Preview | Saluki baseball hosts SIUE in final regular season home game

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois baseball will host Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in its final home game of the regular season Tuesday, May 13, at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale, Ill. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG

Saluki fans can listen, follow along with live stats, or keep up on Twitter @SIU_Baseball.

THE PROBABLE STARTERS
The starters have yet to be determined.

QUICK HITS

Southern enters the matchup at 35-16 overall and 15-9 in Missouri Valley Conference play after taking two of three from Evansville last weekend.
SIU is a combined 27-5 when scoring seven or more runs.
The Salukis are 27-0 this season when leading after six innings.

THE MATCHUP

SIUE enters Tuesday at 24-25 overall and is 16-8 in Ohio Valley Conference play after dropping two of three against Eastern Illinois last weekend.
The Cougars are batting .265 as a team and are led by Daniel Gierer with a .331 average. Mack Mitchell leads the team and is second in the OVC with 17 home runs, powering a team slugging percentage (.445) that is tied for second in the conference. Mitchell and Chase Bloomer have 44 RBIs to lead the Cougars.
The pitching staff holds a combined 6.32 earned run average and is second in the conference with 410 strikeouts.

THE SERIES

The Salukis took game one in the 2025 series last Tuesday by a score of 5-1 in Edwardsville.
Southern leads the all-time series 33-9 and has won four straight including 13 of the last 14 matchups.
SIU is 21-2 at home in this series.

TEAM NOTES

The Salukis sit alone in third place in the MVC, two games ahead of a three-way tie for fourth place (Belmont, Illinois State and UIC) and one game behind second-place Murray State.
The Salukis have hit 86 home runs (2nd in MVC, T-17th in NCAA), an average of 1.68 per game (2nd in MVC, 18th in NCAA).
SIU is 19-3 when hitting two or more home runs in a game.
Offensively, the team has been strong all season, ranking first in the MVC with 429 runs scored (26th in NCAA) and averaging 8.41 runs per game, second in the conference.
The Salukis boast a power lineup, ranking second in the MVC in slugging percentage (.525, 17th in NCAA)
The team's 17 triples are the most in the MVC and tied for 19th in Division I baseball.
Four everyday players have a batting average of over .300.
Patience at the plate has paid off, as the Salukis have drawn 282 walks (second in the MVC, T-26th in NCAA), leading to a .410 on-base percentage (second in the MVC, 47th in NCAA).
The Salukis have been aggressive on the base paths, stealing 68 bases to rank second in the MVC, averaging 1.33 per game.

On the mound, the team has posted a 5.07 ERA, second-best in the MVC.
The bullpen has been effective, recording 11 saves.
Saluki pitchers have outperformed their opponents, as their 5.07 team ERA is significantly better than the 7.85 ERA posted by opposing staffs.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

Tim Simay leads the team with a .343 batting average, which ranks 10th in the MVC.
Jordan Bach leads the team and is fourth in the MVC with 19 doubles.
Matt Schark was awarded the MVC's Player of the Week after going 8-for-16, driving in 11 runs and smacking five home runs during the last week, a feat that places him first in school history with 20 home runs in a single season. He paces the lineup with 71 hits (T-3rd in MVC) and 70 RBIs (1st in MVC). He also has a .705 slugging percentage (3rd in MVC) and a 1.116 OPS (4th in MVC) the highest among everyday starters.
10 players have at least 20 RBIs, and six have 30.

Alec Nigut has a 4.22 ERA which is fifth in the MVC, while holding opponents to a .251 batting average, eighth in The Valley.
Sam Frizzi has been lights out in relief, recording a 2.12 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP and seven saves in 20 appearances. The seven saves are tied for first in the MVC.
Dylan Petrey has been a reliable bullpen arm, striking out 46 batters in 44.2 innings while holding opponents to a .249 average.

MIDSEASON POLL AND AWARDS

Southern Illinois was picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason/Midseason Poll, the MVC announced on March 17. The Salukis picked up 86 points and four first-place votes while Missouri State was tabbed the favorite with 90 overall points and five first-place votes. Shortstop Jaxon Holder (SS) and left-hander Alec Nigut (SP/LHP) were selected as Preseason All-MVC players.

WHAT'S BACK FOR THE SALUKIS

Jordan Bach is the lone Saluki returner from the 2024 starting lineup, where he split time in the outfield and at the catcher position. Bach batted .299 and tallied six home runs to go along with 35 RBIs.
Redshirt senior Matt Schark returns after missing most of 2024 with an injury. He was a member of the All-MVC Honorable Mention team in 2023 when he hit 11 home runs and drove in three game-winning RBIs.
Consistent with previous seasons under Rhodes, the Salukis will have over 20 new pieces as the season begins with the roster consisting of 17 seniors, 15 juniors, and just two sophomores on the roster. SIU carries no freshmen on the 2025 roster.

RHODES AT THE HELM

Lance Rhodes enters his sixth season at the helm of the program, leading the team to 40 or more wins during two of the last four seasons -- including the first back-to-back 40-win seasons in program history (2021 & 22).
Rhodes holds an overall record of 194-112.

FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on X 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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