Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Saluki Baseball By The Numbers
03/30/2021 | 7:25:00 | Baseball
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Saluki Baseball program is nationally ranked through its first 22 games of the 2021 season. Now that the season has moved into the middle-third of the 56-game regular season, take a look at some of the impressive numbers put up by the team this season.Â
.321 - The team's batting average, which ranks fourth-best in the nation. Eight players on the team are hitting .300 or better this season, and two more (Austin Ulick at .296 and Ian Walters at .289) are flirting with .300.Â
1st - SIU is 19-3, for a winning percentage of .864, which is the best in the nation.
2nd - While SIU's offense is tearing it up and getting most of the headlines, SIU's pitching staff ranks second in the MVC in staff ERA (4.36), and the defense ranks second in the league in fielding percentage (.974). Both marks rank in the top-100 nationally. SIU's defense leads the MVC in turning double plays (15).Â
6 - SIU has six players among the top-10 in the MVC in runs scored and RBIs (Ian Walters, Nick Neville, Vinni Massaglia, Tristan Peters, J.T. Weber and Philip Archer). SIU also has five of the top-seven in home runs (Weber, Massaglia, Archer, Neville and Walters).
Top-10 - SIU's offense ranks in the top-10 nationally in nearly every offensive category: home runs (2nd), runs scored (2nd), slugging percentage (3rd), batting average (4th), sacrifice flies (4th), hits (6th), and on-base percentage (7th).Â
14-0 - The Salukis got off to a 14-0 start, the best start in school history in terms of wins without a loss. Prior to this year's team, the best start in school history was an 11-0 start in 1967.Â
16 - SIU ranks 16th nationally in the latest RPI report released by the NCAA on Monday.Â
19 - SIU won its final five games of the 2020 season before it was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Including the five-game winning streak to end last year and the 14-0 start to this season, SIU's 19-game winning streak was the third-longest in program history. The 1973 and 1974 teams each had 24-game winning streaks. And even if you don't want to count last season, this year's 14-game winning streak was tied for the fifth-longest in program history: (1) 24 games in 1973 and 1974; (3) 17 games in 1964; (4) 16 games in 1990; and (5) 14 games in 2021, 1976, and 1969
28 - SIU's current national ranking by Collegiate Baseball. The Salukis are nationally ranked for a fourth-straight week. Prior to this season, the last recorded national ranking for the program came in the final poll of the 1990 season, when Itchy Jones' final team finished the year ranked No. 14 in the Baseball America poll and No. 16 in Collegiate Baseball's poll. This year's team has been ranked as high as No. 22.Â
40 - Home runs hit by the Salukis already this season. SIU ranks second in the nation with 40 home runs. Only LSU (42 homers) has hit more. The school record for home runs in a season is 75, set in 1997.Â
The Salukis are back in action this weekend at Itchy Jones Stadium for a four-game MVC series against Illinois State.Â
.321 - The team's batting average, which ranks fourth-best in the nation. Eight players on the team are hitting .300 or better this season, and two more (Austin Ulick at .296 and Ian Walters at .289) are flirting with .300.Â
1st - SIU is 19-3, for a winning percentage of .864, which is the best in the nation.
2nd - While SIU's offense is tearing it up and getting most of the headlines, SIU's pitching staff ranks second in the MVC in staff ERA (4.36), and the defense ranks second in the league in fielding percentage (.974). Both marks rank in the top-100 nationally. SIU's defense leads the MVC in turning double plays (15).Â
6 - SIU has six players among the top-10 in the MVC in runs scored and RBIs (Ian Walters, Nick Neville, Vinni Massaglia, Tristan Peters, J.T. Weber and Philip Archer). SIU also has five of the top-seven in home runs (Weber, Massaglia, Archer, Neville and Walters).
Top-10 - SIU's offense ranks in the top-10 nationally in nearly every offensive category: home runs (2nd), runs scored (2nd), slugging percentage (3rd), batting average (4th), sacrifice flies (4th), hits (6th), and on-base percentage (7th).Â
14-0 - The Salukis got off to a 14-0 start, the best start in school history in terms of wins without a loss. Prior to this year's team, the best start in school history was an 11-0 start in 1967.Â
16 - SIU ranks 16th nationally in the latest RPI report released by the NCAA on Monday.Â
19 - SIU won its final five games of the 2020 season before it was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Including the five-game winning streak to end last year and the 14-0 start to this season, SIU's 19-game winning streak was the third-longest in program history. The 1973 and 1974 teams each had 24-game winning streaks. And even if you don't want to count last season, this year's 14-game winning streak was tied for the fifth-longest in program history: (1) 24 games in 1973 and 1974; (3) 17 games in 1964; (4) 16 games in 1990; and (5) 14 games in 2021, 1976, and 1969
28 - SIU's current national ranking by Collegiate Baseball. The Salukis are nationally ranked for a fourth-straight week. Prior to this season, the last recorded national ranking for the program came in the final poll of the 1990 season, when Itchy Jones' final team finished the year ranked No. 14 in the Baseball America poll and No. 16 in Collegiate Baseball's poll. This year's team has been ranked as high as No. 22.Â
40 - Home runs hit by the Salukis already this season. SIU ranks second in the nation with 40 home runs. Only LSU (42 homers) has hit more. The school record for home runs in a season is 75, set in 1997.Â
The Salukis are back in action this weekend at Itchy Jones Stadium for a four-game MVC series against Illinois State.Â
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