Southern Illinois University
Missouri State University
Salukis host Bears for Wednesday doubleheader
03/23/2021 | 2:06:00 | Softball
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QUICK HITS
• The Salukis lead the all-time series over the Bears, 54-53 dating back to 1976.Â
• 22nd-year head coach Kerri Blaylock sports a .703 (39-18) lifetime winning percentage against the Bears.
• The Salukis come in at No. 46 in the first RPI rankings of the 2021 season. Southern's RPI is the highest of any Valley school.
• Southern got off to a 16-0 start- its best start to a season in program history. (previous best: 12-0; 1991).
• SIU has won 23 of its last 24 home games dating back to the 2019 season.Â
• Elizabeth Warwick was named the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week for the week of March 22 after she helped SIU win three out of its four games last week.
• Jenny Jansen hit the first grand slam by a Saluki in nearly two years when she crushed her fourth home run of the season in the sixth inning of SIU's 7-6 loss to Drake on March 20.
• Southern received votes in the most recent NFCA Top-25 coaches poll and in the ESPN.com/USA Today Top-25 Poll.
• The Salukis are once again ranked in the Top-10 nationally for fielding percentage. Southern ranks ninth with a .982 fielding percentage.
• The Salukis lead the nation in total walks with 123.Â
• Madi Eberle leads all Valley freshmen in wins (6) and walks allowed per seven innings (1.12).
• Southern leads the Valley in both earned run average (1.85) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.38) while Sarah Harness leads the league in victories (10).
• The Salukis were picked to win the 2021 Missouri Valley Conference softball championship as voted by the league's 10 head coaches in the annual preseason poll released on March 16.
Full game notes are available here
