Southern Illinois Continues Homestand with Weekend Series Against Bradley

Southern Illinois Continues Homestand with Weekend Series Against Bradley

03/12/2026 | 12:00:00 | Softball

By: Dominic Hoscher, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois University softball team (13-9 overall, 2-0 MVC) is set to host Bradley for a three-game series beginning on Friday at 2 p.m. with a doubleheader.

On Saturday, SIU will honor Ronald "Ron" Smith ahead of first pitch, which is scheduled for 1 p.m. Smith donated $250,000 to the Saluki Softball program, leading to a new videoboard at Charlotte West Stadium.

This weekend is also 'Military Appreciation Weekend'. Southern Illinois will honor and recognize veterans throughout the two days, and the Illinois National Guard will present the colors at Saturday's game.

Details
- Date: Friday, March 13 to Saturday, March 14
- Location: Charlotte West Stadium | Carbondale, Ill.
- Opponent: Bradley
- Live Stats: Friday (2 p.m.) | Friday (4:30 p.m.) | Saturday (1 p.m.)
- Watch: Friday (2 p.m.) | Friday (4:30 p.m.) | Saturday (1 p.m.)

Weekly Recap
Southern Illinois is off to a 2-0 start in Missouri Valley Conference play after sweeping Valparaiso last Friday. The third game of the series, which was scheduled for Saturday, was cancelled due to weather.

The Salukis out-scored Valpo, 16-0, in the two games. Pitchers Hailey Lucas, Brooklynn Danielson, and Emily Delgado held the Beacons to a combined three hits and zero runs. In Game 2, Delgado didn't allow a baserunner in her four innings of work while Lucas tossed a five-inning shutout in Game 1 as SIU run-ruled Valparaiso, 12-0.

Several Salukis had notable weekends offensively as seven players had multiple hits and three players (Jordan Stewart, Sage Grann, and Emily Williams) had three hits. Stewart and Erin Lee led the team with four RBI each, followed by Amanda Knutson's three.

Williams hit her third home run of the season during SIU's 12-0 win over Valpo in Game 1. The junior hit for a batting average of .429, a slugging percentage of .857, and also recorded two runs and two RBI.

Southern Illinois is the only team in the Valley to be unbeaten in league play after the opening weekend (outside of Drake who is yet to face an MVC school).

The Salukis are now tied with Valparaiso for third in the conference in runs scored with 111. Northern Iowa is first with 121, followed by Bradley's 115.

SIU's 3.68 ERA ranks third in the MVC. Belmont leads the way at 2.04 while Indiana State is second at 3.21.

Series History
Southern Illinois leads the series, 74-37, in its 111 meetings with Bradley. SIU swept the Braves in three games last season in Carbondale and has won six of the last seven matchups.

The series dates back to March 27, 1982, where the two teams split a doubleheader in an SIU Round Robin in Carbondale. Bradley won six of the first 10 meetings from 1982 to 1987.

Over the last 10 matchups, SIU holds a record of 6-4 against Bradley.

At home, SIU is 52-15 all-time vs. the Braves. Three more wins were added to this total in 2025 when Southern swept Bradley from April 11-13. The Salukis out-scored the Braves, 21-9, in the three games, and recorded at least six runs in each contest.

Looking at the Braves
Bradley holds a record of 6-15 overall and 1-2 in MVC play. The Braves opened up conference action last weekend in Terre Haute, Ind., and lost 2-of-3 at Indiana State. In Game 1, Bradley fell, 10-2, before earning a 4-3 win in Game 2. The Braves concluded the series with a 8-4 loss to the Sycamores.

The Braves have scored the league's second-most runs with 115 in 21 games. Morgan Schlosser leads Bradley offensively with a .377 batting average and a 1.020 OPS.

In the circle, Abby Rusher leads the team in innings pitched with 73.2. Rusher has appeared in 16 of Bradley's 21 games and has a 6.84 ERA.

Lauren Gambone is in her first season as the program's interim head coach and her fourth overall. Gambone was previously an assistant coach for Bradley for the first three seasons after joining in August of 2022.

Potter: Ranked as Nation's Fifth-Best Catcher by Softball America
Softball America ranked junior Sydney Potter as collegiate softball's fifth-best catcher in its March Position Rankings, which were released on March 2.

Potter is batting .319 with a team-leading 1.319 OPS. The catcher's 11 home runs are tied for ninth in the NCAA, while her 28 RBI is tied for 54th. Potter is also tied for 55th in the country in slugging percentage at .884 which ranks fourth in the MVC.

The Runnells, Iowa, native is tied for 11th all-time in single-season home runs at SIU. The catcher is one shy from moving into a tie for seventh and is six away from tying Jackie Lis (2023) and Emily Williams (2025) for the program record.

Against Valparaiso, Potter was walked four times and scored three runs in her two appearances.

Offense Rolling to Start Conference Play
In two games vs. Valparaiso, SIU combined for 16 runs to begin Valley play. Seven different Salukis registered multiple hits while three players (Jordan Stewart, Sage Grann, and Emily Williams) posted three hits each.

Four players had multiple RBI, with Stewart and Erin Lee leading the way with four RBI each. These were the first four RBI of the freshman Stewart's career.

Williams launched her third home run of the year during SIU's 12-0 (5) win over Valpo in Game 1. This was the junior's first homer since hitting two against Eastern Kentucky on Feb. 11. Williams tied the SIU single-season home run record with 17 in 2025.

Grann, Lee, and Sydney Potter all scored three runs each in the doubleheader vs. the Beacons.

Pitching Staff Excels in Valley Opener
SIU tossed three different pitchers vs. Valpo, and all three held the Beacons scoreless. Hailey Lucas, Brooklynn Danielson, and Emily Delgado limited Valparaiso to a combined three hits with 10 strikeouts.

Lucas has been one of the Valley's top pitchers in her first 11 collegiate appearances. The freshman is 3-4 with a 2.18 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 39 strikeouts in 51.1 innings pitched. Lucas is third in the MVC in ERA and her .203 opposing batting average ranks second.

This was Danielson's third scoreless outing as a Saluki and first since Feb. 12 vs. UTSA. The freshman continues to rack up the strikeouts, tallying at least three in four-straight appearances and six total on the season.

Delgado Nearing Milestone
Emily Delgado is seven strikeouts away from reaching 200 on her career. Delgado has 33 so far in 2026 and during her two seasons at Southern Utah, the Corona, Calif., native racked up 160.

Delgado had her strongest performance of the season in SIU's 4-0 win over Valpo in Game 2. The junior was perfect in four innings, not allowing a single baserunner while also registering four strikeouts. Delgado is now 4-2 in 12 appearances with a 2.80 ERA and 1.33 WHIP.

Salukis by the Numbers
Across the MVC, Southern Illinois is tied for third in runs scored (111), is third in home runs (19), and second in walks (90).

In the circle, SIU is third in ERA (3.68), first in innings pitched (146.1), fourth in strikeouts (105), and third in opposing batting average (.269).

Sydney Potter ranks fourth in the MVC in slugging percentage (.884), fifth in OPS (1.319), fourth in runs scored (20), first in RBI (28), first in home runs (11), and is tied for seventh in walks (14).

Erin Lee is fourth in the Valley in walks (17). Lee has recorded a walk in 14 of her 22 appearances

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.