SIU Faces Screaming Eagles at Itchy Jones Stadium

Friday, March 13

6 PM

Southern Illinois University

Southern Indiana

Catcher Mason Schwalbach high fives starting pitcher Andrew Evans (25) during Southern Illinois' 9-1 win over Omaha on Friday, March 6, at the Cambria Classic in U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.

Photo by: Abby Harris

03/12/2026 | 5:16:00 | Baseball

By: Jordan Kruse, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Saluki Baseball returns to the friendly confines to host Southern Indiana for a three-game set Friday at Itchy Jones Stadium.

THE SCHEDULE

Friday — 6 p.m. | Live Stats | Listen
Saturday — 2 p.m. | Live Stats | Listen
Sunday — 1 p.m. | Live Stats | ESPN+

THE PROBABLE STARTERS

Andrew Evans (2-1, 1.96 ERA) vs. Eben Hanson (1-0, 3.52 ERA)
Meade Johnson (0-1, 6.75 ERA) vs. Ryan Weller (2-0, 5.63 ERA)
Troy Shepard (0-1, 5.09 ERA) vs. TBA

AROUND THE HORN

SIU lost 16-6 at SIUE on Tuesday night.
Southern Illinois won two of three at the Cambria Classic on March 6-8, defeating Omaha and South Dakota State on Friday and Sunday, and losing to UNLV 16-8 on Saturday.
Mason Schwalbach slashed .714/.778/.857 going 5-for-7 with two walks over the weekend. In Friday's 9-1 win over Omaha, Schwalbach went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs and followed that up with a three-hit performance with a double and a walk in the 5-4 walk-off win over South Dakota State.
Andrew Evans threw five shutout innings in the victory over Omaha Friday. The right-hander struck out three batters and allowed five hits and just one walk in the effort, helping him improve to 2-1 on the season. The Missouri Valley Conference named him its Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday.
Kye Watson slashed .385/385/462 at the Cambria Classic. In Friday's win over Omaha, Watson went 3-for-5 with an RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base. Then, in Sunday's 5-4 walk-off win over South Dakota State, he tallied two more hits with a double for his fifth multi-hit game of the season.
SIU hit a school-record 113 home runs last season, with a large portion of that power returning, led by Michael Mylott and Gabe Petrucelli. The pitching staff also brings back experience, including weekend starter Meade Johnson and reliever Dylan Petrey, while several newcomers are expected to play key positions early in the season.
Consistent with previous seasons under Rhodes, the Salukis will have over 20 new pieces as the season begins. The roster consists of 13 seniors, 15 juniors, three sophomores and just two freshmen.

RHODES AT THE HELM

Lance Rhodes is in his seventh 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 202-125 record at SIU, reaching the 200-win mark in a March 3 victory over North Dakota State.

THE MATCHUP

Southern Illinois (6-9) vs. Southern Indiana (12-5)
SIU leads the all-time series 6-1, including two victories in 2025 at Itchy Jones Stadium. USI's last win over Southern came on April 18, 1989.
The 12-5 record from USI is the best in the Ohio Valley Conference thus far.
Last time out, USI fell 14-6 at Missouri after sweeping Youngstown State in a three-game set last weekend.
Clayton Slack has gotten off to a scorching start in 2026, currently hitting .422 on the season, second in the OVC.

MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL

Southern Illinois was picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll. Murray State was selected as the conference favorite, followed by SIU, UIC, Illinois State, and Indiana State.

Six Salukis were named to the MVC Players to Watch list:

Simay led SIU with a .351 batting average last season, while Petrey was a key arm out of the bullpen and earned All-MVC Honorable Mention honors.

The Salukis enter the season with an experienced roster, including only a handful of underclassmen, and relying heavily on leadership with experience in the Saluki Baseball program.

ON THE DIAMOND

Southern Illinois returns big offensive production from last season's lineup, including several of the team's top run producers and power hitters. Petrucelli and Mylott headline a group that helped set the program's single-season home run record.

ON THE MOUND

SIU brings back key arms to anchor the pitching staff, including Meade Johnson and Dylan Petrey. Petrey is expected to play a major role in late-inning situations. The Salukis have also added several transfers, including Andrew Evans, who has been the Friday starter this season. The Kansas State transfer features a fastball that tops out in the mid-90s with multiple wipeout pitches and figures to be a key arm early on.
The Salukis are currently first in The Valley with a 4.86 team ERA and an opponent batting average of .247.

HISTORIC 2025 OFFENSE

SIU ranked 25th nationally and second in the MVC with 500 runs scored in 2025, and led the league with 8.8 runs per game.
The Salukis were 42nd nationally with 603 hits.
SIU ranked 10th nationally and first in the MVC with 113 home runs.
Southern ranks sixth nationally and led the MVC with a .555 slugging percentage.
The Salukis were tied for 30th nationally and tied for second in the MVC with 124 doubles.
SIU was second in the MVC and ranked 28th nationally with 17 triples.
The Salukis were tied for 24th nationally and led the MVC with 33 sacrifice flies.
SIU was second in the MVC with 81 stolen bases.
The staff posted five shutouts, tied for 21st nationally and second in the MVC, and boasted 12 saves.

HOT STARTS

Kye Watson was the top Saluki hitter in the opening series at Oral Roberts. The freshman from Lititz, Pa., went 5-for-11 at the plate and hit two solo homers in his debut series for Southern, and leads the team with a 1.125 OPS.
Charlie Miller made the most of his first appearance out of the bullpen, pitching three shutout frames in the opening victory at Oral Roberts. The sophomore struck out three on the day.
Cecil Lofton leads SIU with four home runs, tied for fourth in the MVC. He ranks eighth in slugging percentage (.566) and has taken 11 walks, tied for third.
Tim Simay is tied for second in the MVC with six doubles.
Henry Kufa is eighth in the MVC batting .345 on the season, and is fourth in OBP at .500.
Michael Mylott has two home runs, tied for 10th in the MVC thus far.
Julio Guerrero is tied for the conference lead with 11 stolen bases in the young season. He is also tied for seventh with five doubles.
Andrew Evans is second in the Missouri Valley Conference in ERA (1.96) and has 22 strikeouts, third in the MVC. He also sports the league's third-best opponent batting average at .188
Troy Shepard is sixth in the league with an opponent batting average of .224.

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