Opening Weekend schedule adjusted

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Due to weather conditions, SIU baseball's opening weekend series against Tennessee Tech has been adjusted. SIU and Tennessee Tech will now play in a four-team round robin hosted by Jacksonville State.

NEW WEEKEND SCHEDULE

Friday, Feb. 19 » 4 p.m. vs. Jacksonville State (on ESPN+)
Saturday, Feb. 20 » 11 a.m. vs. Tennessee Tech (Live Stats only)
Sunday, Feb. 21 » 10 a.m. vs. Alabama State (Live Stats only)
*Note: links to Friday's ESPN+ broadcast and the live stats for all three games will be posted on SIUSalukis.com/Baseball/Schedule and also on the program's Twitter account @SIU_Baseball.

Attendance is allowed. Tickets will be $10 per day and the box office will open one hour prior to the start of each day.

SIU STARTERS

G1 at Jacksonville State » RHP Mike Hansell (Seattle, Wash.)
G2 vs. Tennessee Tech » LHP Brad Harrison (O'Fallon, Ill.)
G3 vs. Alabama State » RHP Ben Chapman (Rochester, Ill.)

Notes

SIU was picked sixth in the preseason poll of Missouri Valley Conference head coaches, the league announced Wednesday. Ian Walters (third base) and Nick Neville (shortstop) were selected to the 14-man preseason All-MVC team.
SIU is 3-1 on opening day in the last four seasons, including a shutout win at Jackson State last year in the first game of the Lance Rhodes era.
Coaching Staff
- Rhodes enters his second season as SIU's head coach. The Salukis went 12-6 in his COVID-shortened first season in 2020. That record includes a win over Pac-12 USC and a five-game winning streak that was still alive at the end of the season.
- SIU's pitching coach is Tim Jamieson, who won 698 games as the head coach and went to nine NCAA Tournaments as Mizzou's head coach from 1995-2016. Seventy-five of Jamieson's players at Mizzou were drafted and 14 made the MLB, most notably future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer.
- Brett Peel is in his first season as SIU's hitting coach. Peel is another Mizzou alum who played for Jamieson and coached with Rhodes. Before coming to SIU prior to the 2021 season, Peel coached at Mizzou after his playing career there ended.
SIU will be one of the most experienced teams in the nation. Twenty-eight of the 31 players on the roster are three or more years out of high school.
During SIU's 12-6 start to the 2020 season, SIU was excelling offensively. SIU led the Missouri Valley Conference in batting average, walks, doubles, hits, on-base percentage, runs, sac flies, and stolen bases. Nationally, of nearly 300 Division I baseball teams, SIU ranked in the top-20 nationally in stolen bases (4th), walks (14th), doubles (16th), hits (17th), and sac flies (20th).
SIU was also one of the best defensive teams in the country in 2020. SIU turned 18 double plays, which led the MVC and ranked 9th nationally. SIU's fielding percentage (.982) led the MVC and ranked 15th nationally.
In a lineup full of offensive standouts, Ian Walters stood out in 2020. He hit .411 and ranked second in the nation in hits with 30. He led the MVC in hits, doubles, stolen bases, assists, and on-base percentage. Additionally, he ranked second in the MVC in batting average, 7th in slugging, 3rd in runs scored, 2nd in total bases and 2nd in walks. He reached base in all 18 games and had an active 15-game hitting streak when the season ended. In all, he reached base at least twice in 16 of the team's 18 games.
Evan Martin was named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball. Martin hit .429 over 21 ABs for the Salukis in 2021. He slashed .429/.556/.619, stole four bases, did not commit an error, and was the only player on the team who walked more than he struck out.

Game week. @Lance_A_Rhodes previews the 2021 #Salukis, who open the season this weekend vs. Tennessee Tech. pic.twitter.com/vR1pBI7MYQ
— Saluki Baseball (@SIU_Baseball) February 16, 2021

Season preview: Pitching.

"We believe there are some special arms in this group." - @Lance_A_Rhodes #Salukis pic.twitter.com/Gq3Aak6k17
— Saluki Baseball (@SIU_Baseball) February 17, 2021

Season preview: Position players. #Salukis are loaded with experience and could be one of the best defensive teams in the nation. pic.twitter.com/QMBIjpHFqv
— Saluki Baseball (@SIU_Baseball) February 18, 2021

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Players Mentioned

Ben Chapman

Mike Hansell

Brad Harrison

Evan Martin

Nick Neville

Ian Walters

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