Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Wednesday, March 27
Carbondale, Ill.
4 p.m.
Southern Illinois University
vs
University of Tennessee at Martin
Photo by: Will Becque
Salukis host UT Martin on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
03/26/2019 | 2:16:00 | Softball
The two programs will meet for the 22nd time on Wednesday.
CARBONDALE, Ill. — The Southern Illinois University softball team hosts the UT Martin Skyhawks on Wednesday, March 27 at 4 p.m. In honor of Women's History Month, fans who bring a canned food item to Wednesday's game will receive free admission. All donations will benefit The Women's Center in Carbondale.
All-Time vs. UT Martin
• SIU is 15-6 all-time against UT Martin which includes an 8-4 record at home against the Skyhawks.
• Southern has won three-straight over the Skyhawks, including a 2-1 win at UT Martin a year ago. Brianna Jones picked up the win in relief, while Katelyn Massa drove in both runs.
Scouting the Skyhawks
• The Skyhawks are 21-11 on the season.
• Paige Clark leads UT Martin, and ranks fifth in the OVC, with a .419 batting average.
• The Skyhawks like to run- they rank sixth in the nation in stolen bases and average 2.66 stolen bases per game. Clark leads the way, as she averages .65 stolen bases per contest.
• UT Martin's ace Erin Gallagher has a 1.83 ERA and is averaging three strikeouts to every walk issued.
• The second NCAA RPI rankings of the 2019 season came out and SIU is one of three MVC teams ranked in the top-55.
• It is SIU's highest RPI ranking since 2010, when Southern finished 52nd and posted 11 wins over Top-100 teams.
• Southern cracked the top-45 in RPI in five-straight seasons from 2003-07 and finished as high as 28th in 2005. The Salukis received five-straight at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament during that stretch.
• In 2004, Southern ended the season at No. 33 after it went a ridiculous 24-14 against Top-100 foes, which meant 61.2% of its games that season were played against Top-100 opponents.
Scoring 20 runs in a game
• SIU won game one of its three-game sweep of the Valparaiso Crusaders, 20-1.
• Southern's 20 runs are the most in a Missouri Valley Conference game this season and are tied for the seventh-most in a single game in NCAA DI this season.
• SIU's 20 runs were the most for the Salukis since 1993 and it marked just the sixth time in program history that Southern has plated 20-plus runs.
• The Salukis 20 runs were the most in a Missouri Valley Conference game since April 5, 2014.
30-plus runs in a conference series
• SIU scored 30 runs in its series sweep of Valparaiso- which marked just the seventh time in school history that Southern has scored 30-plus runs in a three-game conference series.
• It was the most runs that the Salukis have scored in a conference three-game series since last season, when SIU plated 32 runners at Bradley on April 21-22, 2018.
Chasing History
• Brianna Jones sports a 13-6 record this season after she earned all three wins in the circle against Valparaiso this past weekend.
• Jones currently ranks no. 3 in program history in career wins with 80 and is two wins behind Cassidy Scoggins for second and five shy of Amy Harre's school record of 84.
• She is just the sixth Saluki pitcher to reach the 700-inning plateau and is less than 70 innings shy of Amy Harre's school record of 820.1 innings pitched.
• She needs 15 strikeouts to become the sixth Saluki pitcher to reach the 600 strikeout plateau.
• She is second in program history to Amy Harre (90) with 83 complete games.
• Her 149 career appearances are the second-most in school history and are three shy of breaking Amy Harre's school record of 151.
• Ashley Wood earned the second MVC Newcomer of the Week honor of her career after she hit .625 (5-for-8) with a .727 on-base percentage and a .875 slugging percentage in SIU's three-game sweep of Valparaiso.
• The freshman shortstop tallied two doubles, two runs scored, a walk, two hit by pitches and a team-best seven RBI. She reached base multiple times in all three wins, including a pair of multi-hit games.
RBI Leader
• Ashley Wood's seven RBI in SIU's sweep of Valparaiso gives her 30 on the season and she now currently leads the MVC in the category.
• Her 1.15 runs batted in per game rank 29th nationally and are tied for third nationally among freshmen.
• Her 30 total RBI are tied for the fourth-most nationally among freshmen.
