News | This Week in Saluki Athletics: March 24-April 30
03/24/2025 | 11:19:00 | General
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Last week was another busy weekend of Southern Illinois athletics. Baseball started its run in conference play while outdoor season began for track and field. Meanwhile, swim and dive wrapped up it women's season at the NCAA Championships and softball's perfect start in conference play continued.
Track and Field
Outdoor season began this past weekend for track and field, who competed in the Ole Miss Classic on Friday and Saturday.
Multiple first-place finishes were collected by Salukis. Jadon Robertson did so in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.60, and Christian Coleman was just 0.02 seconds behind Robertson to take home silver in the event. Andre Jackson II raced the 200-meter in 21.23 seconds, which is a personal record for him while also being good enough for a gold medal. On the women's side of the 200-meter, Leah Thames took home first as well with her personal best time of 24.05. Finally, SIU's women's 4x100-meter relay team came in first too.
The outdoor season continues this week, when the Salukis travel to St. Louis for the WashU Distance Carnival on Saturday, March 29.
Softball (16-14, 8-0)
Softball's week started with a weekly honor for McKenzie Newcomb, who was named the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week. Last weekend, in a three-game sweep of conference foe Illinois State, Newcomb picked up all three wins for SIU while posting a perfect ERA of 0.00. Across the three games, Newcomb allowed just six hits, one walk, and struck out 15 across 10.2 innings of work.
SIU began action this week on Tuesday with a two-game, midweek series versus Missouri State. On Tuesday, Southern won 8-7 in extra innings. Erin Lee had the biggest hit of the game thanks to a grand slam that helped her total four RBIs. Meanwhile, Sage Grann was the walkoff hero for Southern, with her RBI-double in the eighth innings providing the game-winning run. Three other Salukis collected an RBI too.
The Saluki offense did well on Wednesday too, pushing Southern to a 9-2 win over Missouri State. This time, it was Anna Carder who hit a grand slam for Southern. Home runs also came via Addi Baker and Emily Williams. Pitching-wise, Kiana McDowell was strong in her start, throwing five innings of two-run ball.
Following the Missouri State series, softball traveled to Valparaiso for a three-game series starting on Friday. The trip started with a 10-4 win for Southern. SIU launched four home runs in the game courtesy of Lee, Baker, Jackie Lis, and Mikaela Coburn.
Saturday featured a doubleheader between the two squads, and SIU's offense was on fire in game one as they dominated Valparaiso, 18-3. Williams had a historic game, as her eight RBIs tied the single-game record for SIU; she hit two home runs in the game to help her reach the mark. Lis also hit a homer while collecting four RBIs, and Lee and Coburn had multi-RBI games as well.
The Valparaiso series concluded Saturday evening with a 6-3 Saluki win. Williams hit yet another home run on her way to three RBIs, and Carder had SIU's other two RBIs in the game. Newcomb was solid in the circle for Southern, throwing a six-inning complete game while allowing just one earned run.
Softball is back on the road this upcoming weekend with a trip to Belmont. That series starts on Friday, March 28, with a 5 p.m. game. It continues with a 2 p.m. match on Saturday, March 29, and wraps up on Sunday, March 30, at 12 p.m.
Baseball (15-7, 2-1)
MVC play kicked off this week for baseball, who welcomed UIC to Carbondale for a weekend series.
The three-game stretch began on Friday with a 17-6 win by UIC. Matt Schark hit a homer for SIU on his way to four total RBIs, and Cecil Lofton and Gabe Petrucelli plated runs as well for SIU. On the mound, Jackson Payne had a solid start, going four innings deep while allowing two earned runs.
On Saturday, the squads participated in a doubleheader, with SIU walking off UIC in both games.
Game one ended 5-4 in 10 innings. Petrucelli, Michael Mylott, and Kaleb Hall all hit home runs for SIU, and Tim Simay was the other Saluki to collect an RBI. SIU's bullpen duo of Gavan Wernsing and Sam Frizzi was excellent, as the two allowed one run across 4.1 innings of work.
The series ended with another 10-inning, SIU walkoff later on Saturday when Southern won 10-9. Petrucelli, Mason Schwalbach, and John Lemm all hit balls out of the park, and Jordan Bach had a monster game, going 4-5 at the plate while driving in four runs, including the game-winner in the tenth. Out of the bullpen, Cole Koonce was near perfect, allowing one hit and no runs over 4.2 innings of work while picking up the win.
