Southern Illinoise University Athletics
SIU vs. INS: Game Notes & Links
04/15/2016 | 12:00:00 | Softball
| SIU (24-12, 7-4 MVC) vs. Indiana State (9-26, 3-7 MVC) | |
| Dates | April 16-17, 2016 |
| Location | Carbondale, Ill. | Charlotte West Stadium (502) | Weather |
| Game 1 | Saturday, April 16 | 12 p.m. CT | ESPN3 | Live Stats |
| Game 2 | Saturday, April 16 | 2 p.m. CT | ESPN3 | Live Stats |
| Game 3 | Sunday, April 17 | 12 p.m. CT | ESPN3 | Live Stats |
| Promotions | SATURDAY: Black Out Cancer. The Salukis will wear black jerseys, and fans will have a chance to bid on one black jersey, with all proceeds going to the SIH Cancer Institute. SUNDAY: Sunday Funday. Half-off concessions items and run the bases after the game. |
| Game Notes | Southern Illinois | Indiana State | MVC |
| 2016 Stats | Southern Illinois | Indiana State | MVC |
| Social Media | @SIU_Softball  | @SIU_Softball  | Saluki Softball  |
Southern Illinois (24-12, 7-4 MVC)
- Head Coach: Kerri Blaylock (586-317-1, 17th Season)
- Associate Head Coach: Jen Sewell
- Assistant Coach: Katie Wagner
INDIANA STATE (9-26, 3-7 MVC)
- Head Coach: Shane Bouman (98-152, 5th season)
- Assistant Coach: Amanda Zust
- Assistant Coach: Megan Stone
FAST FIVE
- Jessica Heese is the reigning MVC Player of the Week after hitting .500 with nine RBIs in SIU's 3-1 week last week.
- Brianna Jones ranks second nationally in shutouts (9) and seventh nationally in wins (18). Both marks lead the nation among freshmen.
- SIU is 198-71 all-time at Charlotte West Stadium. SIU has won eight-straight home games, tied for the 12th-longest active home winning streak in the NCAA.
- Sydney Jones is riding a seven-game hitting streak into the weekend, the longest hitting streak on the team this season. She is hitting .385 in that stretch.
- Brianna Jones tied Amy Harre's SIU freshman wins record on Wednesday with her 18th win of the season. Harre had 18 wins in 2002.
FOR STARTERS
Saluki Softball welcomes Indiana State to Charlotte West Stadium for a three-game series this weekend. The teams will play a doubleheader starting at noon on Saturday and a single game at noon on Sunday. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN3. In the SIU-Indiana State series, neither team has swept the other since SIU swept the Sycamores in 2011. Last season, the teams split a pair of games in Terre Haute, while the third regular-season game was rained out. Indiana State won the rubber match in the MVC Tournament, and the Sycamores went on to win the conference tournament and represent the MVC in the NCAA tournament.
Southern Illinois...
- has won four of its last five games and 16 of the last 21.
- has won three of its four MVC series this year after taking two of three at Missouri State last weekend.
- has a .972 fielding percentage, ranking 19th nationally and second in the MVC.
- pitched 12 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 10 home run in 234.0 innings pitched. Everyone else in the league has allowed at least 17 home runs.
- has the lowest team ERA (2.72) and opponent batting average (.245) in the conference.
- is out-homering opponents 30-10 this season. SIU has 84 extra-base hits, compared to just 48 for opponents.
- went 10-5 at Charlotte West Stadium in 2015, the 34th consecutive season SIU had a winning record at home. SIU is 9-2 this season at home.
- hosts the 2016 MVC Championships at Charlotte West Stadium.
- is 198-71 (.736) at home in its 14th seasons at Charlotte West Stadium.
Saturday | Black Out Cancer Games
The Salukis will be wearing black jerseys to commemorate their black out cancer game. Fans will have the chance to bid on one special black jersey. All proceeds benefit the SIH Cancer Institute.
It's also the Bike and Board to the Ballpark weekend. Fans are encouraged to bike or board to Charlotte West Stadium. The initiative is a cooperative effort by Saluki Athletics and the SIU Office of Sustainability to promote healthy lifestyles and sustainable forms or transportation.
Sunday | Sunday Funday & Camper Reunion Game
Sunday offers a special half-off concession item for fans. Fans are also welcome to run the bases following the game. It's the Saluki Softball Camper Reunion Game on Sunday. Camp participants were invited back to the ballpark for the game to reconnect with friends and the team. Free admission is available to those participants who present the flyer that was directly e-mailed to them.
HEESE EARNS MVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jessica Heese is the reigning MVC Player of the Week. She hit .500 over four games last week, leading SIU to three road wins. She slugged 1.100 over the week. She hit a two-out grand slam in SIU's 6-3 win over Missouri State, and she also hit a go-ahead two-run double in the seventh inning in the game-three win in that series. Heese joins Shaye Harre as Salukis who have earned Player of the Week honors from the Valley this year, and Brianna Jones has earned MVC Pitcher of the Week three times. Going into past seasons, both Merri Anne Patterson and Kelsey Gonzalez have also earned MVC Player of the Week honors in their careers.
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 2.72, and Southern already has the most shutouts this year (12) since 2011 (13). Brianna Jones has earned MVC Pitcher of the Week honors three times after throwing nine shutouts. The pitching staff of Jones, Savanna Dover and Nicole Doyle has only allowed 10 home runs in 234.0 innings. Last year, the Salukis allowed a home run, on average, about every six innings. This year, it's one home run allowed every 23 innings, which is by far the best mark in the MVC. Opponents are hitting .245 this year, compared to .314 last year in non-conference play, and the pitchers this year are averaging about twice as many strikeouts per game.
