News | This Week in Saluki Athletics: May 12-18
05/12/2025 | 11:00:00 | General
CARBONDALE, Ill. – The school year has ended at Southern Illinois, but Saluki athletics are not done just yet. While softball ended their season at the Missouri Valley Tournament this weekend, track and field is still readying for their MVC Championship and baseball has one more week of regular season play.
Track and Field
Track and field continues to prepare for the MVC Outdoor Championship, which will be hosted in Carbondale on Saturday, May 17, and Sunday, May 18.
Softball (33-20, 21-5)
Softball ended their season at the MVC Tournament this past weekend.
However, before the tournament began, a number of team members were honored with both weekly and end-of-season awards from The Valley.
First, Emma Austin was awarded her second MVC Player of the Week while Emily Williams was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week for the fifth time this season.
During the final regular season series in Evansville last weekend, Austin hit for a batting average of .583, going 7-for-12 against the Purple Aces. The senior outfielder scored six runs, had one triple, and went a perfect 4-for-4 on stolen bases.
In Friday's game, Austin broke the career stolen base record with her 64th steal as a Saluki.
Meanwhile, Williams had a batting average of .500 with one home run and four RBIs against Evansville. The sophomore also had an on-base percentage of .545 and slugging percentage of .800.
On Sunday, Williams hit her 16th home run of the season, which is tied for the second-most in a single-season in program history with Lis' 2024 campaign.
Then, on Wednesday, the MVC announced its end of the year award winners.
Six Salukis landed on the First Team All-Conference team: Austin, Williams, Jackie Lis, Anna Carder, McKenzie Newcomb, and Mikaela Coburn. Southern's six All-MVC members tied the program record for the most in season, which was originally set in 2005. Additionally, Addi Baker landed on the Second Team All-Conference Team.
As for specialty awards, SIU received three.
Carder was named the Defensive Player of the Year while also earning a spot on the All-Defensive Team. Carder, the team's primary backstop, is the third Saluki to earn the title of Defensive Player of the Year, joining catcher Katelyn Massa from 2019 and second baseman Maddy Vermejan from 2018.
Williams was named the conference's Newcomer of the Year, marking the first time a SIU player has captured this title. The sophomore transfer from Morehead State finished the regular season as The Valley's runner-up in home runs with 16 and led the MVC with her 51 RBIs.
Finally, Southern's coaching staff of head coach Jen Sewell, associate head coach Mary Jo Firnbach, and pitching coach Lauren Watts received the title of MVC Coaching Staff of the Year. This is the second straight time Coach Sewell and her staff have earned this honor and the seventh time total (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2024, 2025).
The team's quest for a third straight MVC Tournament title began on Thursday with an 12-4 win over #8 Drake, the host team of the tournament. Carder and Williams both hit home runs with Carder's three RBIs leading the team. And Williams' home run, number 17 on the season, tied Lis' 2023 mark for the most homers in a single season.
SIU then advanced through the semi-finals with Saturday's 8-3 win over #4 Illinois State. This game, it was Sage Grann who led the team in runs-batted-in with three while Lis had two of her own. In the circle, Newcomb tossed 6.2 innings while allowing no earned runs and striking out four.
The Salukis' season ended on Saturday with a 6-2 loss to #2 Belmont in the championship game. Both of SIU's runs came courtesy of a Lis two-run homer.
At the conclusion of the season, SIU softball sits with a 33-20 overall record while going 21-5 in conference play.
Baseball (32-15, 13-8)
Baseball competed in their second-to-last week of regular season play, picking up three more wins in the process.
The first win came in Wednesday's non-conference game against SIUE, where the Salukis won 5-1 against their Southern Illinois rivals. At the plate, Cecil Lofton drove in two of SIU's runs while five Saluki pitchers combined to hold the Cougars to just one run.
The final home series and Senior Weekend started on Friday with a 6-3 loss to Evansville. Matt Schark hit a home run for SIU while John Lemm and Jaxon Holder provided Southern's other two RBIs.
Southern evened up the series on Saturday with a 13-3 win in seven innings. Schark had a monster game, mashing three home runs while piling up seven RBIs. Tim Simay and Kaleb Hall also hit homers, with Hall providing five RBIs. On the mound, Jackson Payne threw five scoreless innings.
SIU clinched the series win with another 13-3, seven inning win on Sunday. Schark continued his dominance with another home run and three RBIs; Schark became the SIU baseball single-season record in home runs thanks to his performance while tying the single-season RBI record. Michael Mylott added four RBIs, and Gabe Petrucelli had three.
