Southern Illinois University
Middle Tennessee
Salukis Head to Tennessee for Four-Game Tournament
03/09/2023 | 10:47:00 | Softball
Carbondale, Ill. - The Southern Illinois Salukis are back on the road after spending the last two weekends playing at Charlotte West Stadium. Over the eight-game homestretch, the Salukis went 8-0 while holding their opponents to three runs or less in seven of the eight wins. Southern Illinois' record of 14-2 is currently the highest winning percentage and the most wins in the Valley as the Salukis came in at No. 47 in the most recent NCAA Rankings.Â
Up next for the Dawgs is a three-day tournament at Middle Tennessee State in Murfreesboro, Tenn., where they'll play four-games from Thursday, March 9 - Saturday, March 11.Â
Middle Tennessee State | Thursday, March 9 | 5PM
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The Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders are currently 14-5 on the season while having won seven of its last 10.Â
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MTSU was tied for eighth in the C-USA Preseason Poll, receiving 25 points.Â
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The Blue Raiders are led by Laura Mealer who's currently hitting .508 on the year with 31 hits and five home runs.
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The Salukis lead the all-time series record at 5-2, with the last matchup taking place in 2020.Â
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Appalachian State | Friday, March 10 | 11:30 AM
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The Appalachian State Mountaineers are coming off of a 2-2 weekend at the Tennessee Classic where they moved to 11-5 on the season.
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The Mountaineers split with fellow Valley member Belmont last weekend, as the Belmont Bruins have the second-most wins right now in the MVC.
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Appalachian State has leaned on its pitching throughout the early going of the season as it currently possesses a 2.41 team ERA.
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The game on Friday will mark the first game played between the two programs.Â
Western Illinois | Friday, March 10 | 2 PM
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Western Illinois is currently 6-11 on the 2023 season after dropping its last five games.Â
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The Leathernecks were selected eighth in the Summit League after going 8-37 in the 2022 season.
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Gabriela Drager and Bella Alvarez lead Western Illinois as both have over 15 hit and a .350 average on the season.Â
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The Leathernecks lead the all-time series record at 39-27 with the two teams last meeting in 2020.
Green Bay | Saturday, March 11 | 10 AM
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The Green Bay Phoenix are 7-10 after about a month into the season as they've recently dropped a couple close games at the Hoosier Classic.
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The Phoenix were selected to finish in fourth in the 2023 Preseason Poll for the Horizon League.
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Samantha Saloun leads Green Bay with .349 average with 15 hits including six doubles on the season.
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The meeting on Saturday will be the first game played between the two schools.Â
ÂFOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_Softball, on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiSoftball and on Instagram at @SIU_Softball. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.
