SIU Ready for 2023 Saluki Invitational After Minor Schedule Change

Carbondale, Ill. - The Southern Illinois Salukis are set for another four-game weekend at Charlotte West Stadium for the 2023 Saluki Invitational. Joining the Salukis at the eight-game tournament taking place from Saturday, March 4 - Monday, March 6 will be Butler, Loyola, and UT Martin. SIU will begin play on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader against Loyola and UT Martin beginning at 3 PM. Southern's next two games will be played against Butler, the first on Sunday, March 5 at 3 PM and lastly Monday afternoon at 2 PM.

Currently on its second five-game winning streak of the season, SIU is 10-2 on the year after going 4-0 last weekend at the Coach B Classic. After an explosive offensive start for the Salukis last weekend in a 10-1 win over NKU in game one, the bats slowed down as the pitching and defense took over for the Dawgs. With a team ERA of 2.78, the Salukis are holding their opponents to a Valley-low .188 batting average on the season.

Loyola | Saturday, March 4 3PM

The Ramblers sit at 3-11 after their first three tournaments, including a pair of one-run losses to No. 9 Texas and No. 24 Mississippi State.
In its first season in the Atlantic-10 Conference, Loyola was selected to finish 8th out of 10 teams in the 2023 Preseason poll.
A season ago, the Salukis swept the season series 3-0 when the Ramblers came to Carbondale.
Southern Illinois leads the all-time series 20-5, including winning the last seven games.
Haley Wallace, Amelia Thomas, and Madison Ebeling lead the Ramblers with 11 hits each.

UT Martin | Saturday, March 4 5:15PM

UT Martin has a 3-7 record after its first 10 games including a win over fellow Valley opponent Valparaiso.
The Skyhawks were selected as the 2023 Ohio Valley Preseason favorite with 123 points and 11 first-place votes.
Having last played in 2019, the Salukis lead the all-time series at 15-6 after winning the previous four matchups.
Back-to-back OVC Player of the Week Kaci Fuller leads UT Martin with a .615 batting average and 24 hits, both top-10 in the country.

Butler | Sunday, March 5 3PM and Monday, March 6 2PM

The Bulldogs are 3-13 after going to 2-3 at the UAB Green and Gold Classic last week with wins over Louisiana-Monroe and Cleveland State.
Butler came in at four in the 2023 Big East Preseason poll with 37 points.
The Salukis lost last year's matchup to the Bulldogs by a final score of 2-6 at the 2022 Frost Classic but lead the all-time series record at 6-3.
Cate Lehner leads the Bulldogs 17 hits and a .347 average.

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