The regular season wraps up this week. First is the home finale on Tuesday, May 13, against SIUE at 6 p.m. The team then travels to Valparaiso for a three-game set. They first play on Thursday, May 15, at 3 p.m. before dueling at 1 p.m. on Friday, May 16. The regular season ends on Saturday, May 17, with a 1 p.m. game.
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
Track and field continues to prepare for the MVC Outdoor Championship, which will be hosted in Carbondale on Saturday, May 17, and Sunday, May 18.
Softball (33-20, 21-5)
Softball ended their season at the MVC Tournament this past weekend.
However, before the tournament began, a number of team members were honored with both weekly and end-of-season awards from The Valley.
First, Emma Austin was awarded her second MVC Player of the Week while Emily Williams was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week for the fifth time this season.
During the final regular season series in Evansville last weekend, Austin hit for a batting average of .583, going 7-for-12 against the Purple Aces. The senior outfielder scored six runs, had one triple, and went a perfect 4-for-4 on stolen bases.
In Friday's game, Austin broke the career stolen base record with her 64th steal as a Saluki.
Meanwhile, Williams had a batting average of .500 with one home run and four RBIs against Evansville. The sophomore also had an on-base percentage of .545 and slugging percentage of .800.
On Sunday, Williams hit her 16th home run of the season, which is tied for the second-most in a single-season in program history with Lis' 2024 campaign.
Then, on Wednesday, the MVC announced its end of the year award winners.
Six Salukis landed on the First Team All-Conference team: Austin, Williams, Jackie Lis, Anna Carder, McKenzie Newcomb, and Mikaela Coburn. Southern's six All-MVC members tied the program record for the most in season, which was originally set in 2005. Additionally, Addi Baker landed on the Second Team All-Conference Team.
As for specialty awards, SIU received three.
Carder was named the Defensive Player of the Year while also earning a spot on the All-Defensive Team. Carder, the team's primary backstop, is the third Saluki to earn the title of Defensive Player of the Year, joining catcher Katelyn Massa from 2019 and second baseman Maddy Vermejan from 2018.
Williams was named the conference's Newcomer of the Year, marking the first time a SIU player has captured this title. The sophomore transfer from Morehead State finished the regular season as The Valley's runner-up in home runs with 16 and led the MVC with her 51 RBIs.
Finally, Southern's coaching staff of head coach Jen Sewell, associate head coach Mary Jo Firnbach, and pitching coach Lauren Watts received the title of MVC Coaching Staff of the Year. This is the second straight time Coach Sewell and her staff have earned this honor and the seventh time total (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2024, 2025).
The team's quest for a third straight MVC Tournament title began on Thursday with an 12-4 win over #8 Drake, the host team of the tournament. Carder and Williams both hit home runs with Carder's three RBIs leading the team. And Williams' home run, number 17 on the season, tied Lis' 2023 mark for the most homers in a single season.
SIU then advanced through the semi-finals with Saturday's 8-3 win over #4 Illinois State. This game, it was Sage Grann who led the team in runs-batted-in with three while Lis had two of her own. In the circle, Newcomb tossed 6.2 innings while allowing no earned runs and striking out four.
The Salukis' season ended on Saturday with a 6-2 loss to #2 Belmont in the championship game. Both of SIU's runs came courtesy of a Lis two-run homer.
At the conclusion of the season, SIU softball sits with a 33-20 overall record while going 21-5 in conference play.
Baseball (32-15, 13-8)
Baseball competed in their second-to-last week of regular season play, picking up three more wins in the process.
The first win came in Wednesday's non-conference game against SIUE, where the Salukis won 5-1 against their Southern Illinois rivals. At the plate, Cecil Lofton drove in two of SIU's runs while five Saluki pitchers combined to hold the Cougars to just one run.
The final home series and Senior Weekend started on Friday with a 6-3 loss to Evansville. Matt Schark hit a home run for SIU while John Lemm and Jaxon Holder provided Southern's other two RBIs.
Southern evened up the series on Saturday with a 13-3 win in seven innings. Schark had a monster game, mashing three home runs while piling up seven RBIs. Tim Simay and Kaleb Hall also hit homers, with Hall providing five RBIs. On the mound, Jackson Payne threw five scoreless innings.
SIU clinched the series win with another 13-3, seven inning win on Sunday. Schark continued his dominance with another home run and three RBIs; Schark became the SIU baseball single-season record in home runs thanks to his performance while tying the single-season RBI record. Michael Mylott added four RBIs, and Gabe Petrucelli had three.
The regular season wraps up this week. First is the home finale on Tuesday, May 13, against SIUE at 6 p.m. The team then travels to Valparaiso for a three-game set. They first play on Thursday, May 15, at 3 p.m. before dueling at 1 p.m. on Friday, May 16. The regular season ends on Saturday, May 17, with a 1 p.m. game.
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
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INF/C
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