Salukis head to Murray for midweek against Racers

The Southern Illinois University softball team heads to Murray, Ky. to take on the Murray State Racers on Wednesday, April 20 at 3 p.m. The Salukis are coming off a difficult weekend trip to Bradley in which Southern lost three one-run games. The Racers, meanwhile, come into Wedensday's showdown having won four-straight after outscoring Tennessee State, 22-0, in a three-game sweep over the weekend. The Salukis have won four-straight, and six of the last seven, over the Racers in what will be the final time that the two programs meet in non-conference play. Murray State is set to join the Missouri Valley Conference this summer.

All-time vs. Murray State

This will mark the 15th meeting between Murray State and SIU.
The Salukis are 10-4 all-time vs. the Racers. SIU has won four-straight, and six of the last seven, in the series which includes the most recent meeting- a 6-0 Saluki win behind a three-hit complete game shutout by Madi Eberle.
This marks just the fourth meeting between the two programs in Murray, Ky. Southern holds a 2-1 advantage and won the most recent meeting at Murray- a 3-1 win on April 11, 2018.
This will mark the ninth-straight season that the Salukis and Racers have played at least once prior to Murray State's move to the Missouri Valley Conference next year.

Walk this way

SIU leads the Valley, and ranks ninth nationally, with 166 total walks.
Nine Salukis have already drawn double-digit free passes this season, led by Jenny Jansen's conference-leading 28 walks.
Ashley Wood ranks second with 26 walks and Southern has a total of 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.

Still doing new things

Jenny Jansen has reached base in 26-straight games, which is the longest streak of her career.
Jansen's 26-game reached base streak is the second-longest streak by a Saluki since at least 2003. Allie Vadeboncouer's 28-game streak during the 2014 season is the only streak longer than Jansen's current streak.
The Warrenton, Mo. native, 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.
Jansen currently leads the MVC in on-base percentage (.503), RBI (32) and walks (28). She also ranks in the top-10 in batting average (3rd; .379), OPS (5th; 1.055), hits (3rd; 44) and home runs (7th; 6).

Our workhorse

Sarah Harness currently leads the MVC, and ranks 17th nationally, in innings pitched (146.0). She is also second strikeouts (123) and fourth in wins (13).
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.
The Bowling Green, Mo. native 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 has tied her career-high for hits in a game (3) twice in her last four games. She went 3-for-4 against Bradley on April 16.
Wood ranks in the top-10 of the Valley in nearly every meaningful offensive category: batting average (10th; .345), on-base percentage (2nd; .490), OPS (8th; 1.016), runs scored (6th; 28), hits (7th; 40), doubles (7th; 9), walks (2nd; 26) and hit by pitches (4th; 8).

On a roll

Elizabeth Warwick has been on a roll as of late.
Warwick has at least two hits in four of her last six games, which includes all of SIU's three wins at Valparaiso. She tied her career-high with three hits in SIU's 12-2 win on April 11.
The Chattanooga, Tenn. native ranks in the top-10 of the Valley in RBI (30; 3rd) and doubles (8th; 9).
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 25 RBI in 36 games this season, which is six 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 more hits in 36 games this season (22) as she had in 51 games (21) in 2021.
She comes into Wednesday's game riding a 16-game reached base streak, which is the longest of her career.
Sikes has reached base safely in 31 of the 36 games she has played in this season.
She has been hit by a pitch in 17 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 (.53/game).
Sikes' 44 career hit by pitches are the third-most in school history.

Dont run on Sid

Sidney Sikes has thrown out 12 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 13th nationally in the category.
Southern has allowed just 18 stolen bases this season, which is tied with Loyola for the fewest in the Valley.

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Players Mentioned

Bailey Caylor

Madi Eberle

Sarah Harness

Jenny Jansen

Sidney Sikes

Elizabeth Warwick

Ashley Wood

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