Salukis face Morehead State in road weekend series

Southern Illinois (5-4) at Morehead State (3-4) // Feb. 28 - Mar. 1, 2020 // Morehead, Ky. (Allen Field) // SIU Game Notes // MOR Game Notes

The Southern Illinois baseball program heads back on the road to face Morehead State for a three-game series at Allen Field in Morehead, Ky. SIU won two out of three at home against the Eagles last season. J.T. Weber hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th inning to clinch the series win for the Salukis.

Game 1 - Friday, February 28 // 2 p.m. CT // ESPN+ | Live Stats
SIU RHP Mason Hiser (1-0, 2.45 ERA, 11.0 IP)
MOR RHP Jason Goe (0-1, 14.09 ERA, 7.2 IP)

Game 2 - Saturday, February 29 // 1 p.m. CT // ESPN+ | Live Stats
SIU LHP Brad Harrison (0-0, 1.86 ERA, 9.2 IP)
MOR RHP Alex Garbrick (1-1, 3.46 ERA, 13.0)

Game 3 - Sunday, March 1 // Noon CT // ESPN+ | Live Stats
SIU - TBA
MOR LHP Cory Conway (1-1, 2.08 ERA, 13.0)

AROUND THE HORN

Southern Illinois travels to Morehead State for its third-straight road weekend series of the 2020 season. All three games will air on ESPN+. Live stats will also be available.
This will mark SIU's first-ever road series against Morehead. The Salukis lead the overall series, 2-1-1. SIU took two out of three against MSU at Itchy Jones Stadium last season. J.T. Weber hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th inning to clinch the series win for the Salukis.
The Eagles are coming off a 40-win season where they made it to the Ohio Valley Conference title game. They were 26-2 at home. In 2018, MSU won the OVC to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Morehead is off to a 3-4 start under the direction of new head coach Mik Aoki. The Eagles were swept by Michigan State in their season-opening four-game series but rebounded with a series sweep over Norfolk State.
The Salukis are set to start Mason Hiser and Brad Harrison this weekend. Both starters have impressed in early action with ERA's under 3.00. Hiser pitched six scoreless innings in SIU's season-opening shutout at Jackson State (2/14). Through three starts, the senior has allowed just three runs and two walks. For Harrison, his most recent outing was his best, as he limited USC to no runs on just one hit while striking out four in five innings. The stout performance led to a 3-1 victory over the Pac-12 program.
SIU's bullpen has been just as dominant. Relievers Matthew Steidl, Trey McDaniel, Michael Fossali, Mitchell Jackson, Kyle Dixon have a combined 0.92 ERA in 39.2 innings. Steidl and McDaniel lead the nation with a 0.00 ERA. The pair has not allowed a run in a combined 19.1 innings. McDaniel has twice pitched the remaining three innings in an SIU win. He ranks first on the team in WHIP (.85), strikeouts (10), batting average against (.167), and saves (2). Steidl tops the nation in appearances with six.
Close Calls: Six of SIU's nine games have been decided by two runs or less. The Salukis are 3-3 in those games. After starting the season 0-3 in one-run games, Southern broke through with a 2-1 home-opening win versus Murray State. Nick Neville scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Southern ranks fifth nationally in stolen bases (23) and 10th in stolen bases per game (2.56). Addison Fugitt and J.T. Weber lead SIU with four steals each.
Improved Offense: The Salukis are among the MVC's leaders in several offensive categories. SIU ranks first in on-base percentage (.382), hits (69), and runs (47). Southern also ranks second in the league in doubles (15).
Senior infielders Ian Walters and Neville continue to lead the SIU offense. Neville has reached base in all nine starts and has tallied multiple hits four times. He leads the team in batting (.385) and hits (15). Walters has doubled a league-leading five times and is in the midst of a six-game hitting streak. He leads SIU in OBP (.452), OPS (.952), and RBI (7).
Improved Defense: SIU leads the Valley in fielding percentage (.982) and has committed just two errors in its last six games The defense has turned nine double plays, which is an MVC-best.
SIU has drawn a league-leading 49 walks and 17 hit by pitches. Addison Fugitt ranks first on the team in both categories with eight walks and four HBP.

MVC LEADERS

Team in fielding percentage (.982)
Team in on-base percentage (.378)
Team in hits (69)
Team in runs scored (47)
Team in walks (49)
Team in stolen bases (23)
Team in hit by pitch (17)
Team in double plays fielded (9)
Ian Walters in assists (33)
Nick Neville in hits (15)
Walters & Nick Neville in doubles (5)
Addison Fugitt & J.T. Weber in stolen bases (4)
Fugitt in HBP (4)
Matthew Steidl & Trey McDaniel in ERA (0.00)

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Players Mentioned

Kyle Dixon

Michael Fossali

Addison Fugitt

Brad Harrison

Mason Hiser

Mitchell Jackson

Trey McDaniel

Nick Neville

Matthew Steidl

Ian Walters

J.T. Weber

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