Southern returns to non-conference play this week with a midweek, home-and-home against UT Martin. The Salukis will travel to Tennessee on Tuesday, March 25, for a 5 p.m. game before hosting UT Martin on Wednesday, March 26, at 6 p.m. Then, SIU travels to MVC-opponent Bradley for a weekend series. That series will start on Friday, March 28, at 6 p.m. The two will play on Saturday, March 29, at 2 p.m. before finishing on Sunday, March 30, at 1 p.m.
Swim and Dive
Two members of Southern's women's swim and dive team, Celia Pulido and Olivia Herron, participated in the Women's NCAA Championships this past week.
Herron was the first of the two to compete at the national event. On Thursday, she competed in the 200-yard IM. And while Herron did not qualify for finals, her prelims time of 1:56.46 was good enough to win her heat and set a new program and Missouri Valley Conference record.
The junior was back in action on Friday, partaking in the 100-yard breaststroke. Again, while no finals were in the cards for Herron, her 59.24 swim broken the school and conference record for the event.
Herron's trip wrapped up on Saturday. She opened with a 2:08.39 performance in the 200-yard backstroke prelims, which was another school and MVC record-breaking swim. This time also earned Herron a spot in the finals, competing in the consolation heat. There, she finished her race in 2:08.77, which earned her the title of Second Team All-American.
The Championships began on Friday for Pulido, who first swam in the 100-yard backstroke. Not only did her 49.84 time break the event's school and conference record, but it also clinched a spot in the championship finals for Pulido. In the finals, Pulido improved her time to 49.77, once again resetting those two records. This time placed Pulido fourth in the nation and earned her the title of First Team All-American for the 100-yard backstroke.
Pulido's final swim was Saturday afternoon, when she competed in the 200-yard backstroke and finished with a time of 1:52.82, which was just over a half-second from beating the school record for the event, set by Pulido herself in the 2023-24 season.
Swim and dive's final NCAA event takes place this week, when Alex Santiago travels to the Men's NCAA Championships starting on Wednesday, March 26. Santiago will participate in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle as well as the 100-yard butterfly.
Men's Golf
SIU's men's golf team is back in action this week, competing in the Duck Invitational starting today, Monday, March 24. The event will run through tomorrow, Tuesday, March 25.
Follow the Salukis
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on X at @SIUSalukis, on Instagram at @siusalukis, and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SalukiAthletics/. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.
Track and Field
Outdoor season began this past weekend for track and field, who competed in the Ole Miss Classic on Friday and Saturday.
Multiple first-place finishes were collected by Salukis. Jadon Robertson did so in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.60, and Christian Coleman was just 0.02 seconds behind Robertson to take home silver in the event. Andre Jackson II raced the 200-meter in 21.23 seconds, which is a personal record for him while also being good enough for a gold medal. On the women's side of the 200-meter, Leah Thames took home first as well with her personal best time of 24.05. Finally, SIU's women's 4x100-meter relay team came in first too.
The outdoor season continues this week, when the Salukis travel to St. Louis for the WashU Distance Carnival on Saturday, March 29.
Softball (16-14, 8-0)
Softball's week started with a weekly honor for McKenzie Newcomb, who was named the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week. Last weekend, in a three-game sweep of conference foe Illinois State, Newcomb picked up all three wins for SIU while posting a perfect ERA of 0.00. Across the three games, Newcomb allowed just six hits, one walk, and struck out 15 across 10.2 innings of work.
SIU began action this week on Tuesday with a two-game, midweek series versus Missouri State. On Tuesday, Southern won 8-7 in extra innings. Erin Lee had the biggest hit of the game thanks to a grand slam that helped her total four RBIs. Meanwhile, Sage Grann was the walkoff hero for Southern, with her RBI-double in the eighth innings providing the game-winning run. Three other Salukis collected an RBI too.
The Saluki offense did well on Wednesday too, pushing Southern to a 9-2 win over Missouri State. This time, it was Anna Carder who hit a grand slam for Southern. Home runs also came via Addi Baker and Emily Williams. Pitching-wise, Kiana McDowell was strong in her start, throwing five innings of two-run ball.
Following the Missouri State series, softball traveled to Valparaiso for a three-game series starting on Friday. The trip started with a 10-4 win for Southern. SIU launched four home runs in the game courtesy of Lee, Baker, Jackie Lis, and Mikaela Coburn.
Saturday featured a doubleheader between the two squads, and SIU's offense was on fire in game one as they dominated Valparaiso, 18-3. Williams had a historic game, as her eight RBIs tied the single-game record for SIU; she hit two home runs in the game to help her reach the mark. Lis also hit a homer while collecting four RBIs, and Lee and Coburn had multi-RBI games as well.
