Salukis Face Off Against Lions Tuesday Night

Tuesday, March 31

6 PM

Southern Illinois University

Lindenwood

Jaden Flores slides home during Southern Illinois' 10-0 win over Utah Tech Friday, March 27, 2026, at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale, Ill.

Photo by: Abby Harris

03/30/2026 | 4:11:00 | Baseball

By: Jordan Kruse, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Itchy Jones Stadium is the site for a midweek matchup between Southern Illinois and Lindenwood Tuesday night.

FOLLOW THE GAME

Tuesday — 6 p.m. Live Stats | Watch

THE PROBABLE STARTERS

Alec Ammerman (0-0, 12.38 ERA) vs. Kris Alcorn (First appearance, 1-1, 7.67 ERA in 2025)

AROUND THE HORN

Southern Illinois lost two of three to Utah Tech last weekend.
Starting pitchers Andrew Evans, Troy Shepard and Meade Johnson were on point, combining for just two earned runs in 18.2 innings pitched.
Julio Guerrero has been a constant presence over the last seven games, slashing .375/.447/.938. The Caracas, Venezuela, is on an eight-game hitting streak, with eight of the extra-base variety. Five of his team-leading six home runs have come in that stretch. He added a stolen base to his Missouri Valley Conference-leading total on the season, currently sitting at 17.
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 206-132 record at SIU, reaching the 200-win mark in a March 3 victory over North Dakota State.

THE MATCHUP

Southern Illinois (10-16) vs. Lindenwood (11-16)
SIU leads the all-time series 5-0, with two wins in 2025.
Common opponent UT Martin swept the Lions over the weekend in Martin.
Like the Skyhawks, Lindenwood likes wreaking havoc on the bases, totaling 60 so far this season, second in the Ohio Valley Conference. Kam Edwards (13), Will Geary (15) and Charlie Isom-McCall (15) each rank in the top 10 of the league.
The pitching staff has been rock solid, with an OVC-low 4.56 ERA. They have given up just 16 home runs on the season, second in the conference.
Jake Radosevich has shown patience at the plate, drawing 22 walks on the year, which is tied for second in the OVC. He leads the Lions in the three main offensive categories in batting average (.290), home runs (5) and RBIs (25).

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 is the team's top arm early on.
The Salukis are currently third in The Valley with a 5.83 team ERA and are second with an opponent batting average of .258.
The bullpen has collected six saves, third 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. He is tied for ninth in the Missouri Valley Conference, hitting .329.
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 has four home runs, tied for 10th in the MVC. He ranks 10th in slugging percentage (.520).
Tim Simay is tied for 10th in the MVC with seven doubles and 31 total hits. The Atlanta, Ga., native has nine multi-hit games this season.
Henry Kufa is ninth in The Valley with a .429 OBP.
Julio Guerrero leads the league with 17 stolen bases in the young season and is tied for 25th nationally. He also has eight doubles, tied for fifth in the conference, and 15 total extra base hits, tied for third in the MVC. His recent surge has him ranked in The Valley's top 10 of total hits (32, T-7th), RBIs (24, T-7th), home runs (6, T-4th), slugging percentage (.594, 6th), hit-by-pitches (9, 3rd) and sacrifice flies (3, 5th).
Andrew Evans is third in the Missouri Valley Conference and 31st nationally in ERA (1.76) and has 39 strikeouts, tied for the lead in the MVC. He also sports the league's second-best opponent batting average at .224. He was named the conference's Pitcher of the Week on March 10.
Troy Shepard is fourth in the league with an opponent batting average of .224, and tied for fourth with 34 strikeouts.
Jack MacIntosh has been strong from the bullpen with a 2.45 ERA and three saves (T-4th in the MVC).

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.