Photo by: Abby Harris
Preview | Saluki Baseball Opens MVC Championship Wednesday Against UIC
05/20/2025 | 10:00:00 | Baseball
CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Southern Illinois baseball program heads to Normal for the 2025 Missouri Valley Conference Championship hosted by Illinois State. The No. 3 Salukis will play Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. CT against No. 4 UIC at Duffy Bass Field.
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL/BRACKET
Click here to visit the tournament central page.
HOW TO FOLLOW
• All games will air on ESPN Plus.
• Luke Martin will have the radio call for the Salukis on the Varsity Network.
• Live stats and in-game updates are available on Twitter @SIU_Baseball.
SALUKIS AT THE MVC TOURNAMENT
• SIU is looking for its first MVC Tournament Championship since 1990.
• Since the MVC Championship moved to a double-elimination format in 2019, Southern Illinois holds a 10-10 record in the tournament. The Salukis have held the No. 1, 3, 4, and 8 seeds in four tournaments (a 2019 tournament was not played due to COVID-19), advancing as far as the championship game in 2022 before falling to Missouri State.
• The Salukis have made appearances in four championship games since 2000, with the last coming in 2022 against Missouri State.
• Southern Illinois enters the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament as the No. 3 seed -- the sixth time SIU has been the No. 3 seed in the tournament.
QUICK HITS
• With three home runs against SIUE in the final midweek game of the season, Southern broke the single-season home run mark (88) before adding 13 more in a weekend series at Valpo. SIU has 102 homers on the year with four players hitting 10 home runs or more. The Salukis are out-homering opponents by a margin of 47.
• SIU is 30-7 when scoring six or more runs and 29-1 when leading after six innings.
• SIU hitters have drawn 306 walks and reached base 80 times via the hit-by-pitch, for an on-base percentage of .415. The squad's walk total ranks 20th nationally and tops in the MVC.
• Southern Illinois is 80-for-102 in stolen base attempts, with six different players swiping at least five bags.
TEAM NOTES
• SIU ranks 13th nationally and first in the MVC with 478 runs scored (8.7 per game, 20th nationally).
• The Salukis are 20th nationally and first in the MVC with 576 hits.
• SIU ranks eighth nationally and first in the MVC with 102 home runs (1.85 per game, 10th nationally).
• Southern ranks 10th nationally and second in the MVC with a .546 slugging percentage.
• The Salukis rank 15th nationally and first in the MVC with 121 doubles (2.20 per game, 31st nationally).
• SIU leads the MVC and ranks 21st nationally with 17 triples (0.31 per game, 34th nationally).
• The Salukis are 18th nationally and lead the MVC with 32 sacrifice flies.
• SIU is second in the MVC with 80 stolen bases (1.45 per game, 104th nationally).
• SIU ranks 110th nationally and second in the MVC with a 5.58 ERA while holding opponents to a .269 average.
• The staff has posted five shutouts, tied for 18th nationally and second in the MVC, and boasts an MVC-best 11 saves, including eight by Sam Frizzi.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
• Matt Schark ranks second nationally with 23 home runs and third nationally with 79 RBIs. He leads the MVC in slugging percentage at .735 and ranks fourth nationally in total bases with 166.
• Jordan Bach leads the team and ranks fourth in the MVC with 19 doubles, while batting .311 over 54 games.
• John Lemm has launched 15 home runs and driven in 48 runs. His 33-game reached base streak is the second-longest in program history, while his 25-game reached base streak in MVC games is an SIU and MVC record.
• Jaxon Holder owns a .435 on-base percentage, with 51 hits, 36 RBIs, and a team-high 12 stolen bases in 13 tries.
• Kaleb Hall has tallied 46 hits, including five triples and eight home runs, while batting .331 with a .626 slugging percentage. Hall missed four weeks of the season after the Indiana State series.
SCHARK ON ANOTHER LEVEL
• Matt Schark delivered a week for the ages, earning NCBWA National Co-Hitter of the Week and MVC Player of the Week honors. The senior slugger blasted five home runs in the Evansville series - one Friday, three Saturday, and another Sunday - before adding two more during a midweek win at SIUE.
• Schark owns the program's single-season home run record with his 23rd at Valpo while adding to his own single-season record RBI total, now with 79.
• He is tied for second place in SIU career home runs, with 35 homers (11 - 2023, 1 - 2024, 23 - 2025). Schark played just four games in 2024 after suffering a season-ending injury.
