Salukis put win streak on the line at Bradley

The Southern Illinois University softball team will put its five-game win streak on the line this weekend when it heads to Peoria, Ill. to take on the Bradley Braves. Southern comes into this weekend's series having won nine of its last 10 games, which includes a three-game sweep of the Valparaiso Beacons in which the Salukis outscored the Beacons, 32-7. The Braves, meanwhile, come into the weekend after having been swept by the Drake Bulldogs and have lost three of their four MVC series this season. First pitch of Friday's doubleheader is set for 3 p.m. and both of Friday's games will be streamed on ESPN3.

Notes

All-time vs. Bradley

The Salukis hold a commanding 76-29 all-time record over the Bradley Braves in series that dates back to 1982.
Southern swept the series from Bradley a year ago at Charlotte West Stadium and outscored the Braves, 20-4 in the three-game sweep.
SIU has won five of its last six against Bradley dating back to 2019.
The Salukis have won eight-straight series from the Braves, with Bradley's last series win coming in 2012.
SIU's last sweep of Bradley in Peoria came in 2016. Southern's home sweep of the Braves in 2021 was its first at Charlotte West Stadium since 2016.
Southern is 20-4 against Bradley since 2013.

Still doing things she's never done

Jenny Jansen has reached base in 23-straight games, which is the longest streak of her career.
Jansen's 23-game reached base streak is the longest by a Saluki since Allie Vadeboncouer's 28-game streak during the 2014 season.
Jansen, who had a 22-game reached base streak during the 2021 season, joins Alicia Garza and Mallory Duran-Sellers as the only Salukis with multiple 20-game reached base steaks since 2003.
The Warrenton, Mo. native currently leads the MVC in on-base percentage (.504), RBI (29) and walks (26). She also ranks in the top-10 in batting average (3rd; .377), slugging percentage (10th; .557), OPS (5th; 1.061), hits (3rd; 40) and home runs (5th; 6).

Our workhorse

Sarah Harness currently leads the MVC, and ranks 11th nationally, in innings pitched (136.2). She is also second in both wins (13) and strikeouts (116).
Last season, Harness led the Valley in innings pitched (187.1) and finished second in both wins (22) and strikeouts (203).
Harness has led the league in innings pitched and finished second in strikeouts in each of her two previous seasons, which included the COVID-shortened 2020 season in which she led the Valley with 90.2 innings pitched and was second Evansville's Izzy Vetter with 83 strikeouts.
Harness became the 10th pitcher in program history to reach the 400 career innings pitched milestone in the win over Valparaiso on April 11.
Harness struck out a career-high 15 batters in SIU's win over Eastern Kentucky on Feb. 25, 2022. It was the most strikeouts in a game by a Saluki since Bri Jones struck out 20 in a 16 inning win over Evansville on April 28, 2018.

Woody's big day

Ashley Wood went 3-for-4 with a double and two home runs in SIU's 12-2 win over Valparaiso on April 11.
The Orland Park, Ill. native became the second Saluki this season to tie the school record for home runs in a game. Elizabeth Warwick also accomplished the feat on March 26 against Loyola.
It marked the 45th time that a Saluki has hit two home runs in a game and Southern improved to 44-0 in games in which at least one player hits two home runs.
Wood, who also hit two home runs against St. Louis as a freshman on March 2, 2019, became just the 12th player in program history to homer twice in multiple games during their career.
The 2019 MVC Freshman of the Year also tied her career-highs in hits (3) and runs scored (3) in the 12-2 win over the Beacons on April 11.
Wood ranks in the top-10 of the Valley in nearly every meaningful offensive category: batting average (10th; .349), on-base percentage (2nd; .496), OPS (6th; 1.043), runs scored (T-3rd; 27), hits (T-6th; 37), RBI (9th; 22), doubles (T-5th; 9), walks (2nd; 24) and hit by pitches (2nd; 8).