• Her 30 RBI are the 10th-most in a single-season by a freshman in program history.
• She is 20 RBI shy of breaking Taylor Orsburn's 2011 freshman record of 49 and just five shy of breaking into the top-five for runs batted in by a freshman.
Getting On Base
• The Salukis lead the Missouri Valley Conference, and rank 23rd nationally, with a .406 on-base percentage.
• Southern last led the league in on-base percentage in 2014. Two years prior, Southern led the league with a .402 on-base percentage- which marked the last season in which SIU finished with a .400 or better on-base percentage.
• Eight Salukis currently have .400 or better on-base percentages, led by Jordan Spicer, who has a .474 on-base percentage.
Taking free passes
• SIU drew 10 walks in its 20-1 win over Valparaiso.
• It marked the second time this season in which Southern has drawn double-digit walks.
• The Salukis walked 12 times in their 15-3 win over Mississippi Valley State on Feb. 10- which is tied for the ninth-most in a NCAA DI game this season.
• SIU's two games with 10 or more walks are as many as they had in the previous five seasons combined.
• Southern not only set a season-high for runs scored (20) in its game one win over Valparaiso, but it set or tied season-bests in hits (14), RBI (16) and doubles (3).
Fielding Excellance
• Maris Boelens came through with a game-tying, two-run single in SIU's 5-4 eight inning win over Valparaiso in game two.
• In doing so, Boelens pushed her reached base streak to seven games- which is tied for the longest such streak of her career.
Walk Off
• Megan Brown hit the first pitch she saw in the bottom of the eighth over the fence in left to send SIU home a 5-4 winner in game two of its three game sweep of Valpo.
• It was SIU's first walk-off home run since Jessica Heese hit a solo shot on March 19, 2016 to beat Loyola.
All-Time vs. UT Martin
• SIU is 15-6 all-time against UT Martin which includes an 8-4 record at home against the Skyhawks.
• Southern has won three-straight over the Skyhawks, including a 2-1 win at UT Martin a year ago. Brianna Jones picked up the win in relief, while Katelyn Massa drove in both runs.
Scouting the Skyhawks
• The Skyhawks are 21-11 on the season.
• Paige Clark leads UT Martin, and ranks fifth in the OVC, with a .419 batting average.
• The Skyhawks like to run- they rank sixth in the nation in stolen bases and average 2.66 stolen bases per game. Clark leads the way, as she averages .65 stolen bases per contest.
• UT Martin's ace Erin Gallagher has a 1.83 ERA and is averaging three strikeouts to every walk issued.
RPI
• The second NCAA RPI rankings of the 2019 season came out and SIU is one of three MVC teams ranked in the top-55.
• It is SIU's highest RPI ranking since 2010, when Southern finished 52nd and posted 11 wins over Top-100 teams.
• Southern cracked the top-45 in RPI in five-straight seasons from 2003-07 and finished as high as 28th in 2005. The Salukis received five-straight at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament during that stretch.
• In 2004, Southern ended the season at No. 33 after it went a ridiculous 24-14 against Top-100 foes, which meant 61.2% of its games that season were played against Top-100 opponents.
Scoring 20 runs in a game
• SIU won game one of its three-game sweep of the Valparaiso Crusaders, 20-1.
• Southern's 20 runs are the most in a Missouri Valley Conference game this season and are tied for the seventh-most in a single game in NCAA DI this season.
• SIU's 20 runs were the most for the Salukis since 1993 and it marked just the sixth time in program history that Southern has plated 20-plus runs.
• The Salukis 20 runs were the most in a Missouri Valley Conference game since April 5, 2014.
30-plus runs in a conference series
• SIU scored 30 runs in its series sweep of Valparaiso- which marked just the seventh time in school history that Southern has scored 30-plus runs in a three-game conference series.
• It was the most runs that the Salukis have scored in a conference three-game series since last season, when SIU plated 32 runners at Bradley on April 21-22, 2018.
Chasing History
• Brianna Jones sports a 13-6 record this season after she earned all three wins in the circle against Valparaiso this past weekend.
• Jones currently ranks no. 3 in program history in career wins with 80 and is two wins behind Cassidy Scoggins for second and five shy of Amy Harre's school record of 84.
