SIU at BU: Notes & Links

04/22/2016 | 12:00:00 | Softball

April 22, 2016

SIU (25-16, 8-8 MVC) at Bradley (14-22, 8-7 MVC)
Dates	April 23-24, 2016
Location	Peoria, Ill. \| Laura Bradley Park \| Weather
Game 1	Saturday, April 23 \| 12 p.m. CT \| Free Video \| SIU Audio \| Live Stats
Game 2	Saturday, April 23 \| 2 p.m. CT \| Free Video \| SIU Audio \| Live Stats
Game 3	Sunday, April 24 \| 12 p.m. CT \| Free Video \| SIU Audio \| Live Stats
Game Notes	Southern Illinois \| MVC
2016 Stats	Southern Illinois \| Bradley \| MVC
Social Media	@SIU_Softball \| @SIU_Softball \| Saluki Softball

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (25-16, 8-8 MVC)

Head Coach: Kerri Blaylock (587-321-1, 17th Season)
Associate Head Coach: Jen Sewell
Assistant Coach: Katie Wagner

BRADLEY (14-22, 8-7 MVC)

Head Coach: Amy Hayes (161-248, 8th season)
Assistant Coach: Jhavon Hamilton
Assistant Coach: Benet Higgs

FAST FIVE

Brianna Jones is a finalist for the NFCA National Freshman of the Year, the organization announced on Thursday. Jones is one of 26 freshmen nationally that is a finalist.
Brianna Jones leads all freshmen nationally with nine shutouts.
Saluki pitching aces Brianna Jones and Savanna Dover have given up three total earned runs in the last six games combined (0.49 ERA). Both have shutouts in that span.
In MVC games, SIU leads the conference in ERA and Bradley leads the conference in batting average.
SIU has won nine of its last 10 games against Bradley, including three-straight series wins from 2013-15.

FOR STARTERS
Saluki Softball hits the road for a three-game series at Bradley this weekend. The teams will play a noon doubleheader on Saturday and a single game at noon on Sunday. SIU has won nine of the last 10 games in the series, dating back to the regular-season finale in 2012. Southern swept the Braves at Charlotte West Stadium in both 2013 and 2015, and the Salukis took two of three the last time they went to Bradley in 2014.

Southern Illinois...

has a .967 fielding percentage in conference play, the best mark in the MVC.
pitched 13 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 11 home run in 270.0 innings pitched. Everyone else in the league has allowed at least 18 home runs.
has the lowest team ERA (2.44) in the conference.
is out-homering opponents 31-11 this season. SIU has 88 extra-base hits, compared to just 51 for opponents.
went 10-5 at Charlotte West Stadium in 2015, the 34th consecutive season SIU had a winning record at home. SIU is 10-6 this season at home.
hosts the 2016 MVC Championships at Charlotte West Stadium.
is 199-75 (.726) at home in its 14th seasons at Charlotte West Stadium.

BRI JONES A FINALIST FOR NATIONAL FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Brianna Jones is a finalist for the NFCA National Freshman of the Year, the organization announced on Thursday. Jones leads all freshmen nationally with nine shutouts this year. Among freshmen, she ranks first nationally in shutouts, third in wins, fourth in ERA (min. 100 innings), sixth in saves, eighth in fewest walks per seven innings, and 10th in strikeouts.

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 2.44, and Southern already has the most shutouts this year (13) 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 11 home runs in 277.0 innings. Last year, the Salukis allowed a home run, on average, about every six innings. This year, it's one home run allowed every 25 innings, which is by far the best mark in the MVC. Opponents are hitting .240 this year, compared to .305 last year, and the pitchers this year are averaging about twice as many strikeouts per game.

