Saturday, March 25
Carbondale, IL
12 PM
Southern Illinois University
vs
UIC
Salukis Open Valley Play Saturday with UIC
03/24/2023 | 10:26:00 | Baseball
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois baseball returns to Itchy Jones Stadium this weekend with a three-game series against UIC to open Missouri Valley Conference play. The Salukis begin action Saturday with a doubleheader starting at noon before wrapping up the series Sunday at 1 p.m.
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
Games on Saturday will air on ESPN3 with Sunday's game airing on ESPN Plus. Mike Trude and Dominic Hoscher will have the TV calls. Saluki Hall-of-Famer Mike Reis will have the call on SIUSalukis.com, the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store, as well as the Varsity Sports Network App.
AROUND THE HORN
• The Salukis and UIC face off for the first time to open MVC play. UIC is in its first year in the MVC.
• SIU snapped a two-game skid on Sunday after taking the series finale against the Illini.
• Weather has played a factor for the third time this season as SIU and UIC play a doubleheader Saturday.
• Southern's midweek game against Western Illinois was postponed due to weather.
• SIU leads the country in double plays turned (33) and double plays turned per game (1.57).
• Nathan Bandy ranks fourth in the MVC in batting average, slashing at a .400 clip in 17 starts.
• Nathan Bandy holds the teams longest reached base streak at 17 -- Christman is second with 10 games.
• Nathan Bandy and Ryan Rodriguez lead the team with 11 multi-hit games apiece.
• Four Salukis rank in the top-12 in the MVC in average (Bandy, Christman, Boucher, Rodriguez).
• SIU leads the MVC in average (.277) and hits (205). The team ranks second with 25 home runs.
• The Salukis have broken the single-season home run mark in the last two years (88-2022, 84-2021).
• Southern is 22-of-28 on stolen base attempts -- ranking third in the MVC.
• Nathan Bandy is a perfect 5-for-5 on stolen bases while Mathieu Vallee is 4-for-6 to lead the team.
• Jake Combs leads SIU with a 3.38 ERA in five appearances. He has struck out 16 and walked just three.
THE SERIES & MATCHUP
• Saturday will be the first-ever meeting between Southern Illinois and UIC.
• Offensively, UIC is hitting .258 as a team and has 14 home runs in 16 games. The Flames are 21-of-27 on stolen base attempts and hold a .980 fielding percent. At the plate, UIC is led by a pair of hitters averaging .300 or better. AJ Henkle leads the team with a .354 average in 16 games, including three home runs, 13 RBI, and a .583 slugging percentage. Charlie Szykowny is hitting .348 with a team-high 23 base hits, three homers and 13 RBIs.
• As a pitching staff, UIC holds a 7.15 ERA and has struck out 94 batters in 131 innings. Kade Lancour has made five starts for UIC and holds a 3-1 record with a 5.92 ERA. Matt Zahora has made seven appearances for the Flames with a 4.09 ERA.
LAST TIME OUT
• SIU is coming off a 1-2 series loss to Illinois last weekend in Mississippi.
• Southern dropped the first two games with the Illini, before taking the series finale, 4-2.
• The games were originally set for Champaign, but weather forced the two squads to a neutral site.
• Cole Christman led SIU during the weekend, hitting .545 after going 6-for-11 with three doubles and a pair of home runs for a 1.364 slugging percentage. Pier-Olivier Boucher was 5-for-12 (.417) in the series with a team-high four runs batted in.
• Tanner Lewis was superb in the finale, pitching 6.1 innings and allowing just two earned runs in the win.
• Friday starter Ben Chapman struck out five over six innings in the no-decision. He allowed just two runs.
• Jake Combs struck out three in two scoreless innings of relief work.
• Southern turned six double plays against the Illini over the weekend.
UP NEXT
Southern will host UT Martin Tuesday at Itchy Jones Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_Baseball, on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiBaseball, and on Instagram at @SIU_Baseball. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
Games on Saturday will air on ESPN3 with Sunday's game airing on ESPN Plus. Mike Trude and Dominic Hoscher will have the TV calls. Saluki Hall-of-Famer Mike Reis will have the call on SIUSalukis.com, the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store, as well as the Varsity Sports Network App.
AROUND THE HORN
• The Salukis and UIC face off for the first time to open MVC play. UIC is in its first year in the MVC.
• SIU snapped a two-game skid on Sunday after taking the series finale against the Illini.
• Weather has played a factor for the third time this season as SIU and UIC play a doubleheader Saturday.
• Southern's midweek game against Western Illinois was postponed due to weather.
• SIU leads the country in double plays turned (33) and double plays turned per game (1.57).
• Nathan Bandy ranks fourth in the MVC in batting average, slashing at a .400 clip in 17 starts.
• Nathan Bandy holds the teams longest reached base streak at 17 -- Christman is second with 10 games.
• Nathan Bandy and Ryan Rodriguez lead the team with 11 multi-hit games apiece.
• Four Salukis rank in the top-12 in the MVC in average (Bandy, Christman, Boucher, Rodriguez).
• SIU leads the MVC in average (.277) and hits (205). The team ranks second with 25 home runs.
• The Salukis have broken the single-season home run mark in the last two years (88-2022, 84-2021).
• Southern is 22-of-28 on stolen base attempts -- ranking third in the MVC.
• Nathan Bandy is a perfect 5-for-5 on stolen bases while Mathieu Vallee is 4-for-6 to lead the team.
• Jake Combs leads SIU with a 3.38 ERA in five appearances. He has struck out 16 and walked just three.
THE SERIES & MATCHUP
• Saturday will be the first-ever meeting between Southern Illinois and UIC.
• Offensively, UIC is hitting .258 as a team and has 14 home runs in 16 games. The Flames are 21-of-27 on stolen base attempts and hold a .980 fielding percent. At the plate, UIC is led by a pair of hitters averaging .300 or better. AJ Henkle leads the team with a .354 average in 16 games, including three home runs, 13 RBI, and a .583 slugging percentage. Charlie Szykowny is hitting .348 with a team-high 23 base hits, three homers and 13 RBIs.
• As a pitching staff, UIC holds a 7.15 ERA and has struck out 94 batters in 131 innings. Kade Lancour has made five starts for UIC and holds a 3-1 record with a 5.92 ERA. Matt Zahora has made seven appearances for the Flames with a 4.09 ERA.
LAST TIME OUT
• SIU is coming off a 1-2 series loss to Illinois last weekend in Mississippi.
• Southern dropped the first two games with the Illini, before taking the series finale, 4-2.
• The games were originally set for Champaign, but weather forced the two squads to a neutral site.
• Cole Christman led SIU during the weekend, hitting .545 after going 6-for-11 with three doubles and a pair of home runs for a 1.364 slugging percentage. Pier-Olivier Boucher was 5-for-12 (.417) in the series with a team-high four runs batted in.
• Tanner Lewis was superb in the finale, pitching 6.1 innings and allowing just two earned runs in the win.
• Friday starter Ben Chapman struck out five over six innings in the no-decision. He allowed just two runs.
• Jake Combs struck out three in two scoreless innings of relief work.
• Southern turned six double plays against the Illini over the weekend.
UP NEXT
Southern will host UT Martin Tuesday at Itchy Jones Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_Baseball, on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiBaseball, and on Instagram at @SIU_Baseball. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.
Players Mentioned
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OF
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