#28 SIU hosts Illinois State for weekend MVC series

Calendar

Oct 17

2 PM

Baseball

Eastern Illinois University

Oct 24

2 PM

Baseball

Central Methodist University

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The No. 28 ranked SIU baseball team continues its 12-game home stand with a four-game Missouri Valley Conference series against Illinois State at Itchy Jones Stadium.

Watch on ESPN3 » Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4

Follow Along » Live Stats | Listen Free | @SIU_Baseball on Twitter

PITCHING MATCHUPS

Friday, April 2 (6 p.m.) » SIU LHP Tanner Lewis (3-0, 2.35 ERA, 15.1 IP) vs. ILS LHP Colton Johnson (1-0, 2.41 ERA, 33.2 IP)
Saturday, April 3 (G1) (2 p.m.) » SIU RHP Ben Chapman (5-1, 2.23 ERA, 36.1 IP) vs. ILS TBA
Saturday, April 3 (G2) (approx. 5 p.m.) » SIU LHP Brad Harrison (3-0, 4.76 ERA, 28.1 IP) vs. ILS RHP Jordan Lussier (2-1, 4.85 ERA, 26.0 IP)
Sunday, April 4 (1 p.m.) » SIU RHP Mike Hansell (2-0, 4.45 ERA, 28.1 IP) vs. ILS LHP Sean Sinisko (1-3, 7.65 ERA, 20.0 IP)

AROUND THE HORN

#22 SIU hosts Illinois State for a four-game series in Missouri Valley Conference action this weekend. Illinois State, the preseason No. 2 team in the MVC, will be playing its first MVC games. SIU is 3-1 in league play after taking three of four from Evansville earlier this season.
Schedule note: As part of the MVC's new four-game weekend format, the teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday, with the second game starting approximately 45 minutes after the end of the first game. The first game of the doubleheader will be a seven-inning game, and the second game of the doubleheader will be a nine-inning game. If the first game extends into nine or more innings, the second game of the doubleheader will automatically become a seven-inning game.
The Redbirds have won three of their last four games after a mid-week top-100 RPI win at Eastern Illinois. Illinois State will be playing its third road weekend series against a ranked opponent already this season. (Also played #17 Oklahoma State and #9 East Carolina.)
SIU is ranked in the most recent Collegiate Baseball Top-30 poll for a fourth-straight week, coming in at No. 28 in Collegiate Baseball's Top-30. Prior to this year, SIU's last known recorded national ranking was in 1990, when Itchy Jones 49-14 Salukis finished the season ranked #14 by Baseball America and #16 by Collegiate Baseball.
SIU is projected as one of the "Last Four In" as an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament by Baseball America. SIU is a projected 3-seed in the Vanderbilt regional.
SIU is coming off its first series loss of the Lance Rhodes era, dropping two of three last weekend to Little Rock. The Salukis had won seven-straight weekend series over the last two years prior to last weekend.
Dawg Bites: SIU is 24-3 in its last 27 games, dating back to last season ... SIU's W-L percentage ranks fifth-best in the nation (.864).
Magic at The Itch: SIU is in the midst of a 12-game home stand ... SIU is 12-3 at home this season ... SIU is 17-3 at home under head coach Lance Rhodes ... The Salukis are 48-16 in their last 64 home games, which dates back to 2018.
SIU ranks third in the nation in home runs with 40 (Arkansas has hit 45 and LSU has hit 44). Other national ranks (of 287 teams):
- 2nd in runs scored (198)
- 3rd in slugging percentage (.552)
- 5th in batting average (.321)
- 7th in on-base percentage (.421)
- 17th in stolen bases (37)