Southern Illinois Begins MVC Play at UIC

Kaleb Hall celebrates an RBI double during Southern Illinois' 7-6 loss to UT Martin Wednesday night at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale, Ill.

Photo by: Abby Harris

03/19/2026 | 1:34:00 | Baseball

By: Jordan Kruse, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois baseball heads up to Chicago to begin Missouri Valley Conference play against UIC beginning Friday.

THE SCHEDULE

Friday — 4:05 p.m. | Live Stats | Listen
Saturday — 2:05 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch
Sunday — 1:05 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch

THE PROBABLE STARTERS

Friday: Andrew Evans (3-1, 2.48 ERA) vs. TBA
Saturday: Meade Johnson (0-1, 3.86 ERA) vs. TBA
Sunday: TBD vs. TBA

AROUND THE HORN

Southern Illinois fell 7-6 in 10 innings to UT Martin on Wednesday night. The Salukis trailed by as much as four in the seventh, and came back to tie the game in the eighth before the contest went to extras.
Gabe Petrucelli slashed .556/.636/1.000 with two multi-hit games last week for Southern Illinois. In Friday's 10-7 victory over Southern Indiana, he went 3-for-3 with a home run, a double, two walks, and two runs scored. The Rocklin, Calif., native followed that up with two hits and an RBI in Saturday's win over the Screaming Eagles.
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.

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 204-127 record at SIU, reaching the 200-win mark in a March 3 victory over North Dakota State.

THE MATCHUP

Southern Illinois (8-11) vs. UIC (4-13-1)
The two teams are tied 5-5 in the all-time series, splitting the 2025 series 2-2. UIC got the last laugh, defeating the Dawgs 19-17 in the 2025 MVC Tournament. SIU broke a school record with 10 home runs in the game.
The Flames were swept by UNC-Greensboro at home over the weekend.
Jake Busson has been slugging early in the season, tied for second in the MVC with six home runs. He's tied for seventh with 18 RBIs, ranks third slugging .632 and fourth with a .999 OPS.
Mason Lei ranks seventh in the MVC with a 4.26 ERA.

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 third in The Valley with a 5.62 team ERA and second in opponent batting average at .255.
The bullpen has collected five saves, tied for second in the conference.

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.

LEAD DAWGS

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 1.001 OPS. He ranks sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference, hitting .365, is ninth in on-base percentage (.424), and sixth with a .577 slugging percentage.
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 fifth in the MVC. He ranks seventh in slugging percentage (.566).
Tim Simay is tied for fourth in the MVC with six doubles and tied for sixth with 24 total hits. The Atlanta, Ga., native is eighth in the league batting .333, and has seven multi-hit games this season.
Henry Kufa is sixth in The Valley with a .442 OBP.
Julio Guerrero leads the league with 15 stolen bases in the young season and is tied for 17th nationally. He also has six doubles, tied for fourth in the conference.
Andrew Evans is third in the Missouri Valley Conference in ERA (2.48) and has 27 strikeouts, tied for second in the MVC. He also sports the league's second-best opponent batting average at .206.
Troy Shepard is fifth in the league with an opponent batting average of .253.

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.