PITCHING ON A ROLL
In the last six games, SIU's pitching has an 0.49 ERA in 43.0 innings. Both Brianna Jones and Savanna Dover have thrown shutouts in that stretch. Dover has an 0.38 ERA in 18.2 innings, and Jones has an 0.58 ERA in 24.1 innings. Combined, the pair are limiting opponents to a .184 batting average and only four extra-base hits. Jones is limiting opponents to a .165 batting average while striking out 13 and walking only four. Dover is limiting opponents to a .209 average with 10 strikeouts against only three walks.

DOVER MAKING CASE FOR ALL-MVC
Savanna Dover has arguably been the best pitcher in the conference through 16 MVC games. Dover's ERA in league games (1.78) leads the conference among pitchers with at least 25 innings, and she has struck out 27 while allowing only six extra-base hits (no home runs) and limiting opponents to a .230 batting average. She has thrown shutouts against Loyola and Indiana State, as well.

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, 17th in the nation in wins with 18 and 50th in the nation in ERA at 1.83. Her wins, ERA and shutout totals lead the MVC. 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 141 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 125 hits (.314 career hitter), 27 doubles, 19 home runs and 104 RBIs.

This season, Harre is hitting .327 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 .655 in 2016 and reaching at a .472 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 .289 this year, and she also has 11 doubles, two triples and four home runs to give her a .567 slugging percentage. Her slugging percentage ranks second on the team, and her 11 doubles lead the team and rank third in the conference.

PORTER MAKING A NAME FOR HERSELF
Freshman Hanna Porter has been outstanding over the last few weeks. She has reached in four-straight games, a team high. She has drawn five of her 10 walks this season in the last two weeks. In the last 10 games, Porter is hitting a team-best .368 (7-for-19) with two doubles, four runs scored and four RBIs. She has a .500 on-base percentage in that span, and has been outstanding reaching base in pinch-hitting situations.

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: 34-117 (.291), .470 OB%...AS FROSH (2015): 28 RBIs (2nd on team)...Started all 89 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...19 consecutive successful stolen base att.
6	Savannah Fisher	Walk-off RBI 2B to beat SEMO...Already more H, R than `15...7-7 stealing bases...MVC Academic Honor Roll (2015)
7	Kelsey Gonzalez	CAREER: 187 starts, 151 hits, 22 doubles, 9 HRs, .364 OB%...Hit .296 over last 2.5 seasons (135 starts)...Team captain
9	Hanna Stam	True freshman...Recorded hit in first collegiate at-bat...Hitting 8-for-43 with 3 RBIs...16 starts
10	Caylee Cook	CAREER: 102 games, 63 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 39G in left field...First hit was SIU's first RBI of the season...Hitting .305 (2nd on team)...4 2Bs, 2 3Bs
20	Hanna Porter	True freshman...Hitting .258....455 SLG%...Three home runs, 13 RBIs...Singled in first career at-bat
22	Brianna Jones	National FR of Year finalist...9 shutouts (2nd in nation)...3-time MVC Pitcher of the Week (2/15, 2/29 & 3/28)
23	Jessica Heese	.289 batting average, .567 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 141 career G...MVC POW after 1st MVC weekend...Career: .314 batting average, 104 RBIs...Team captain
28	Taylor Harris	CAREER: 93 games, 28 starts, 12 hits, 2 doubles, HR, 9 RBIs...3-3 on stolen bases in 2016, 9 runs scored
32	Jessa Thomas	CAREER: 62 games, 54 starts at catcher...Reached in 9 of last 10 MVC G...Career-high 9 RBIs this year...Team captain
59	Savanna Dover	CG SHOs vs. Buffalo & LUC..4-2, 1.78 ERA in MVC...Allowed only 29 EX base hits in 169.2 career IP...No HR allowed in `16
	Team	13 shutouts (most since `11)...Extra base hits: SIU 88, OPP 51...11 HR allowed in 277.0 IP...0.49 ERA in last 6 games
HC	Kerri Blaylock	17th Season...Won 587 games at SIU...Three MVC titles and five NCAA Tournament appearances

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