#8 seed Salukis open MVC Tournament vs. #5 seed Bradley

Southern Illinois (24-27) at MVC Tournament // May 21-25, 2019 // Normal, Ill. (Duffy Bass Field) // Tournament Bracket (PDF)

The Southern Illinois baseball program opens the MVC Tournament at 7 p.m. Tuesday night against fifth-seeded Bradley. In the tournament's new format, which is in its first year, the SIU-Bradley game is a single-elimination play-in game for the right to enter a double-elimination, six-team format starting Wednesday. If SIU beat Bradley, it will play No. 2-seeded Illinois State on Wednesday at 3 p.m.

Tuesday, May 21 vs. Bradley // 5:30 p.m. CT » ESPN+ | Audio (also on TuneIn) | Live Stats | Twitter
SIU vs. Bradley Starters » SIU LHP Brad Harrison (3-1, 2.92 ERA, 40.0 IP) vs. BRAD RHP Mitch Janssen (4-2, 1.94 ERA, 69.2 IP)

SIU POTENTIAL STARTERS (5+ starts)

LHP Brad Harrison (3-1, 2.92 ERA, 40.0 IP)
RHP Mason Hiser (4-3, 4.66 ERA, 67.2 IP)
RHP Matthew Steidl (3-3, 4.76 ERA, 39.2 IP)
LHP Blake Begner (5-7, 6.38 ERA, 60.2 IP)

SIU Single-Season Stolen Base Record

2019 (139)
1971 (139)
1974 (136)
2018 (131)

AROUND THE HORN

No. 8-seeded Southern Illinois faces No. 5 seed Bradley in the opening round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. The tournament stretches from Tuesday to Saturday, and all games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
SIU has won at least one MVC Tournament game in seven of eight seasons under head coach Ken Henderson (0-2 in 2017). Henderson was the interim head coach for SIU in 1994, and the Salukis also won one game in that MVC Tournament.
SIU's 139 stolen bases this year have tied a 48-year-old school record for stolen bases in a season, set by the 1971 College World Series team. Southern Illinois ranks fourth in the nation in stolen bases per game (2.73) and fifth in total stolen bases (139)
SIU went 19-9 (.679) at Itchy Jones Stadium this year, the program's best home record by winning percentage since 2008 (15-6 [.714]).
6-4-3 charts lists SIU as the fastest team in the nation, top to bottom. Southern's "team speed score" (8.3) is tied with Southern for No. 1 in the country. The Speed Score is comprised of stolen bases, stolen base percentage, triples, runs scored, and avoiding GDPs.
The Salukis rank No. 39 nationally in offensive efficiency (runs/hits). SIU is scoring 0.726 runs per hit this year, which is second in the MVC behind DBU (15th, 0.753).
Trey McDaniel leads the MVC and ranks 14th nationally in saves with 12. McDaniel saved all three games of SIU's sweep of Evansville, becoming the first Saluki since Bryant George in 2007 to save every game of a series.
SIU ranks 21st nationally in sac flies with 32. Ian Walters ranks third in the country individually with eight.
J.T. Weber enters the series with a 13-game reached base streak. Weber is 12-for-20 in his last five games, with four multi-hit games in that span.
Dawg bites: SIU is 22-2 when leading or tied after six innings ... SIU is 15-2 when it allows four runs or fewer ... The Salukis are 19-4 when out-hitting an opponent, or when hits are tied ... SIU is 17-7 when it does not allow a home run ... SIU has played 15 one-run games this year, which is tied with Texas for 12th most in the nation. SIU is 9-6 in one-run games.

MVC STOLEN BASE LEADERS SINCE 2017

SIU (370)
DBU (203)
Missouri State (155)
Bradley (146)

NCAA STOLEN BASE LEADERS SINCE 2017 (297 teams)

Wofford (422)
Wright State (403)
Fordham (386)
SIU (370

MVC LEADERS

Team in triples (18)
Team in sac flies (32)
Team in stolen bases (139)
Team in fewest GDP (12)
Ian Walters in sac flies (8)
Will LaRue in stolen bases (30)
Trey McDaniel in saves (12)

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Players Mentioned

Blake Begner

Brad Harrison

Mason Hiser

Will LaRue

Trey McDaniel

Matthew Steidl

Ian Walters

J.T. Weber

Scoreboard

Southern Illinoise University Athletics