News | This Week in Saluki Athletics: May 19-25
05/19/2025 | 11:00:00 | General
CARBONDALE, Ill. – While most of the Southern Illinois' student body has left for the summer, a couple Saluki athletic teams are still wrapping up their season. Track and field finished hosting the Missouri Valley Conference championships while baseball is preparing for their tournament run.
Track and Field
Track and field hosted the MVC Championships this past weekend.
On day one, Darrione Williams claimed the gold medal in the men's long jump event with a personal best of 7.55 meters. In the women's event, Na'Kyrah Cooks was the runner-up with her personal best mark of 5.89 meters.
The championships concluded on Sunday. SIU's women's 4x100-meter relay team claimed first place, as did Andre Jackson II in the 400-meter event. On the women's side of the event, Leah Thames was the winner while Teanna Bell was right behind her on the podium. Shane Ashton won the 400-meter hurdles event while Thames added another gold medal in the 200-meter dash. Both of SIU's 4x400-meter relay teams claimed gold.
As for team placements, the Salukis' men's team finished in fifth place with 79 points while the women's squad took home sixth with 75 points. In the individual awards category, Thames brought home the title of Women's Most Valuable Athlete and Jackson was the Men's Freshman of the Year.
Next for track and field is the NCAA West Preliminary Round, which takes place in Bryan-College Station, Texas, from May 28-31.
Softball
The postseason honors continued to roll in for softball. First, six Salukis earned spots on the MVC All-Scholar Athlete teams. Emma Austin, Emily Williams, and Jackie Lis earned spots on the First Team, while Anna Carder, Erin Lee, and McKenzie Newcomb were Second-Team members.
Then, Austin and Newcomb found their way onto the NFCA D1 All-Region Teams.
Newcomb was voted to the Second Team. This spring, Newcomb went 20-5 with a 1.81 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 37 appearances and four games started. The veteran pitcher posted 144 strikeouts with 26 walks across 146.2 innings pitched. Newcomb also had two saves, including one against Missouri on April 9.
As for Austin, she made the Third Team. Austin finished the year with a .365 batting average and 66 hits, the third-most in a single season in program history. The senior outfielder scored 38 runs, had an on-base percentage of .408, and led the Missouri Valley Conference in stolen bases with 21.
Baseball (37-18, 16-11)
Baseball concluded their 2025 regular season this week, but also had a few individual awards fall their way.
First, Matt Schark was named the MVC Player of the Week and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Co-Hitter of the Week. The St. Charles, Missouri native recorded five home runs during a weekend series against Evansville with one homer on Friday, three on Saturday, and one more on Sunday as he helped the Salukis to a series win over the Aces. Schark's home run on Sunday put him at the top of the single-season home run list as he blasted his 20th of the season. Two at bats later, Schark tied the single-season RBI mark in program history after driving in his 70th run of the year. He finished the week batting .500 (8-16), slugging 1.500, to go along with a .500 on-base percentage. In total, he drove in 11 runs, scored seven times, and drew one walk as Southern went 3-1 on the week.
Play then started on Tuesday for SIU with a 17-11 slugfest win over SIUE. Schark continued his near flawless stretch of play with another two homers and seven total RBIs while John Lemm added one home run of his own. Shark's RBIs pushed him into first place in Saluki history for single-season RBIs with 77.
On Thursday, Schark was then named a Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist. The award is presented annually to the nation's top collegiate player and features 67 semifinalists.
Southern's final regular season series began Thursday as well. The Salukis took game one against Valparaiso 13-11. Six Salukis hit homers, including Jordan Bach with two; Shark added yet another home run to his season total. On the bump, Tanner Gerdes was strong out of the bullpen, allowing just one hit and no runs across two innings of work.
Valparaiso tied the series with a 24-14 win on Friday. Another five Salukis hit home runs as Lemm and Jaxon Holder led the team in RBIs with three each.
SIU dropped the series on Saturday with an 8-5 defeat. Kaleb Hall hit a home run on his way to a team-high three RBIs.
After the conclusion of the regular season, the Salukis sit with a final record of 37-18 overall and a 16-11 mark in conference play while finishing third in The Valley. For their efforts, Southern will match up with #4 seeded UIC on Wednesday, May 21, at 11 a.m. in Normal. If SIU continues to advance, the tournament will run through Saturday, May 24.
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 hosted the MVC Championships this past weekend.
On day one, Darrione Williams claimed the gold medal in the men's long jump event with a personal best of 7.55 meters. In the women's event, Na'Kyrah Cooks was the runner-up with her personal best mark of 5.89 meters.
