Southern Illinoise University Athletics
SIU vs. Illinois State: Game Notes & Links
03/24/2016 | 12:00:00 | Softball
| SIU (17-8, 2-0 MVC) vs. Illinois State (9-18, 1-1 MVC) | |
| Dates | March 25-26, 2016 |
| Location | Carbondale, Ill. | Charlotte West Stadium (502) | Weather |
| Game 1 | March 25 | 3 p.m. CT | Live Stats | Free Video Stream |
| Game 2 | March 25 | 5 p.m. CT | Live Stats | Free Video Stream |
| Game 3 | March 26 | 12 p.m. CT | Live Stats | Free Video Stream |
| Game Notes | SIU Game Notes (PDF) | Illinois State (PDF) |
| 2016 Stats | Southern Illinois | Illinois State | MVC |
| Social Media | @SIU_Softball  | @SIU_Softball  | Saluki Softball  |
FAST FIVE
- MVC rivals SIU and Illinois State have a series record of 24-23 in SIU's favor since Kerri Blaylock became SIU's head coach in 2000. Neither team has swept the other since 2005.
- Shaye Harre ranks 19th nationally in slugging percentage (.882) after hitting four home runs in her last four games.
- Brianna Jones ranks second nationally in shutouts (6) and eighth nationally in wins (13). She leads the conference in both.
- SIU is on a season-best five-game winning streak and has won nine of the last 10 games. SIU is outscoring opponents 52-11 in those 10 games.
- Savannah Fisher and Merri Anne Patterson, who combine for a season average of .214, are hitting a combined .286 with five doubles, two home runs, nine RBIs, nine runs scored and seven stolen bases over the last 10 games.
FOR STARTERS
Saluki Softball welcomes perenial MVC powerhouse Illinois State to Charlotte West Stadium for a three-game series this weekend. The Salukis and Redbirds will play a 3 p.m. doubleheader on Friday afternoon before concluding with a single game at noon on Saturday. Illinois State is the only MVC school with a winning record against SIU. Since SIU head coach Kerri Blaylock took over in 2000, the Salukis hold a 24-23 lead in the series. Neither team has swept the other in a three-game series since SIU swept the Redbirds in 2005. Illinois State is 9-18 overall, but the Redbirds have played nine games against ranked opponents, going 0-9 in those games. They have been competitive in some of those games, losing a 1-0 game to No. 2 Michigan and a 1-0 game to No. 25 UCF.
Southern Illinois...
- is 17-8 and has won nine of its last 10 games. In that 10-game stretch, SIU is outscoring its opponents 52-11.
- has a 1.06 team ERA in the last 10 games.
- has won five-straight games, a season-long winning streak.
- is nine games over .500 for the first time since 2012. That 2012 reached 20 games over .500 at one point in the season (31-11).
- 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 run in 160.2 innings pitched. SIU allowed 53 home runs last year (about one every six innings).
- is out-homering opponents 25-6 this season. SIU has 61 extra-base hits, compared to just 29 for opponents.
- leads the MVC in home runs per game with 25 home runs in 25 games.
- went 10-5 at Charlotte West Stadium in 2015, the 34th consecutive season SIU had a winning record at home. SIU is 5-2 this season at home.
- hosts the 2016 MVC Championships at Charlotte West Stadium.
- is 194-71 (.731) at home in its 14th seasons at Charlotte West Stadium.
HARRE NAMED MVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior first baseman Shaye Harre was named MVC Player of the Week on Monday, the second time in her career earning the award. The Salukis went 3-0 last week, winning at SLU and twice vs. Loyola. Harre hit 5-for-8 with a double, three home runs and nine RBIs. Her slugging percentage was 1.875 and her on-base percentage was .727 while playing error-free defense. Harre also holds a 3.875 GPA in animal sciences, which led to her also being named SIU and MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week. Harre continued her roll on Tuesday, hitting a game-tying home run into a 35-mph wind (gusts up to 45 mph) against SEMO.
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 15 non-conference wins. The Salukis have improved in every single statistical catagory. Most notably, SIU has scored 33 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 .046 points), higher slugging percentage (by .124), higher on-base percentage, and lower opposing batting average (.314 vs. .228).
B. JONES AMONG NATION'S BEST
True freshman pitcher Brianna Jones ranks second in the nation in shutouts with six, which is first nationally among freshmen. 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 0.75 ERA in 75.0 innings, with six shutouts and 10 complete games in 17 appearances.
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 125 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 118 hits (.331 career hitter), 25 doubles, 18 home runs and 101 RBIs.
This season, Harre is hitting .426 with seven doubles, eight home runs and a team-high 28 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 .882 in 2016 and reaching at a .540 clip. She hit a walk-off double to beat Iona earlier this season, her second career game-winning walk-off hit.
Harre's statistics from the last 10 games illustrate her dominance: 14-for-27 (.519), four doubles, five home runs, 16 RBIs, 10 runs scored, 1.222 slg%, and a .629 on-base percentage.
