Softball Set to Host Belmont for Critical Valley Series

03/27/2026 | 2:15:00 | Softball

By: Dominic Hoscher, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - In a rematch of the 2025 Missouri Valley Conference Championship, the Southern Illinois University softball team (17-11 overall, 6-2 MVC) is set to host Belmont for a three-game series starting on Saturday at Charlotte West Stadium.

The Salukis and Bruins will first play a doubleheader on Saturday that begins at 2 p.m. Game two will start approximately 35 minutes after the conclusion of game one. This will also be SIU's annual Autism Awareness Day, highlighting the resources offered by the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders who will also be in attendance and throwing a special first pitch.

On Sunday, the series will conclude at 1 p.m. with game three. Southern will honor Olivia Herron, a member of the swimming and diving team who repeated as a Second Team All-American in the 200 breaststroke last weekend at the NCAA Championships. Herron was also named the MVC Swimmer of the Year and will throw the first pitch.

For fans who are unable to attend, all three games will be streamed on ESPN+ this weekend.

Details
- Date: Saturday, March 28 to Sunday, March 29
- Location: Charlotte West Stadium | Carbondale, Ill.
- Opponent: Belmont
- Live Stats: Saturday (2 p.m.) | Saturday (4:30 p.m.) | Sunday (1 p.m.)
- Watch: Saturday (2 p.m.) | Saturday (4:30 p.m.) | Sunday (1 p.m.)

Weekly Recap
Southern Illinois is 17-11 overall and 6-2 in Missouri Valley Conference play entering this weekend's series against Belmont.

Last weekend, SIU went 1-2 at Illinois State. Southern Illinois fell, 4-0, in game one before a five-inning run-rule victory (9-0) in game two. The final game of the series saw both teams trade late leads, with the Redbirds ultimately winning, 5-4, via a walk-off.

In the Salukis' 9-0 (5) win in game two, freshman Brooklynn Danielson fired a one-hit shutout against the Redbirds. The lone hit Danielson allowed came in the fifth inning. Offensively, both Sydney Potter and Hayden Kurtz homered while Maleah Blomenkamp led the team with two hits.

On Saturday, SIU and Illinois State were tied, 1-1, entering the sixth inning. There, Kurtz hit a solo home run to give the Salukis a 2-1 lead. After the Redbirds took the lead with two runs in the bottom of the inning, the Salukis re-took their advantage in the seventh when Emily Williams hit a go-ahead, two-run home run. Illinois State responded with two runs of its own to win, 5-4.

Overall, the Salukis hit .319 against the Redbirds with a .395 on-base percentage and .542 slugging percentage. SIU hit four home runs and had four doubles in the series.

In the circle, the pitching staff combined for a 2.06 ERA in Normal, Ill. Southern Illinois had three pitchers make an appearance and all three were sharp. Emily Delgado's 1.75 ERA led the team while Danielson had a 2.00 ERA and Hailey Lucas had a 2.33 ERA.

Series History
Southern Illinois holds a record of 7-5 against Belmont in the previous 12 meetings.

In 2025, the two programs met four times and split the series, 2-2. Southern Illinois won two-of-three when it traveled to Nashville in late-March, but fell, 6-2, in the MVC Championship against Belmont on May 10.

SIU is unbeaten against the Bruins at home, holding a 4-0 record in four meetings in Carbondale.

The first-ever matchup between Southern Illinois and Belmont took place in 2008, with the Bruins winning, 2-0, in Mufreesboro, Tenn. The Salukis and Bruins wouldn't face off again until 2023 after the initial meeting.

Looking at the Bruins
Belmont heads into Carbondale with a 22-8 overall record and 9-2 conference record.

The Bruins have already played two games this week, splitting a Tuesday doubleheader at home against Murray State. After falling, 8-4, in game one, Belmont turned things around in game two with a 7-1 win.

Belmont boasts one of the nation's top arms in redshirt senior Maya Johnson. Johnson is 15-1 with a 0.60 ERA, 0.56 WHIP, and 215 strikeouts as opposed to 15 walks. Johnson leads the NCAA in ERA, strikeouts, complete games (16), shutouts (eight), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (14.33).

Sophomore Rylee Spindler leads the Bruins offensively with a .462 batting average, 1.200 OPS, .519 on-base percentage, and a .681 slugging percentage.

Williams Up to Six MVC Homers
In eight MVC games, junior Emily Williams has hit six home runs, the most on the team. Williams is hitting .500 in Valley play and has 15 RBI, seven runs scored, and a 1.250 slugging percentage.

Williams has homered in five of her last eight games. During this span, the junior has also had multiple RBI in five games and at least three RBI in three games. Williams' 15 RBI in conference play are a league-high.

In other MVC only categories, the Louisville, Ky., native is tied for fourth in batting average, is second in slugging, third in OPS (1.731), and first in home runs.

Overall, Williams leads the Salukis in batting average (.388) and has eight home runs, 28 RBI, a .706 slugging percentage, and a 1.132 OPS.

Blomenkamp's Strong Numbers
Redshirt sophomore Maleah Blomenkamp has become one of the league's top hitters in 2026. Blomenkamp is second on the team in batting average at .356 but in conference play, the outfielder is batting a league-best .579.

Blomenkamp is on a seven-game hitting streak. During this stretch, the redshirt sophomore has four two-hit games. On the year, Blomenkamp has nine multi-hit games.

Potter: Seventh in Single-Season Home Run Ranks
With another home run during SIU's road trip to Illinois State, junior catcher Sydney Potter is now up to 13 on the year. This leads the team, leads the MVC, and ranks seventh all-time for a single season in program history.

Potter is one home run away from tying Katie Jordan ('05), Maria Damico ('05), and Katie Wilson ('07) for fourth all-time with 14. There is a two-way tie for first at 17 between Jackie Lis ('23) and Emily Williams ('25).

Southern Illinois' catcher is tied for first in the MVC in RBI (33), fourth in slugging percentage (.820), and is fifth in OPS (1.226). Across the NCAA, Potter is tied for 16th in home runs.

Dominance in the Circle
SIU's pitching trio of Emily Delgado, Brooklynn Danielson, and Hailey Lucas continue to deliver at a high level. In conference play, all three pitchers have an ERA below 1.20: Danielson (0.93), Delgado (1.08), Lucas (1.17). The three Salukis rank second, third, and fourth in the MVC.

No team has a better ERA than Southern Illinois in conference play as it currently sits at 1.31. SIU has allowed just nine earned runs in eight league games.

Delgado is two strikeouts away from reaching 200 on her career. Delgado has 38 so far in 2026 and during her two seasons at Southern Utah, the Corona, Calif., native racked up 160.

Overall, Lucas is third in the Valley in both ERA (2.07) and opposing batting average (.202). The freshman's 54 strikeouts rank seventh in the league. Lucas has racked up the punchouts in her last two outings, tallying eight on March 13 against Bradley and seven on March 20 at Illinois State.

Danielson hasn't allowed a run in four of her five outings in MVC play, leading to the freshman boasting the league's second-best ERA in conference action. The righty trails only Maya Johnson in opposing batting average (.135) against Valley opponents.

Overall Team Rankings
The Salukis are fourth in the MVC in batting average at .290. SIU's 153 runs scored rank third in the league, while its 32 home runs are second.

In the circle, Southern Illinois has an overall ERA of 3.30, ranking second in the conference. Southern's four saves are also tied for second in the Valley.

Sage Grann: On-Base Machine
Sophomore outfielder Sage Grann is eighth in the conference in on-base percentage at .489. Against MVC opponents, this rises to .600, which ranks fifth. Grann is also fifth in batting average at .500.

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