The Valparaiso series concluded Saturday evening with a 6-3 Saluki win. Williams hit yet another home run on her way to three RBIs, and Carder had SIU's other two RBIs in the game. Newcomb was solid in the circle for Southern, throwing a six-inning complete game while allowing just one earned run.
Softball is back on the road this upcoming weekend with a trip to Belmont. That series starts on Friday, March 28, with a 5 p.m. game. It continues with a 2 p.m. match on Saturday, March 29, and wraps up on Sunday, March 30, at 12 p.m.
Baseball (15-7, 2-1)
MVC play kicked off this week for baseball, who welcomed UIC to Carbondale for a weekend series.
The three-game stretch began on Friday with a 17-6 win by UIC. Matt Schark hit a homer for SIU on his way to four total RBIs, and Cecil Lofton and Gabe Petrucelli plated runs as well for SIU. On the mound, Jackson Payne had a solid start, going four innings deep while allowing two earned runs.
On Saturday, the squads participated in a doubleheader, with SIU walking off UIC in both games.
Game one ended 5-4 in 10 innings. Petrucelli, Michael Mylott, and Kaleb Hall all hit home runs for SIU, and Tim Simay was the other Saluki to collect an RBI. SIU's bullpen duo of Gavan Wernsing and Sam Frizzi was excellent, as the two allowed one run across 4.1 innings of work.
The series ended with another 10-inning, SIU walkoff later on Saturday when Southern won 10-9. Petrucelli, Mason Schwalbach, and John Lemm all hit balls out of the park, and Jordan Bach had a monster game, going 4-5 at the plate while driving in four runs, including the game-winner in the tenth. Out of the bullpen, Cole Koonce was near perfect, allowing one hit and no runs over 4.2 innings of work while picking up the win.
Southern returns to non-conference play this week with a midweek, home-and-home against UT Martin. The Salukis will travel to Tennessee on Tuesday, March 25, for a 5 p.m. game before hosting UT Martin on Wednesday, March 26, at 6 p.m. Then, SIU travels to MVC-opponent Bradley for a weekend series. That series will start on Friday, March 28, at 6 p.m. The two will play on Saturday, March 29, at 2 p.m. before finishing on Sunday, March 30, at 1 p.m.
Swim and Dive
Two members of Southern's women's swim and dive team, Celia Pulido and Olivia Herron, participated in the Women's NCAA Championships this past week.
Herron was the first of the two to compete at the national event. On Thursday, she competed in the 200-yard IM. And while Herron did not qualify for finals, her prelims time of 1:56.46 was good enough to win her heat and set a new program and Missouri Valley Conference record.
The junior was back in action on Friday, partaking in the 100-yard breaststroke. Again, while no finals were in the cards for Herron, her 59.24 swim broken the school and conference record for the event.
Herron's trip wrapped up on Saturday. She opened with a 2:08.39 performance in the 200-yard backstroke prelims, which was another school and MVC record-breaking swim. This time also earned Herron a spot in the finals, competing in the consolation heat. There, she finished her race in 2:08.77, which earned her the title of Second Team All-American.
The Championships began on Friday for Pulido, who first swam in the 100-yard backstroke. Not only did her 49.84 time break the event's school and conference record, but it also clinched a spot in the championship finals for Pulido. In the finals, Pulido improved her time to 49.77, once again resetting those two records. This time placed Pulido fourth in the nation and earned her the title of First Team All-American for the 100-yard backstroke.
Pulido's final swim was Saturday afternoon, when she competed in the 200-yard backstroke and finished with a time of 1:52.82, which was just over a half-second from beating the school record for the event, set by Pulido herself in the 2023-24 season.
Swim and dive's final NCAA event takes place this week, when Alex Santiago travels to the Men's NCAA Championships starting on Wednesday, March 26. Santiago will participate in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle as well as the 100-yard butterfly.
Men's Golf
SIU's men's golf team is back in action this week, competing in the Duck Invitational starting today, Monday, March 24. The event will run through tomorrow, Tuesday, March 25.
Follow the Salukis
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on X at @SIUSalukis, on Instagram at @siusalukis, and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SalukiAthletics/. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.
Players Mentioned
1B/OF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Track and Field
RHP
/ Baseball
INF/OF
/ Softball
INF/OF
/ Baseball
Breast/IM
/ Swimming & Diving
Sprints
/ Track and Field
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Baseball
P/INF
/ Softball
OF/INF
/ Baseball
P
/ Softball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
Back/Fly
/ Swimming & Diving
Jumps/Multis
/ Track and Field
Freestyle
/ Swimming & Diving
INF
/ Baseball
C/INF
/ Baseball
Sprints
/ Track and Field
LHP
/ Baseball
INF/C
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