The championships concluded on Sunday. SIU's women's 4x100-meter relay team claimed first place, as did Andre Jackson II in the 400-meter event. On the women's side of the event, Leah Thames was the winner while Teanna Bell was right behind her on the podium. Shane Ashton won the 400-meter hurdles event while Thames added another gold medal in the 200-meter dash. Both of SIU's 4x400-meter relay teams claimed gold.
As for team placements, the Salukis' men's team finished in fifth place with 79 points while the women's squad took home sixth with 75 points. In the individual awards category, Thames brought home the title of Women's Most Valuable Athlete and Jackson was the Men's Freshman of the Year.
Next for track and field is the NCAA West Preliminary Round, which takes place in Bryan-College Station, Texas, from May 28-31.
Softball
The postseason honors continued to roll in for softball. First, six Salukis earned spots on the MVC All-Scholar Athlete teams. Emma Austin, Emily Williams, and Jackie Lis earned spots on the First Team, while Anna Carder, Erin Lee, and McKenzie Newcomb were Second-Team members.
Then, Austin and Newcomb found their way onto the NFCA D1 All-Region Teams.
Newcomb was voted to the Second Team. This spring, Newcomb went 20-5 with a 1.81 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 37 appearances and four games started. The veteran pitcher posted 144 strikeouts with 26 walks across 146.2 innings pitched. Newcomb also had two saves, including one against Missouri on April 9.
As for Austin, she made the Third Team. Austin finished the year with a .365 batting average and 66 hits, the third-most in a single season in program history. The senior outfielder scored 38 runs, had an on-base percentage of .408, and led the Missouri Valley Conference in stolen bases with 21.
Baseball (37-18, 16-11)
Baseball concluded their 2025 regular season this week, but also had a few individual awards fall their way.
First, Matt Schark was named the MVC Player of the Week and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Co-Hitter of the Week. The St. Charles, Missouri native recorded five home runs during a weekend series against Evansville with one homer on Friday, three on Saturday, and one more on Sunday as he helped the Salukis to a series win over the Aces. Schark's home run on Sunday put him at the top of the single-season home run list as he blasted his 20th of the season. Two at bats later, Schark tied the single-season RBI mark in program history after driving in his 70th run of the year. He finished the week batting .500 (8-16), slugging 1.500, to go along with a .500 on-base percentage. In total, he drove in 11 runs, scored seven times, and drew one walk as Southern went 3-1 on the week.
Play then started on Tuesday for SIU with a 17-11 slugfest win over SIUE. Schark continued his near flawless stretch of play with another two homers and seven total RBIs while John Lemm added one home run of his own. Shark's RBIs pushed him into first place in Saluki history for single-season RBIs with 77.
On Thursday, Schark was then named a Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist. The award is presented annually to the nation's top collegiate player and features 67 semifinalists.
Southern's final regular season series began Thursday as well. The Salukis took game one against Valparaiso 13-11. Six Salukis hit homers, including Jordan Bach with two; Shark added yet another home run to his season total. On the bump, Tanner Gerdes was strong out of the bullpen, allowing just one hit and no runs across two innings of work.
Valparaiso tied the series with a 24-14 win on Friday. Another five Salukis hit home runs as Lemm and Jaxon Holder led the team in RBIs with three each.
SIU dropped the series on Saturday with an 8-5 defeat. Kaleb Hall hit a home run on his way to a team-high three RBIs.
After the conclusion of the regular season, the Salukis sit with a final record of 37-18 overall and a 16-11 mark in conference play while finishing third in The Valley. For their efforts, Southern will match up with #4 seeded UIC on Wednesday, May 21, at 11 a.m. in Normal. If SIU continues to advance, the tournament will run through Saturday, May 24.
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
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Track and Field
OF
/ Softball
Sprints
/ Track and Field
C
/ Softball
Jumps
/ Track and Field
RHP
/ Baseball
INF/OF
/ Baseball
OF/INF
/ Baseball
Sprints
/ Track and Field
INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
INF
/ Baseball
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Jumps
/ Track and Field
INF/C
/ SoftballVideo | Rishonda Napier Hall of Fame interview
Tuesday, October 15
Video | Jorge Delgado Hall of Fame interview
Tuesday, October 15
Video | Rick Murray Hall of Fame interview
Tuesday, October 15
Saluki Chats in Chevies | Episode 1 | Anna Jaworski
Tuesday, October 15