On a roll

Elizabeth Warwick has been on a roll as of late.
Warwick tallied at least two hits in each of SIU's three wins at Valparaiso, which included a career-high tying three hits in SIU's 12-2 win on April 11.
Warwick hit a team-best .571 (8-for-14) with a team-high 9 RBI in Southern's four wins last week.
The Chattanooga, Tenn. native ranks in the top-10 of the Valley in a number of categories: slugging percentage (.565; 9th), on-base % (.427; 10th), RBI (28; 2nd), doubles (8th; 8), home runs (9th; 5) and hit by pitches (8th; 4).
Warwick has also tied a pair of single game school records this season: most walks in a game with four against Drake on April 3 and most home runs in a game with two against Loyola on March 26.

All out for her senior year

Sidney Sikes is leaving everything out on the field in her senior season as a Saluki.
Sikes' has 23 RBI in 33 games this season, which is four more than she had in her previous 107 career games coming into the 2022 season.
She also has more extra base hits this season (7) than she had in her first three seasons combined (5) and has as many hits in 33 games this season (21) as she had in 51 games in 2021.
She comes into this weekend's series riding a 13-game reached base streak, which is the longest of her career.
Sikes has reached base safely in 28 of the 33 games she has played in this season.
She has been hit by a pitch in 15 games this season, which included three times in SIU's series sweep of Loyola.
The senior from Kaufman, Texas currently leads the Valley, and the nation, in hit by pitches per game (.52/game).
Sikes' 42 career hit by pitches are the third-most in school history.

Dont run on Sid

Sidney Sikes has thrown out 11 would-be base stealers this season, which is the most in the MVC.
Not only is it the most in the Valley this season, it ranks her 14th nationally in the category.
Southern has allowed just 17 stolen bases this season, which is tied with Loyola for the fewest in the Valley.

Rylie Rakes

Rylie Hamilton currently leads the Valley in both batting average (.395) and hits (45).
In four of the last six seasons, the player to lead the Valley in batting average also led the league in hits. Macy Johnson (Drake) was the most recent to accomplish the feat in 2021.
Dawn Daenzer was the last Saluki to lead the Valley in batting average when she hit .432 during the 1995 season. Morgan Barchan, meanwhile, is the only Saluki to lead the MVC in hits when she tied for the lead league with 62 base knocks during the 2013 season.
Hamilton has a proven knack for hitting in bunches, as she has a team-high 17 multi-hit games which include a current streak of three-straight games with multiple hits.
She notched at least two hits in each of SIU's three wins at Valpo, which included a career-high tying three base knocks in its series opening win over the Beacons on April 10.

Good series

Bailey Caylor was 5-for-11 in SIU's series sweep of the Beacons last week.
The 2021 All-MVC Second Team selection reached base at least once in all three wins, which included three times in two of SIU's three games.

We love free bases!

SIU leads the Valley, and ranks ninth nationally, with 150 total walks.
Eight Salukis have already drawn double-digit free passes this season, led by Jenny Jansen's conference-leading 26 walks.
Ashley Wood ranks second in the Valley with 24 walks.
Southern has three ranked in the top-10 of the conference in walks drawn per game: Jansen (1st; .79), Wood (2nd; .73) and Bailey Caylor (8th; .56).
Southern has led the league in walks in seven of interim head coach Jen Sewell's 13 full seasons on staff and SIU has finished top-4 in the category 10 times during that time period.

Walk it out

Southern has drawn double-digit walks in four of its last seven games.
SIU drew a season-high 13 walks in its win over Drake on April 2. Eight days later in a 10-4 win over Valparaiso, Southern again drew 13 free passes.
Southern's 13 walks in a single game are the most in a game in the MVC this season and are tied for the 11th-most in a NCAA DI game this season.
Not only was it a season-high it was the most walks drawn by the Salukis since at least 2003.
SIU's 13 walks are the most by a Valley school since Missouri State drew 14 against Evansville on April 19, 2019.
Southern is the only program nationally to post three games with 11 or more walks.

Top of the Class
Southern currently leads the Valley in a slew of statistical categories including:
Batting average (.296)
Double plays per game (.42)
On-Base percentage (.410)
Scoring (6.33)
Walks (150)

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Players Mentioned

Bailey Caylor

Rylie Hamilton

Sarah Harness

Jenny Jansen

Sidney Sikes

Elizabeth Warwick

Ashley Wood

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