S. JONES HITTING HER STRIDE
Sydney Jones enters the weekend on a seven-game hitting streak, the longest on the team this season. In those seven games, Jones is hitting .385 (10-for-26) with a double, home run and four RBIs. Her season avearge is up to .311. Jones went 2-for-3 in the first game of the year and has kept her batting average over .300 for 34 of the 36 games this season. She already has 11 multi-hit games, tied with Shaye Harre for most on the team. Her two three-hit games are tied for the team lead. She has drawn 21 walks this year to push her on-base percentage to .437, a dramatic improvement from the 13 walks and .323 on-base percentage from her freshman season.
B. JONES: THREE-TIME MVC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Freshman pitcher Brianna Jones has earned MVC Pitcher of the Week three times this season. She has also been named MVC Newcomer of the Week twice. Jones ranks second in the nation in shutouts with nine, seventh in the nation in wins with 18 and 49th in the nation in ERA at 1.97. Her wins and shutout totals lead the MVC, and her ERA ranks second. She opened her career with three-straight shutouts and didn't allow an earned run in the first 22.2 innings of her career.
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 136 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 124 hits (.320 career hitter), 27 doubles, 19 home runs and 104 RBIs.
This season, Harre is hitting .354 with nine doubles, nine home runs and a team-high 31 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, already surpassing her team-leading total of 30 RBIs last season. She is slugging .717 in 2016 and reaching at a .480 clip.
HEESE PROTECTING HARRE
Sophomore outfielder Jessica Heese is in her first season as a starting outfielder for the Salukis, and she has quickly made per presence felt. She is hitting .314 this year, and she also has 10 doubles, two triples and four home runs to give her a .616 slugging percentage. Her slugging percentage ranks second on the team, and her 10 doubles lead the team and rank fourth in the conference.
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 last year. 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 has hit in nine of her last 11 games. In that span, she is hitting .310, second on the team behind Jessica Heese. In those games, Patterson has reached at a .375 clip and is slugging .448. She is also a perfect 4-for-4 stealing bases, making her 10-for-10 this year.
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 .260 in 26 starts this year and already has career highs in hits, doubles, home runs and RBIs. Her slugging percentage is .397 and she has stolen two bases, as well. Her RBI total this year (11) already exceeds 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. Cook has reached base in six-straight games. In those six games (all MVC games), Cook has drawn five of her 11 walks this season and also been hit by three pitches. She has a .545 on-base percentage in the last six games and her .438 on-base percentage in conference games ranks 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 9-2 at home this year and has won seven-straight home games. SIU is 198-71 in its 14th season at Charlotte West Stadium. Southern Illinois hosts the 2016 Missouri Valley Conference tournament at Charlotte West Stadium May 12-14.
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.
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.
| Lineup Quick Notes | ||
| 00 | Sydney Jones | 2016: 32-103 (.311), .485 OB%...AS FROSH (2015): 28 RBIs (2nd on team)...Started all 84 career G...2 game-winning HRs |
| 1 | Merri Anne Patterson | All-MVC & MVC All-Defensive Team (2015)...2nd on team w/ 5 HRs & 18 RBIs...Last 11G: .310 batting average |
| 6 | Savannah Fisher | Walk-off RBI 2B to beat SEMO...Four hits, 3 RBIs in the last four games...MVC Academic Honor Roll (2015) |
| 7 | Kelsey Gonzalez | CAREER: 182 starts, 147 hits, 22 doubles, 9 HRs, .368 OB%...Hit .299 over last 2.5 seasons (130 starts)...Team captain |
| 9 | Hanna Stam | True freshman...Recorded hit in first collegiate at-bat...Hitting 8-for-41 with 3 RBIs...OB% is .283...15 starts |
| 10 | Caylee Cook | CAREER: 98 games, 60 starts, 35 hits, 7 doubles, 4 HRs, 21 RBIs...Already career bests in hits, doubles, HRs & RBIs |
| 15 | Nicole Doyle | True freshman...Threw no-hitter in 1st career start...Last nine innings: only 1 earned run allowed |
| 17 | Eyrika Brandenburg | True freshman...Started 34G 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 .246....456 SLG%...Three home runs, 12 RBIs...Singled in first career at-bat |
| 22 | Brianna Jones | True freshman...9 shutouts (2nd in nation)...3-time MVC Pitcher of the Week (2/15, 2/29 & 3/28)...18 wins (leads FR in NCAA) |
| 23 | Jessica Heese | .314 batting average, .616 slg%...Walk-off HR vs. LUC in 8th...Grand slams vs. SLU & Mo St...All 4 career HRs in last 4 weeks |
| 25 | Shaye Harre | Started all 136 career G...MVC POW after 1st MVC weekend...Career: .320 batting average, 104 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: 58 games, 50 starts at catcher...Hit in 6 of last 8G...Career-high 8 RBIs this year...Team captain |
| 59 | Savanna Dover | CG SHOs vs. Buffalo & LUC..75 K's in 86.1 IP in `16...Allowed only 27 EX base hits in 151.0 career IP...No HR allowed in `16 |
| Team | 12 shutouts (most since `11)...Extra base hits: SIU 84, OPP 48...10 HR allowed in 234.0 IP...Won 4 of last 5 games | |
| HC | Kerri Blaylock | 17th Season...Won 586 games at SIU...Three MVC titles and five NCAA Tournament appearances |