• She is just the sixth Saluki pitcher to reach the 700-inning plateau and is less than 70 innings shy of Amy Harre's school record of 820.1 innings pitched.
• She needs 15 strikeouts to become the sixth Saluki pitcher to reach the 600 strikeout plateau.
• She is second in program history to Amy Harre (90) with 83 complete games.
• Her 149 career appearances are the second-most in school history and are three shy of breaking Amy Harre's school record of 151.
Follow the Leader
• Brianna Jones threw her fifth complete game of the season in SIU's 20-1 game one win over Valpo.
• In doing so, Jones increased her lead among active DI pitchers in several statistical categories.
• The three-time All-MVC first team selection leads all active DI pitchers in career complete games (83) and innings pitched (753.2).
• She also ranks in the top-10 amongst active DI pitchers in appearances (2nd, 149), victories (5th, .678%), saves (6th, 11), and shutouts (6th, 25).
• Jones currently leads the league in wins (13) and ranks 12th nationally in the category.
Newcomer of the Week
• Ashley Wood earned the second MVC Newcomer of the Week honor of her career after she hit .625 (5-for-8) with a .727 on-base percentage and a .875 slugging percentage in SIU's three-game sweep of Valparaiso.
• The freshman shortstop tallied two doubles, two runs scored, a walk, two hit by pitches and a team-best seven RBI. She reached base multiple times in all three wins, including a pair of multi-hit games.
RBI Leader
• Ashley Wood's seven RBI in SIU's sweep of Valparaiso gives her 30 on the season and she now currently leads the MVC in the category.
• Her 1.15 runs batted in per game rank 29th nationally and are tied for third nationally among freshmen.
• Her 30 total RBI are tied for the fourth-most nationally among freshmen.
• Her 30 RBI are the 10th-most in a single-season by a freshman in program history.
• She is 20 RBI shy of breaking Taylor Orsburn's 2011 freshman record of 49 and just five shy of breaking into the top-five for runs batted in by a freshman.
Getting On Base
• The Salukis lead the Missouri Valley Conference, and rank 23rd nationally, with a .406 on-base percentage.
• Southern last led the league in on-base percentage in 2014. Two years prior, Southern led the league with a .402 on-base percentage- which marked the last season in which SIU finished with a .400 or better on-base percentage.
• Eight Salukis currently have .400 or better on-base percentages, led by Jordan Spicer, who has a .474 on-base percentage.
Taking free passes
• SIU drew 10 walks in its 20-1 win over Valparaiso.
• It marked the second time this season in which Southern has drawn double-digit walks.
• The Salukis walked 12 times in their 15-3 win over Mississippi Valley State on Feb. 10- which is tied for the ninth-most in a NCAA DI game this season.
• SIU's two games with 10 or more walks are as many as they had in the previous five seasons combined.
Come on down
• Southern has drawn 102 walks through 26 games- a 3.92 walks per game average.
• The school record for walks per game is 4.36, set during the 2014 season when Southern drew 227 walks over 52 games.
• Every Saluki with more than four at-bats this season has drawn at least one walk and three Salukis have drawn 10-plus walks.
Season-Highs all around
• Southern not only set a season-high for runs scored (20) in its game one win over Valparaiso, but it set or tied season-bests in hits (14), RBI (16) and doubles (3).
Fielding Excellance
• The Salukis currently lead the MVC and rank 18th nationally with a .975 fielding percentage.
• Southern has committed just 18 errors through 26 games this season and have gone four-straight games without an error- their longest streak this season.
• Reigning MVC Defensive Player of the Year, Maddy Vermejan holds a perfect fielding percentage through 25 starts at second base.
Big Time Base Knock
• Maris Boelens came through with a game-tying, two-run single in SIU's 5-4 eight inning win over Valparaiso in game two.
• In doing so, Boelens pushed her reached base streak to seven games- which is tied for the longest such streak of her career.
Walk Off
• Megan Brown hit the first pitch she saw in the bottom of the eighth over the fence in left to send SIU home a 5-4 winner in game two of its three game sweep of Valpo.
• It was SIU's first walk-off home run since Jessica Heese hit a solo shot on March 19, 2016 to beat Loyola.
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
UT/P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C/DP
/ Softball
1B/DP
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
IF
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