in nine of the last 10 games, which includes three multi-hit games. That stretch has raised her season batting average 50 points to a season-best .319 right now. She's riding a five-game hitting streak headed into the SEMO game.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Salukis went 10-5 at Charlotte West Stadium in 2015, the program's 34th-consecutive winning season in home games. This year, SIU is off to a 4-2 start after splitting four games at the Coach B Classic and sweeping a doubleheader from Loyola to open MVC play. SIU is 193-71 in 14 seasons at Charlotte West Stadium.
