Friday, April 28
Carbondale, IL
6 PM
Southern Illinois University
vs
Illinois St.
Photo by: Sam Bischel
Salukis Play Host to Illinois State for Weekend Series
04/27/2023 | 2:37:00 | Baseball
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois baseball returns home for a three-game series against Illinois State starting Friday at Itchy Jones Stadium. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m. with game two set for a 2 p.m. start and the finale scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
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. Live stats for the game are also available on SIUSalukis.com.
AROUND THE HORN
• SIU enters the weekend third in the MVC standings -- a game back of Missouri State and four back of Indiana State.
• Southern is 3-2 in extra-inning games this season, with its last extra-inning game at Indiana State.
• SIU has five walk-off wins this season with the last coming in midweek action against Austin Peay.
• Paul Bonzagni is 7-3 on the mound. Four of the wins came in relief appearances.
• SIU leads the country in double plays turned (48) and in double plays turned per game (1.17).
• The Salukis are 10-1 in games when they hit two or more home runs.
• Steven Loden leads SIU with 12 multi-RBI games. He has three four-RBI outings.
• Southern is 45-of-56 on stolen base attempts -- ranking fourth in the MVC. Illinois State leads the MVC with 52 stolen bases.
THE SERIES & MATCHUP
• It's one of the oldest series in the program's history with 193 all-time meetings with Illinois State. The Redbirds lead the series by three games at 98-95, including seven wins in the last 10 contests. Southern Illinois is 52-49 at home against Illinois State and won last year's series in Normal, taking two of the three games. The Salukis are looking for their first series win over ILS in Carbondale since the 2017 season when SIU swept the Redbirds.
• The Redbirds enter play at 15-22 overall and 4-11 in Valley action but have won five of their last six contests. Illinois State won its weekend series on the road at Bradley, taking two of three, and swept a pair of midweek games leading up to this weekend against Lindenwood and Northern Illinois.
• Illinois State is hitting .274 as a team and has three players hitting over .300 led by Luke Lawrence at .307. Shaydon Kubo is hitting .305 while Daniel Pacella is at .303 with a team-high 12 home runs and 42 RBIs in 36 starts. On the mound Illinois State has a 7.38 ERA and has held opponents to a .291 average against at the plate. Derek Salata has made nine starts for the Redbirds and has a 3-4 record with a 3.78 ERA over 50 innings of work. He has 66 punchouts and 20 walks while holding opponents to .249.
LAST TIME OUT
• The Salukis are coming off a midweek loss at the hands of Southeast Missouri on the road. SIU rallied late with the bases loaded in the ninth but fell short, falling 6-2 to the Redhawks.
• Southern Illinois recorded three of its seven base hits in the ninth inning of play.
• The loss marked the fourth straight for SIU -- which tied its season-long losing streak. The Salukis dropped three straight games on the road at nationally ranked Indiana State last weekend.
• Tanner Perry went a season-high five innings in the starts, allowing three runs and striking out three.
• Pier-Olivier Boucher hit his 11th home run of the season in the loss at SEMO.
WINNING AT THE ITCH
• SIU started the Lance Rhodes era by winning 13 consecutive home games (5-0 in 2020 (COVID), started 8-0 in 2021). Overall, SIU is 70-22 at Itchy Jones Stadium under head coach Lance Rhodes.
UP NEXT
The Salukis host Southern Indiana on Tuesday at Itchy Jones Stadium. First pitch is set 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
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. Live stats for the game are also available on SIUSalukis.com.
AROUND THE HORN
• SIU enters the weekend third in the MVC standings -- a game back of Missouri State and four back of Indiana State.
• Southern is 3-2 in extra-inning games this season, with its last extra-inning game at Indiana State.
• SIU has five walk-off wins this season with the last coming in midweek action against Austin Peay.
• Paul Bonzagni is 7-3 on the mound. Four of the wins came in relief appearances.
• SIU leads the country in double plays turned (48) and in double plays turned per game (1.17).
• The Salukis are 10-1 in games when they hit two or more home runs.
• Steven Loden leads SIU with 12 multi-RBI games. He has three four-RBI outings.
• Southern is 45-of-56 on stolen base attempts -- ranking fourth in the MVC. Illinois State leads the MVC with 52 stolen bases.
THE SERIES & MATCHUP
• It's one of the oldest series in the program's history with 193 all-time meetings with Illinois State. The Redbirds lead the series by three games at 98-95, including seven wins in the last 10 contests. Southern Illinois is 52-49 at home against Illinois State and won last year's series in Normal, taking two of the three games. The Salukis are looking for their first series win over ILS in Carbondale since the 2017 season when SIU swept the Redbirds.
• The Redbirds enter play at 15-22 overall and 4-11 in Valley action but have won five of their last six contests. Illinois State won its weekend series on the road at Bradley, taking two of three, and swept a pair of midweek games leading up to this weekend against Lindenwood and Northern Illinois.
• Illinois State is hitting .274 as a team and has three players hitting over .300 led by Luke Lawrence at .307. Shaydon Kubo is hitting .305 while Daniel Pacella is at .303 with a team-high 12 home runs and 42 RBIs in 36 starts. On the mound Illinois State has a 7.38 ERA and has held opponents to a .291 average against at the plate. Derek Salata has made nine starts for the Redbirds and has a 3-4 record with a 3.78 ERA over 50 innings of work. He has 66 punchouts and 20 walks while holding opponents to .249.
LAST TIME OUT
• The Salukis are coming off a midweek loss at the hands of Southeast Missouri on the road. SIU rallied late with the bases loaded in the ninth but fell short, falling 6-2 to the Redhawks.
• Southern Illinois recorded three of its seven base hits in the ninth inning of play.
• The loss marked the fourth straight for SIU -- which tied its season-long losing streak. The Salukis dropped three straight games on the road at nationally ranked Indiana State last weekend.
• Tanner Perry went a season-high five innings in the starts, allowing three runs and striking out three.
• Pier-Olivier Boucher hit his 11th home run of the season in the loss at SEMO.
WINNING AT THE ITCH
• SIU started the Lance Rhodes era by winning 13 consecutive home games (5-0 in 2020 (COVID), started 8-0 in 2021). Overall, SIU is 70-22 at Itchy Jones Stadium under head coach Lance Rhodes.
UP NEXT
The Salukis host Southern Indiana on Tuesday at Itchy Jones Stadium. First pitch is set 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
RHP
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OF
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INF
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RHP
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