Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Softball Opens 2026 Season in Florida at FGCU Kickoff Classic
02/05/2026 | 12:00:00 | Softball
Southern Illinois Schedule
Friday: Game One - 9 a.m. vs. Charlotte | Game Two - 2 p.m. at FGCU
Saturday: 9 a.m. vs. Charlotte
Sunday: Game One - 9 a.m. vs. Ball State | Game Two - 2 p.m. vs. Long Island
*all times Central Standard Time
Tournament Details
Location: FGCU Softball Complex - Fort Myers, Fla.
Dates: Friday, Feb. 6 - Sunday, Feb. 8 (for SIU)
Listen: The Varsity Network
Watch: SIU's lone televised game will be on Friday at 2 p.m. at FCGU. Watch on ESPN+.
Opponents: Charlotte (x2), FGCU, Ball State, Long Island
Live Stats:
- Friday: Game One | Game Two
- Saturday: Game One
- Sunday: Game One | Game Two
Â
News and Notes
In 2025, Southern Illinois went 33-20 overall, 21-5 in Missouri Valley Conference play, and won the MVC regular season championship for the second-straight season. The last time SIU won back-to-back regular season titles was in 2004-05.
In its history, SIU has won six regular season championships. The Salukis have claimed the regular season title in 2025, 2024, 2010, 2005, 2004, and in 1991 when they were a member of the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference (GCAC).
Southern Illinois reached the MVC championship game where it fell, 6-2, to Belmont. SIU had earned wins over the host and No. 8 seed Drake, 12-4 (5) and No. 4 seed Illinois State, 8-3, in its first two games of the tournament.Â
The Salukis have recorded 10 consecutive winning seasons, with the last under .500 campaign being in 2015. SIU has won 30+ games eight times during this stretch.
11 position players and two pitchers will be returning for the Salukis in 2025, with those pitchers being Emma Gipson and Kiana McDowell. In terms of newcomers, Southern Illinois has nine new additions to the 2026 roster.Â
Of the nine newcomers, four are freshmen while five are transfers.Â
Southern has one new addition to the coaching staff, with Mia Trejo entering her first year as an assistant coach. Trejo joins the staff after previously being an assistant at Utah State for two seasons.
Historic Success Under Coach Sewell
In 2026, Jen Sewell will be entering her fifth season as the head coach of the Saluki Softball program.Â
As head coach, Sewell has compiled a 134-64-1 overall record while going 73-33 within MVC play. Since Sewell first arrived to SIU as an assistant in 2009, Southern has gone 570-343-1, winning 30 or more games 14 times.Â
Sewell and her staff were named MVC Staff of the Year for the second-straight season in 2025.
Southern Illinois has won two MVC tournament titles (2023, 2024) and two MVC regular season championships (2024, 2025) with Sewell as head coach.
Under Sewell, SIU tied a program record with six players named to the All-MVC FIrst Team last season.
Head-to-Head Records
SIU and Charlotte have never met in their program's history.
Against the hosts, FGCU, SIU is 2-3 all-time. Southern won the previous meeting, 6-3, on Feb. 10, 2023, in Fort Myers, Fla. This snapped a three-game losing streak against the Eagles for Southern. SIU won the first-ever meeting, 7-1, in 2011 at FGCU.
The Salukis are 13-6 all-time vs. Ball State, with Sunday's game being the 20th between the two schools. They last met in March 2022, where Southern Illinois won, 12-7, in Carbondale. The Salukis have won three-straight vs. Ball State.
Southern Illinois is 1-0 all-time vs. Long Island. The last time the two teams met was also at FGCU in Fort Myers, Fla., with SIU winning, 3-0, in its 2023 season-opener on Feb. 10.
Looking at the Returners
SIU returns 13 players total from the 2025 roster: 11 position players and two pitchers.Â
Of the 11 position players, two were All-MVC First Team members in 2025: juniors Emily Williams and Mikaela Coburn. Williams was also the MVC Newcomer of the Year, the first-ever Saluki to receive the award.
Southern's two returning pitchers are sophomore Emma Gipson and junior Kiana McDowell. As a freshman, Gipson made 30 appearances, 25 starts, and recorded a 3-5 record with a 2.77 ERA in 81.0 innings pitched. McDowell made 21 appearances, 16 starts, and tossed 54.1 innings in 2025.
Senior Erin Lee returns as SIU's starting second baseman. Lee has held this role in each of her first three years as a Saluki. Other returning starters include Sage Grann and Amanda Knutson.
Salukis Welcome Strong Transfer Class
The Salukis roster five transfers entering the 2026 season: Sydney Potter, Emily Delgado, Brookley Foster, Brooklyn Pritchett, and Kaylen Grammer.
Potter, a junior catcher from Runnells, Iowa, transferred to SIU by way of Creighton, where she spent two seasons. As a sophomore in 2025, Potter broke Creighton's single-season RBI record (60) and also hit 16 home runs. The catcher was named to the 2025 All-BIG EAST First Team at the end of the season.
Delgado joins the pitching staff after spending the last two years at Southern Utah. The junior originally from Corona, Calif., tossed 119.0 innings in 2025 and earned nine wins with eight complete games. As a freshman, Delgado had 101 strikeouts, the 10th-most in a single season in program history.
Foster played her freshman season at the University of Tulsa where she made 22 appearances and 13 starts. Pritchett, a graduate student from Layton, Utah, spent the past two years at Utah State, where she hit .346 as a senior in 2025, and her first two years at Salt Lake CC.
Grammer was previously at St. Charles CC in St. Charles, Mo., for two seasons. There, the Murphysboro, Ill., native played in 66 total games and went 28-21 with a 3.26 ERA and registered 394 strikeouts.
MVC Preseason News and Notes
The Salukis were picked to finish third in the MVC Preseason Poll, receiving 94 points. Belmont was voted to finish first with six first-place votes while Northern Iowa was selected second with four first-place nods.
Emily Williams and Mikaela Coburn were both selected to the Preseason All-MVC First Team. UNI's four were the most in the conference.
Highlighting the Freshman Class
Southern Illinois will have four freshmen on its 2026 roster: Brooklynn Danielson, Hailey Lucas, Delaney Osborne, and Jordan Stewart.
Two of the freshmen, Danielson and Lucas, are pitchers. Danielson is from Kenosha, Wis., while Lucas is from Palatine, Ill.
Osborne joins SIU by way of Loomis, Calif., and is an outfielder. Southern Illinois' fourth freshman, Stewart, is an infielder from Southlake, Texas.
D1Softball Recognition
Emily Williams (No. 36) and Sydney Potter (No. 58) were both ranked inside the D1Softball Preseason Mid-Major D100 Player Rankings. As a team, SIU was ranked 20th.
Follow the Salukis
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_Softball, on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiSoftball and on Instagram at @SIU_Softball. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.