RHODES AT THE HELM
• Lance Rhodes is in his sixth season as head coach, guiding SIU to back-to-back 40-win seasons for the first time in program history (2021 & 2022). He owns a 196-114 record at SIU.
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.
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL/BRACKET
Click here to visit the tournament central page.
HOW TO FOLLOW
• All games will air on ESPN Plus.
• Luke Martin will have the radio call for the Salukis on the Varsity Network.
• Live stats and in-game updates are available on Twitter @SIU_Baseball.
SALUKIS AT THE MVC TOURNAMENT
• SIU is looking for its first MVC Tournament Championship since 1990.
• Since the MVC Championship moved to a double-elimination format in 2019, Southern Illinois holds a 10-10 record in the tournament. The Salukis have held the No. 1, 3, 4, and 8 seeds in four tournaments (a 2019 tournament was not played due to COVID-19), advancing as far as the championship game in 2022 before falling to Missouri State.
• The Salukis have made appearances in four championship games since 2000, with the last coming in 2022 against Missouri State.
• Southern Illinois enters the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament as the No. 3 seed -- the sixth time SIU has been the No. 3 seed in the tournament.
QUICK HITS
• With three home runs against SIUE in the final midweek game of the season, Southern broke the single-season home run mark (88) before adding 13 more in a weekend series at Valpo. SIU has 102 homers on the year with four players hitting 10 home runs or more. The Salukis are out-homering opponents by a margin of 47.
• SIU is 30-7 when scoring six or more runs and 29-1 when leading after six innings.
• SIU hitters have drawn 306 walks and reached base 80 times via the hit-by-pitch, for an on-base percentage of .415. The squad's walk total ranks 20th nationally and tops in the MVC.
• Southern Illinois is 80-for-102 in stolen base attempts, with six different players swiping at least five bags.
TEAM NOTES
• SIU ranks 13th nationally and first in the MVC with 478 runs scored (8.7 per game, 20th nationally).
• The Salukis are 20th nationally and first in the MVC with 576 hits.
• SIU ranks eighth nationally and first in the MVC with 102 home runs (1.85 per game, 10th nationally).
• Southern ranks 10th nationally and second in the MVC with a .546 slugging percentage.
• The Salukis rank 15th nationally and first in the MVC with 121 doubles (2.20 per game, 31st nationally).
• SIU leads the MVC and ranks 21st nationally with 17 triples (0.31 per game, 34th nationally).
• The Salukis are 18th nationally and lead the MVC with 32 sacrifice flies.
• SIU is second in the MVC with 80 stolen bases (1.45 per game, 104th nationally).
• SIU ranks 110th nationally and second in the MVC with a 5.58 ERA while holding opponents to a .269 average.
• The staff has posted five shutouts, tied for 18th nationally and second in the MVC, and boasts an MVC-best 11 saves, including eight by Sam Frizzi.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
• Matt Schark ranks second nationally with 23 home runs and third nationally with 79 RBIs. He leads the MVC in slugging percentage at .735 and ranks fourth nationally in total bases with 166.
• Jordan Bach leads the team and ranks fourth in the MVC with 19 doubles, while batting .311 over 54 games.
• John Lemm has launched 15 home runs and driven in 48 runs. His 33-game reached base streak is the second-longest in program history, while his 25-game reached base streak in MVC games is an SIU and MVC record.
• Jaxon Holder owns a .435 on-base percentage, with 51 hits, 36 RBIs, and a team-high 12 stolen bases in 13 tries.
• Kaleb Hall has tallied 46 hits, including five triples and eight home runs, while batting .331 with a .626 slugging percentage. Hall missed four weeks of the season after the Indiana State series.
SCHARK ON ANOTHER LEVEL
• Matt Schark delivered a week for the ages, earning NCBWA National Co-Hitter of the Week and MVC Player of the Week honors. The senior slugger blasted five home runs in the Evansville series - one Friday, three Saturday, and another Sunday - before adding two more during a midweek win at SIUE.
• Schark owns the program's single-season home run record with his 23rd at Valpo while adding to his own single-season record RBI total, now with 79.
• He is tied for second place in SIU career home runs, with 35 homers (11 - 2023, 1 - 2024, 23 - 2025). Schark played just four games in 2024 after suffering a season-ending injury.
RHODES AT THE HELM
• Lance Rhodes is in his sixth season as head coach, guiding SIU to back-to-back 40-win seasons for the first time in program history (2021 & 2022). He owns a 196-114 record at SIU.
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.
Players Mentioned
C/OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF/OF
/ Baseball
OF/INF
/ Baseball
INF
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