Preview | Salukis Travel to Lindenwood for Midweek Matchup Tuesday

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois baseball will make the short trip to Lindenwood for a Tuesday night game against the Lions. The first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. from the Lou Brock Sports Complex.

HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can listen to the broadcast, follow along via live stats, or on Twitter @SIU_Baseball.

ON THE MOUND
LHP Alec Nigut (2-0, 8.53) vs RHP Michael Walsh (0-2, 7.84)

THE SERIES & THE MATCHUP

Tuesday will mark just the second meeting between the two programs after the two played in 2023.
SIU came away with a 14-2 victory over the Lions last season in Carbondale.
In the game, the Salukis hit four home runs and outhit LU 13-7.

AROUND THE HORN

The Salukis are 10-5 overall after a midweek win over SIUE and a weekend sweep of Houston Christian.
Saluki pitching combined to allow just seven earned runs over the last four games, lowering its team ERA from 8.02 to 6.43 over the stretch.
Southern Illinois has drawn 105 walks to lead the MVC and rank fourth in the nation. SIU has six players who have 10 or more walks this season led by Jake Allgeyer who has 20 to lead the country. Saluki designated hitter Bennett Eltoft has 17 walks which is sixth nationally.
In 15 games the Saluki offense has scored 124 runs to rank second in the Valley and rank 20th in the nation. It's 9.5 runs per game ranks 28th in the country.
Steven Loden leads SIU with seven home runs and 26 RBIs.
Anthony Kodama has a team-high five doubles whiles Trey Cutchen and Mathieu Vallee have four each.
SIU is 16-for-19 on stolen base attempts. Jake Allgeyer and Mathieu Vallee have three each to lead the squad.

TOP PERFORMERS LAST WEEK

Easton Dermody pitched six innings of relief work Friday night as Southern Illinois took the series opener over Houston Christian. Dermody entered the game in the fourth and went on to strike out nine batters and allow just two runs out of the bullpen. The right-hander surrendered only two runs while not issuing a free pass in the outing.
Steven Loden drove in 10 runs and scored four times over the last four games for the Salukis. The infielder hit .400 and added to his team lead in home runs with two on the week. Loden finished with a .867 slugging percentage as well as a .444 on-base percentage after drawing two walks. He drove in five runs in the series opener against Houston Christian and four in the finale with the Huskies to help secure the weekend sweep.

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 136-74 and a 46-30 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play.

THE BIG FLY

SIU's 16 home runs rank fourth in the MVC. Loden leads the team with seven.
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.

LET'S TURN TWO

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.
Southern has turned 12 double plays this season and has hit into just two.

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.

UP NEXT
The Salukis return to Itchy Jones Stadium this weekend as the team plays host to Jacksonville State starting Friday 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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