Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Preview | Salukis Open Valley Play with Valparaiso Friday at Itchy Jones Stadium
03/21/2024 | 11:30:00 | Baseball
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Missouri Valley Conference play begins for Southern Illinois baseball on Friday as the Salukis welcome Valparaiso to Itchy Jones Stadium for a weekend series. Admission is free to all Saluki baseball games this season.
THE SCHEDULE
Friday – 6 p.m.
Saturday – 2 p.m.
Sunday – 1 p.m.
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
All three games will air on ESPN Plus this weekend. Fans can also follow along via live stats or on Twitter @SIU_Baseball.
WEEKEND ROTATION
RHP Mike Hansell (2-1, 7.00) vs RHP Connor Lockwood (1-0, 3.00)
LHP Al Holguin (1-2, 4.24) vs RHP Adam Guazzo (0-2, 6.20)
RHP Aidan Foeller (2-0, 5.14) vs RHP Griffin McCluskey (0-3, 13.50)
QUICK HITS
THE SERIES & THE MATCHUP
STAFF SETTLING IN
FITTING IN JUST FINE
HOW GRAND IT IS
MVC PRESEASON POLL
FAST FACTS
SIU BASEBALL: A RICH HISTORY
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
Friday – 6 p.m.
Saturday – 2 p.m.
Sunday – 1 p.m.
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
- Saturday – Posters will be available, and the team will sign autographs on the concourse following the game.
- Sunday – "Kids Run The Bases" after the game.
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
All three games will air on ESPN Plus this weekend. Fans can also follow along via live stats or on Twitter @SIU_Baseball.
WEEKEND ROTATION
RHP Mike Hansell (2-1, 7.00) vs RHP Connor Lockwood (1-0, 3.00)
LHP Al Holguin (1-2, 4.24) vs RHP Adam Guazzo (0-2, 6.20)
RHP Aidan Foeller (2-0, 5.14) vs RHP Griffin McCluskey (0-3, 13.50)
QUICK HITS
- The Salukis are coming off a midweek split against Arkansas State. SIU dropped its road game 10-5 with the Red Wolves on Tuesday after committing a season-high seven errors before coming back and winning 9-3 at home Wednesday night at Itchy Jones Stadium.
- The Salukis lead the Missouri Valley Conference in runs (185) and scoring per game (8.8). 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 eighth in the nation and tops in the MVC after drawing 150 walks in 21 games (7.14 walks per game). SIU has nine players that have earned 10 or more walks led by Jake Allgeyer's 23 free passes. Bennett Eltoft has 21 walks from his designated hitter role.
- The Salukis have a .427 on-base percentage which is tops in the MVC and 42nd nationally.
- SIU is 28-for-31 on stolen base attempts led by Mathieu Vallee who is 5-for-5. Six Salukis have three or more stolen bases.
- SIU leads the MVC in double plays turned with 19 so far this season.
THE SERIES & THE MATCHUP
- The Beacons enter play with an 8-11 record and were picked to finish ninth in the MVC Preseason Poll.
- Southern Illinois trails in the all-time series with Valpo, 11-9, in a series that dates back to the 1966 season.
- SIU has won two straight games against the Beacons as well as the last two weekend series.
- The Salukis are 6-3 against Valpo at home, 3-7 on the road, and 0-1 on neutral fields.
- Brian Schmack is in his 11th season in charge of the Beacon program. He ranks third in program history in seasons coached and games coached as he enters 2024 having skippered 482 Valpo games.
- As a team, Valpo is hitting .249 with a .420 slugging percentage and a .373 on-base percentage. The team is led by Kyle Schmack who is slashing .351/.743/.467 with eight home runs and 18 RBIs.
- On the mound the Beacons hold a 7.28 ERA with 132 strikeouts and 69 walks in 155.2 innings.
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 5.68 over the last 13 games. 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 to earn MVC Pitcher of the Week honors.
FITTING IN JUST FINE
- Saluki infielder Hesston Gray has made an immediate impact for the Salukis this season. In 18 games, he has a .333 batting average with a .466 on-base percent and a .684 slugging percentage. Gray has six home runs, with 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.
- Christman came back against Arkansas State and hit his second grand slam of the season in a 9-3 win.
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).
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.
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
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