Preview | Salukis Set for Split Midweek Matchup with Arkansas State

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois baseball begins a stretch of six games in seven days when the team travels to Arkansas State Tuesday for a pair of midweek games with the Red Wolves. On Wednesday, A-State will make the trip to Carbondale for the second game.

THE SCHEDULE
Tuesday – 6 p.m.
Wednesday – 6 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
Tuesday's game at Arkansas State will be streamed through the A-State radio network online while Wednesday's game at Itchy Jones Stadium will air on ESPN Plus. Fans can also follow along via live stats or on Twitter @SIU_Baseball.

THE ROTATION
Tuesday: LHP Alec Nigut (3-0, 5.48 ERA) vs RHP Kole Turner (0-1, 7.36 ERA)
Wednesday: TBA vs TBA

QUICK HITS

Saluki baseball is coming off a series win at home against Jacksonville State. The Salukis walked off the Gamecocks in 10 innings on Friday before earning a run-rule victory in the series finale on Sunday.
SIU saw its six-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday after falling to JSU -- it was the longest streak of the season for the Salukis.
The Salukis lead the Missouri Valley Conference in runs (171) and scoring per game (9.0). Southern has scored 10 or more runs in nine games this season, scoring 13 or more in seven games.
SIU has shown patience at the plate, ranking 12th in the nation and tops in the MVC after drawing 134 walks in 19 games (7.05 walks per game). SIU has eight players that have earned 10 or more walks led by Jake Allgeyer's 20 free passes. Bennett Eltoft has 19 walks from his designated hitter role.

THE SERIES & MATCHUP

Southern Illinois and Arkansas State have met 79 times ahead of Tuesday's game with the Salukis leading the series 53-26 overall. SIU is 31-9 against the Red Wolves at home and 22-17 on the road.
SIU has won four straight games in the series, including both games last season.
Arkansas State is in its 16th season under head coach Tommy Raffo, holds a record of 12-9 overall, and is 1-2 in the Sun Belt. The Red Wolves were picked to finish 14th in the Sun Belt Preseason Poll.
As a team, A-State is hitting .276 with a .450 slugging percentage and a .400 on-base percentage. The team is led by Austen Jaslove who is slashing .415/.646/.467 with five home runs and 16 RBIs.
On the mound, the Red Wolves hold a 5.53 ERA with 145 strikeouts and 96 walks in 184 innings.

NOTABLE FOR A-STATE

The only nine-inning no-hitter in SIU history came against Arkansas State back in May of 1953. Lefty Wayne Grandcolas completed the no-hitter with nine strikeouts in game one of the doubleheader which SIU won 9-0.

STAFF SETTLING IN

After a rocky start to the season, the Saluki pitching staff has found its way on the mound. Posting a 9.35 ERA six games into the season, the staff has steadily brought down its ERA to 5.83 over the last 11 games. In its last four games, SIU pitching has two games in which opponents have put up just one run. Alec Nigut pitched 8.2 innings, striking out eight and allowing one run last Tuesday at Lindenwood. Aidan Foeller allowed one hit in six innings Sunday against Jacksonville State, retiring nine Gamecocks on punchouts.

FITTING IN JUST FINE

Saluki infielder Hesston Gray has made an immediate impact for the Salukis this season. In 16 games, he has a .367 batting average with a .469 on-base percentage and a .755 slugging percentage. Gray has six home runs, including a pair of two home runs games. Against Jacksonville State, Gray finished with three homers including a grand slam and a team-best five RBIs in the series finale.

HOW GRAND IT IS

Southern put together an eight-run sixth inning against Jacksonville State in the series finale. In the inning, SIU hit two grand slams -- the first by Hesston Gray and the second off the bat of Cole Christman.

NEXT UP
The Salukis begin Missouri Valley Conference play on Friday as Valparaiso comes to town for a three-game series.

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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