Salukis open MVC Championship with Evansville

05/24/2016 | 12:00:00 | Baseball

May 24, 2016

No. 5 Evansville (27-25, 9-12 MVC) vs No. 4 Southern Illinois (30-23-1, 11-10 MVC)
Date	Wednesday, May 25 - Saturday, May 28
Time	Wed. - 9 a.m. ET (8 a.m CT)
Location	Bob Warn Field - Terre Haute, Ind.
Probables	Wed. - RHP Chad Whitmer (SIU) vs RHP Patrick Schnieders (UE)
Video	ESPN3.com
Radio	Wed. - 1300 AM WFRX
Audio	SIUSalukis.com
Game Notes	Southern Illinois
Live Stats	MVC Scoreboard
2016 Season Stats	Southern Illinois
Social Media	@SIU_Baseball\|Saluki Athletics

DUE UP
No. 4 Southern Illinois (30-23-1, 11-10 MVC) opens the 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Championship at 8 a.m CT against No. 5 Evansville (27-25, 9-12 MVC).

STARTING PITCHING OPTIONS
Southern will have plenty of options to choose from to take the mound this week. RHP Chad Whitmer will get the starting nod for the Salukis in the opening round game against Evansville. Whitmer is 6-4 this season with a 2.79 ERA. In his start against Evansville earlier this month, Whitmer pitched eight innings, allowing one run on six hits with three strikeouts in a 4-1 win. RHP Michael Baird is 9-4 with a 1.71 ERA this season. Baird was one of the top pitchers in the MVC season, leading the league in several pitching categories. LHP Joey Marciano is 4-6 with a 3.72 ERA, while RHP Bryce Sablotny is 3-4 with a 5.26 ERA.

SCOUTING THE SALUKIS
Southern Illinois enters the MVC Championship after finishing the regular season with a 30-23-1 record and an 11-10 conference record. Greg Lambert leads the team with a .311 batting average and 68 hits. Logan Blackfan has a team-high 22 doubles and 48 RBIs. The Saluki pitching staff enters the week with a 3.55 ERA. Michael Baird leads the team with nine wins this season. Ryan Netemeyer leads the team with a 0.89 ERA and 11 saves.

SCOUTING THE PURPLE ACES
Evansville enters the MVC Championship with a 27-25 record and a 9-12 MVC record. The Purple Aces are hitting .273 this season with 301 runs scored. Boomer Synek leads the team with a .343 batting average and 69 hits. Jonathan Ramon has a team-best 38 RBIs. The UE pitching staff enters the week with a 4.35 ERA. Brent Jurceka leads the team with six wins, while Patrick Schnieders has a team-high 52 strikeouts.

EVANSVILLE SERIES
The Salukis lead the all-time series against the Purple Aces, 99-63. Southern won the regular season series between the two schools earlier this month. The last time SIU faced UE in the MVC Championship, the Salukis topped the Purple Aces, 9-1, in 2014.

ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS
Southern Illinois placed six players on the All-MVC teams this season. Logan Blackfan and Michael Baird were both selected first-team All-MVC. Chad Whitmer and Ryan Netemeyer were second-team All-MVC, while Connor Kopach and Greg Lambert were both honorable mentions. Blackfan was also selected to the All-Defensive team.

BAIRD PITCHER OF THE WEEK (3/21)
Michael Baird was three-outs away from a no-hitter, before Illinois hit a bloop single in the ninth inning on Sunday (Mar. 20). Baird bounced back to get three-straight outs to pitch the first complete game shutout since 2012. It was also the first time the Salukis held an opponent to one hit since 2008. Baird was rewarded for his performance by earning his first career MVC Pitcher of the Week honor.

TURN TWO
The Saluki defense continues to make plays with runners on, turning an MVC best 56 double plays this season.

BLACKFAN IN THE RECORD BOOKS (AGAIN)Logan Blackfan continues to climb the SIU record books, as he is currently tied for third for doubles in a season with 22. With two more doubles, Blackfan will tie Chris Serritella for first in the category.

100 CLUB
Connor Kopach recorded his 100th career hit this past weekend against Bradley. He currently ranks second on the team with 67 hits.

IRON MEN
Greg Lambert, Connor Kopach, Logan Blackfan, and Will Farmer are the only Salukis to start all 54 games this season. Farmer has started every game for SIU dating back to last season.

WINGMEN
The infield combination of Will Farmer (181) and Connor Kopach (180) has been very strong for the Salukis this season. The duo rank first and second respectively in the MVC in defensive assists this season.