Salukis head to Dallas for pivotal series against Patriots

The Southern Illinois University baseball team heads to Dallas, Texas for a pivotal three-game series against the Dallas Baptist Patriots. The Salukis, winners of four of their last five, are tied with the defending MVC Champions for second place in the Missouri Valley Conference at 4-2. Both DBU and SIU are a game back of Indiana State, who heads into the weekend with a 5-1 conference record. Friday's series opener gets underway at 6:30 p.m.

Notes

SIU vs. DBU: SIU's never won a series vs. the Patriots. The two teams spit four games in Carbondale last season. SIU's only win ever at DBU (1-11) came in the second game of a 4/16/16 DH 7-0 behind SP Michael Baird.
DBU's Andrew Benefield is hitting .357 with 0 HR and 4 RBIs vs. SIU. Ryan Wrobleski is 1-9 vs. SIU, a solo home run. Blayne Jones is batting .143 in 9 games vs. SIU. Peyton Sherlin is 0-1 vs. SIU.
SIU, which finished first or second in every key MVC offensive stat category in 2021, is 2nd in the MVC in BA, #1 in HRs, #1 in R, #1 in RBIs, #1 in hits, and #1 in Slug % in 2022. The Salukis also lead the MVC in walks and are tied for 2nd in the MVC in fewest strikeouts.
SIU is averaging 1.53 HR/G in 2022. It averaged 2.1 HR/G enroute to the school's single season home run record of 84 in 2021. SIU is tied for 24th in the nation in home runs this season with 55.
Through Wednesday SIU SS Kaeber Rog is tied for 6th in the nation in hits, 62. CF JT Weber is tied for 18th with 58.
Weber, who is tied for 11th in the nation in HRs, ended his longest HR drought of the season at 6 games Saturday with an opposite field shot vs. SIUE.
Weber is pre-season First Team All-MVC. He is 2nd in the MVC in BA, #1 in R, #2 in hits, tied for #1 in HRs, and is 4th in RBIs. He has 4 RBIs in his last 8 games. Weber is 3 for 14 in his last 4 games.
Rog is #5 in the MVC in BA, #1 in H, tied for #2 in RBIs, tied for #7 in HRs, and tied for #8 in R. He is 1 for 10 in his last 3 games.
Weber (44), Cody Cleveland (35), Rog (31) and Grey Epps (30) are 4 of the top 10 run scorers in the MVC.
Weber has 31 HRs for his career and is tied for 2nd on SIU's career home runs list, 5 HRs shy of #1 (Robert Jones, 36, 1983-1986). Weber's 14 HRs this season are the fourth most in a single season in SIU history.
Weber is tied for third in the nation in home runs over the last 2 seasons combined with 29.
Weber (.397), Rog (.388), and Nathan Bandy (.378) are 1-2-3 in batting average for SIU. Weber and Rog fell out of the .400+ category within the past 4 games. The last time a Saluki hit .400+ for a full season was 1994 when Braden Gibbs led SIU and the MVC with a .412 batting average. NOTE: Ian Walters hit .411 in the 2020 20 game pandemic season.
1B Ryan Rodriguez has delivered two walk off winners in 2022. His 10th inning walk off 2R HR beat Illinois 7-5 on 3/20/22 in Carbondale. He reached base on a Bradley error in the bottom of the 9th inning at SIU on 4/2/22 driving in the winning run in SIU's 6-5 win.
SIU has three walk off wins this season. In addition to Rodriguez' heroics above, OF Nathan Bandy gave SIU a 7-6 win over SIUE on April 16 with a walk off RBI single. Bandy had a Saluki season-high 5 hits vs. UE on 4/10/22.
OF/DH JD Ortiz has just 5 hits in 24 ABs this season yet has 8 RBIs.
RP Trey McDaniel and SP Mike Hansell lead the Salukis in pitching victories with 5 apiece. McDaniel is 17-12 with 31 saves for his 112 game/5 season Saluki career.
The Salukis lead the MVC in wins (26). Per warrennolan.com they are 4th in the MVC in RPI (98).
Saluki pitchers are #2 in the MVC in IP, #2 in Ks, #3 in fewest walks allowed, and are #4 in fewest runs allowed. They are 3rd in ERA. They have allowed the 2nd most hits among MVC teams. SIU is #5 in opponents' BA.
SIU is 2nd in the MVC in fielding %. The Salukis have committed the 4th most errors in the MVC.

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Players Mentioned

Nathan Bandy

Cody Cleveland

Grey Epps

Mike Hansell

Trey McDaniel

Ryan Rodriguez

Kaeber Rog

Ian Walters

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