GONZALEZ PLAYING GREAT IN FOURTH SEASON AS STARTER
SIU shortstop Kelsey Gonzalez is in her fourth season as the starting shortstop for SIU; she has started 171 of a possible 176 games. During SIU's last 10 games, she is hitting .367 with nine runs scored and a .457 on-base percentage. Over the past three seasons (119 starts), she has hit .306 (110-for-359) with 73 runs scored, 15 doubles, eight home runs and 41 RBIs. She has done all this while playing outstanding defense and maintaining a 3.96 GPA.
FISHER IS FEELING IT
Savannah Fisher has been oustanding over the last 10 games. During SIU's 9-1 stretch, Fisher is hitting .320 with three doubles, three RBIs, three runs scored and three stolen bases. She hit a walk-off RBI double in the bottom of the seventh to beat SEMO on Tuesday. She is currently riding a team-best five-game hitting streak and has raised her batting average 73 points in the last 10 games.
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 .264 in 18 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.
Sydney Jones: BUILDING ON OUTSTANDING FRESHMAN SEASON
Sydney Jones is hitting .333, and her batting average hasn't dipped below .300 at any point this season. She has reached in 22 of 25 games this year and already has eight 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 on-base percentage near .500.
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 61 extra-base hits this year (more than twice as many as its opponents), and eight players have at least five. Ten have at least one double and five have double-figure RBIs. Southern has hit 25 home runs in 25 games, best in the Valley, and seven players have multiple home runs this season.
Four players are hitting .300 or better, led by Shaye Harre (.426) and Sydney Jones (.333). Seven players have slugging percentages north of .400, led by Harre's .882 mark, which ranks 19th nationally.
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 24 games in left field and is hitting .311. 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 38 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 2.66, 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 160.2 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.
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 is slugging .583 over the last 10 games, with two doubles and two home runs and six RBIs. Her six RBIs are second on the team in that span, and her 4-for-4 mark stealing bases is also a team best. She has scored six runs, including two runs in SIU's 3-2 win over SEMO earlier this week. For the season, Patterson's 14 RBIs and four home runs both are second on the team.
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 is 5-2 at home this year and has won four-straight home games. SIU is 194-71 in its 14th season 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.
JONES EARNS MVC PITCHER OF THE WEEK TWICE
True freshman pitcher Brianna Jones earned Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week honors twice this season. After throwing two complete-game shutouts and not allowing a single earned run on opening weekend, Jones earned the honor in her first week eligible for the award. 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. She threw two more complete-game shutouts two weekends later at the Stetson Invitational, securing a 10-0 win over Providence and a 4-0 win over Colgate.
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.
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: 22-66 (.333), .488 OB%...AS FROSH (2015): 28 RBIs (2nd on team)...Started all 73 career games...2 game-winning HRs |
| 1 | Merri Anne Patterson | All-MVC & MVC All-Defensive Team (2015)...2nd on team w/ 4 HRs & 14 RBIs...Hitting .255, 3 2B, 4 HR, 11 RBIs in last 18G |
| 6 | Savannah Fisher | 5G hit streak...Walk-off RBI 2B to beat SEMO...Last 10G: .320, 3 2B, 3 RBIs, 3R, 3-3 SB...MVC Academic Honor Roll (2015) |
| 7 | Kelsey Gonzalez | CAREER: 171 starts, 139 hits, 19 doubles, 9 HRs, .372 OB%...Hit .306 over last 2.5 seasons (119 starts)...Team captain |
| 9 | Hanna Stam | True freshman...Recorded hit in first collegiate at-bat...Hitting 7-for-33 with 3 RBIs...OB% is .316...12 starts |
| 10 | Caylee Cook | CAREER: 90 games, 52 starts, 30 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 24G in left field...First hit was SIU's first RBI of the season...Hitting .311...4 doubles, 2 triples |
| 20 | Hanna Porter | True freshman...Hitting .263....553 SLG%...Three home runs, 9 RBIs...Singled in first career at-bat |
| 22 | Brianna Jones | True freshman...2nd nationally w/ 6 shutouts...2-time MVC Pitcher of the Week (2/15 & 2/29)...1.67 ERA (2nd in MVC) |
| 23 | Jessica Heese | .294 batting average...First career HR was grand slam at SLU, then hit walk-off HR in B-8th inn. vs. LUC in very next game |
| 25 | Shaye Harre | Started all 125 career G...Reigning MVC POW (4 HRs in last 4G)...Career: .331 batting average, 101 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: 48 games, 42 starts at catcher...3 doubles and 6 RBIs last year...4-24, 2R, 3RBI in 13 starts this year...Team captain |
| 59 | Savanna Dover | CG SHOs vs. Buffalo & LUC..61 K's in 65.2 IP in `16...Allowed only 18 EX base hits in 130.1 career IP...0.63 ERA last 22.1 IP) |
| Team | 9 shutouts (most since `11)...Extra base hits: SIU 61, OPP 29...6 HR allowed in 160.2 IP...9-1 in last 10G...5G win streak | |
| HC | Kerri Blaylock | 17th Season...Won 579 games at SIU...Three MVC titles and five NCAA Tournament appearances |
