Thursday, May 18
Murray, KY
5 PM
Southern Illinois University
at
Murray St.
Photo by: Abby Harris
Salukis Travel to Murray State for Final Regular Season Series
05/17/2023 | 11:37:00 | Baseball
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois baseball wraps up its regular season on the road against Murray State beginning Thursday afternoon at Reagan Field. Entering the series, SIU can finish with the No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, and No. 6 seed in the MVC Tournament slated to begin Tuesday in Terre Haute, Indiana.
THE SCHEDULE
Thursday – 5 PM – ESPN+
Friday – 5 PM – ESPN+
Saturday – 1 PM – ESPN3
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. The games will air on ESPN Plus and ESPN3 throughout the weekend. Live stats for the game are also available on SIUSalukis.com.
AROUND THE HORN
• The Salukis lead the nation in double plays with 56 turned over 52 games. It's tied for the ninth-most double plays turned in program history. SIU's 1.08 double plays turned per game are also tops in the country.
• SIU is 13-3 in games when they hit two or more home runs -- and just 10-13 when hitting one home run.
• SIU has already hit the fifth-most home runs in a single season with 72 in 52 games, averaging 1.38 home runs per game. SIU broke the single-season home run record each of the last two seasons (88 in 2022 & 84 in 2021).
• Paul Bonzagni's eight wins are the third most wins for a Saluki pitcher since 1990 -- the last time SIU went to the NCAA Tournament. Cody Adams had 11 wins in 2007 while six pitchers have had nine wins.
• Senior Matthew Steidl enters the weekend ranking sixth in program history with 92 appearances on the mound.
• SIU is 19-1 in games when leading after eight innings and 17-2 when leading after seven innings.
• The top two spots in the MVC in toughest to strikeout belong to SIU's Steven Loden and Nathan Bandy. Loden strikes out once every 10.4 (47th nationally) at bats while Bandy strikes out once every 9.8 at bats.
• SIU is 68-of-82 on stolen bases which leads the MVC. Boucher has 18 and Vallee has 15 stolen bases.
• Southern closed out the season 19-9 at home. Under Rhodes, SIU is 74-24 in Carbondale in four seasons.
• SIU leads the MVC in hitting (.289), hits (524), and is second in slugging (.473) and home runs (72).
BASH BROS
• The duo of Steven Loden and Pier-Olivier Boucher continue to hammer the ball out of the park. Loden leads the MVC in home runs with 18 which also ranks second in program history in single-season home runs. Boucher has 15 bombs to rank fifth in single-season homers. The duo has combined for 33 home runs which is tied for the most by any duo in Saluki history.
THE SERIES & MATCHUP
• Southern Illinois and Murray State will meet on the diamond for the 77th time Thursday when the two programs kick off three-game series -- the first series as conference foes. The Salukis lead the all-time series 52-24 and have won six of the last 10 meetings. SIU is 20-15 against the Racers on the road in Murray.
• Murray State enters the series 27-25 overall and 12-12 in conference play. The Racers are coming off a 1-2 weekend on the road at Indiana State. After taking the series opener 12-5, the Racers dropped the final two games, 5-0 and 6-2.
• MSU hits .276 as a team and is led by Dustin Mercer (.335) at the plate with 73 hits, 12 doubles and 11 home runs. On the mound, the Racers hold a 4.77 combined ERA. MSU has struck out 424 batters and issued 202 walks.
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.
THE SCHEDULE
Thursday – 5 PM – ESPN+
Friday – 5 PM – ESPN+
Saturday – 1 PM – ESPN3
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. The games will air on ESPN Plus and ESPN3 throughout the weekend. Live stats for the game are also available on SIUSalukis.com.
AROUND THE HORN
• The Salukis lead the nation in double plays with 56 turned over 52 games. It's tied for the ninth-most double plays turned in program history. SIU's 1.08 double plays turned per game are also tops in the country.
• SIU is 13-3 in games when they hit two or more home runs -- and just 10-13 when hitting one home run.
• SIU has already hit the fifth-most home runs in a single season with 72 in 52 games, averaging 1.38 home runs per game. SIU broke the single-season home run record each of the last two seasons (88 in 2022 & 84 in 2021).
• Paul Bonzagni's eight wins are the third most wins for a Saluki pitcher since 1990 -- the last time SIU went to the NCAA Tournament. Cody Adams had 11 wins in 2007 while six pitchers have had nine wins.
• Senior Matthew Steidl enters the weekend ranking sixth in program history with 92 appearances on the mound.
• SIU is 19-1 in games when leading after eight innings and 17-2 when leading after seven innings.
• The top two spots in the MVC in toughest to strikeout belong to SIU's Steven Loden and Nathan Bandy. Loden strikes out once every 10.4 (47th nationally) at bats while Bandy strikes out once every 9.8 at bats.
• SIU is 68-of-82 on stolen bases which leads the MVC. Boucher has 18 and Vallee has 15 stolen bases.
• Southern closed out the season 19-9 at home. Under Rhodes, SIU is 74-24 in Carbondale in four seasons.
• SIU leads the MVC in hitting (.289), hits (524), and is second in slugging (.473) and home runs (72).
BASH BROS
• The duo of Steven Loden and Pier-Olivier Boucher continue to hammer the ball out of the park. Loden leads the MVC in home runs with 18 which also ranks second in program history in single-season home runs. Boucher has 15 bombs to rank fifth in single-season homers. The duo has combined for 33 home runs which is tied for the most by any duo in Saluki history.
THE SERIES & MATCHUP
• Southern Illinois and Murray State will meet on the diamond for the 77th time Thursday when the two programs kick off three-game series -- the first series as conference foes. The Salukis lead the all-time series 52-24 and have won six of the last 10 meetings. SIU is 20-15 against the Racers on the road in Murray.
• Murray State enters the series 27-25 overall and 12-12 in conference play. The Racers are coming off a 1-2 weekend on the road at Indiana State. After taking the series opener 12-5, the Racers dropped the final two games, 5-0 and 6-2.
• MSU hits .276 as a team and is led by Dustin Mercer (.335) at the plate with 73 hits, 12 doubles and 11 home runs. On the mound, the Racers hold a 4.77 combined ERA. MSU has struck out 424 batters and issued 202 walks.
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
OF
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RHP
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OF
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INF
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RHP
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