Preview | Saluki Baseball Opens Home Slate Tuesday with Butler

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois baseball will play host to the Butler Bulldogs Tuesday afternoon at Itchy Jones Stadium to open the home portion of its schedule. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. and admission is free.

HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
The game will air on The Varsity Network with Mike Trude calling the action. Fans can also follow along via live stats or on Twitter @SIU_Baseball.

PITCHING MATCHUP
SIU: Alec Nigut (LHP) vs BU: Tate Foxson (RHP)

AROUND THE HORN

The Salukis come into the contest at 4-3 overall after losing all three games over the weekend at Central Arkansas.
SIU opened the year sweeping Northwestern State before taking a midweek game at UT Martin. The three-game sweep of NSU marked the first time that SIU has swept a single opponent to open the season since 2017 when the Salukis defeated Stetson on the road. Southern did open the Lance Rhodes era in the 2021 season with three straight victories – however, the wins were over three different opponents.
Through two weekends of the 2024 season, Southern Illinois has drawn 68 walks to rank second in the nation behind South Carolina (76).
SIU has seven players who have drawn five or more free passes led by infielder Jake Allgeyer who has drawn a team-high 13 walks to rank second in the country.
In seven games the Saluki offense has scored 85 runs to lead the Valley and rank 11th in the nation. It's 12.1 runs per game is ninth in the country. SIU has scored at least eight runs in each game it has played.

2024 DAWGS

With a bevy of new faces on the roster, Southern Illinois will look to several key returners for leadership this season. The Salukis return starters Matt Schark (1B), Steven Loden (2B), Cole Christman (C) as well as outfielders Nathan Bandy and Bennett Eltoft to the lineup.
On the mound the Salukis return key pieces in Jake Combs, Easton Dermody, Scott Harper, Shane Wilhelm, Ben Riffe as well as Mike Hansell who missed last season with injury.
Like in previous seasons, the Salukis will have over 20 new pieces as the season begins with the roster consisting of just 18 seniors and 17 juniors.

RHODES AT THE HELM

Lance Rhodes enters his fifth season at the helm of the program, leading the team to 40 or more wins during two of the last three seasons -- including the first back-to-back 40-win seasons in program history (2021 & 22).
Rhodes holds an overall record of 130-72 and a 46-30 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play.

DOUBLE PLAYS

The Salukis led the nation in double plays (61) and double plays turned per game (1.07) in 2023.
SIU has led the MVC in turning double plays in seven of the last 10 seasons. SIU led the MVC in double plays in 2013, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, and 2023. The Salukis were second in the MVC in 2016.
So far in 2024 SIU has turned five double plays.

THE SERIES & MATCHUP

The Salukis and Butler have met just four times total with SIU leading the series 3-1, including a 3-0 mark at home. The last time the two teams faced off came during the 2022 season when the Salukis won 16-4. SIU won 8-1 and 9-2 in 2008 and Southern fell to Butler 5-4 in Indianapolis in 2019.
The Bulldogs come into the game at 3-2 overall after sweeping Alabama A&M over the weekend. Butler dropped its first two games of the year at Florida State.

THE BIG FLY

Steven Loden hit a home run in each game of the first four games of the season and has hit five home runs in seven games for Southern. His mark still ranks third in the country and tops in the MVC.
As a team, the Salukis hit the third-most home runs in program history in 2023 with 79 bombs, averaging 1.39 home runs per game.
Steven Loden and Pier-Olivier Boucher finished second and fourth, respectively in single-season home runs in 2023. Loden sent 18 homers out which ranked second while Boucher hit 16 home runs to tie for fourth place.

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 74-24 at Itchy Jones Stadium under head coach Lance Rhodes.

MVC PRESEASON POLL

Indiana State was picked in a poll of league head coaches to win the 2024 Missouri Valley Conference baseball title. The Sycamores are defending regular-season and tournament champions. ISU received 95 total points and eight of 10 first-place tallies in this season's poll, while Missouri State and Evansville earned the other two first-place votes. The Bears finished second in this year's poll with 89 points, while Evansville is in the No. 3 spot with 81 points. Murray State (4th, 67 points) and Southern Illinois (5th, 63 points) are tightly bunched for the next two spots, followed by Belmont (6th, 40), Illinois State (7th, 39), UIC (8th, 34), Valparaiso (9th, 22), and Bradley (10th, 20).

PRESEASON MVC HONORS

Right-hander Jake Combs was named Preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference. A Second Team All-MVC selection a year ago, Combs led the team in ERA with a 2.97 mark in 63.2 innings across 16 appearances, including 15 starts. In MVC play Combs held opponents to a 2.01 ERA in 31.1 innings.

DAWGS WITH WALK-OFF MAGIC

Southern Illinois recorded six walk-off wins in 2023 and has 11 walk-off wins under Lance Rhodes.

5/9/23 vs SIUE - Matt Schark - RBI Single to LF
4/18/23 vs APSU - Matt Schark - RBI Single to RF
4/16/23 vs UE - Nathan Bandy - RBI Single to RF
4/6/23 vs BEL - Matt Schark - Solo Home Run
3/28/23 vs UTM - Matt Schark - E4 Fielding Error
3/25/23 vs UIC - Steven Loden - 3-Run Home Run

FAST FACTS

Bob Goalby was a letter winner for the Saluki Baseball team in 1948, just the second year as a program. He went on to star in another sport: He won the 1968 Masters, defeating, among others, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, and Sam Snead.
SIU has led the MVC in turning double plays in seven of the last 10 seasons. SIU led the MVC in double plays in 2013, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, and 2023. The Salukis were second in the MVC in 2016.
The Salukis are one of the most senior-laden teams in the nation with 18 on the roster this season.

Utah Valley – 20
Texas State – 18
Houston – 18
Notre Dame – 18
Southern Illinois – 18
Georgetown – 17
Incarnate Word - 17

SIU BASEBALL: A RICH HISTORY

Southern Illinois has made five College World Series appearances, finishing second in the nation twice (1968, 71) and third twice (1974, 1977).
SIU has produced 25 Major Leaguers. Some notable MLB Salukis include Steve Finley, Duane Kuiper, Dave Steib, Jerry Hairston Jr., Al Levine, Jason Frasor, and Jim Dwyer.
The Dan Callahan MVC Baseball Coach of the Year award is the only Valley coaching award in any sport named after a former coach. Callahan coached SIU from 1994-2010, amassing 595 wins. In the decade of the 1970's, Southern Illinois had the second-best winning percentage in all of Division I baseball, trailing only Texas. SIU was 383-106-3 (.782) from 1970-79.
The Salukis have won eight Missouri Valley Conference championships. All but one came during a 16-year stretch from 1975-90. (SIU was independent in baseball before joining the MVC in 1975). Southern claimed its eighth Valley title and the program's first in 32 years in 2022 after going 16-5 in conference play.

UP NEXT
The Salukis will play host to Appalachian State for a weekend series starting Friday night at 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.

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