Southern to Host Arkansas State Tuesday night

Tuesday, April 14

6 PM

Southern Illinois University

Arkansas State

Kyle Mager celebrates an RBI double during Southern Illinois' 16-3 win over Evansville Sunday, April 12, 2026, in Evansville, Ind.

Photo by: Jordan Kruse

04/13/2026 | 2:59:00 | Baseball

By: Jordan Kruse, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois baseball comes home to host Arkansas State in a midweek matchup Tuesday night at Itchy Jones Stadium.

FOLLOW THE GAME

Tuesday — 6 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch

THE PROBABLE STARTERS

Alec Ammerman (0-0, 6.75 ERA) vs. Ckyler Tengler (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

AROUND THE HORN

Southern Illinois dropped two of three at Evansville last weekend, salvaging the series with a season-high 16 runs in a win on Sunday.
After his electric pinch-hit grand slam against SEMO, Kyle Mager made the most of his nine at-bats in the series at Evansville, tallying four hits with three doubles and two RBIs on the weekend.
Tim Simay tallied the team's first four-hit game of the season in Sunday's victory, capping his own impressive weekend with a home run, a double, seven RBIs, and three runs scored in the series.
After being named the conference's Pitcher of the Week, Andrew Evans fanned a career-high 14 batters in Friday night's game, the most by a Saluki pitcher since Brad Harrison had 13 on March 6, 2018, at SEMO.
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 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 209-137 record at SIU, reaching the 200-win mark in a March 3 victory over North Dakota State.

THE MATCHUP

Southern Illinois (13-21, 4-5 MVC) vs. Arkansas State (21-14, 7-8 SBC)
Common non-conference opponents: Oral Roberts (SIU: 1-2, ASU: 1-2)
SIU leads the all-time series 55-28, with the road team winning each matchup in 2025.
The Red Wolves lost two of three to Coastal Carolina over the weekend.
Offensively, the long ball has been key to ASU's success, smacking 56 so far this season, which ranks second in the Sun Belt. ASU ranks third with a .474 slugging percentage.
On the mound, Arkansas State has a team ERA of 3.92, second in the Sun Belt and 19th in the NCAA. The Red Wolves lead the SBC with 13 saves, six from closer Cooper Garrison. They have allowed the fewest hits, walks, wild pitches, and doubles in the league, along with the second-fewest earned runs, hit-by-pitches, and second-lowest opponent batting average (.243).
Derek Martinez has been a force at the plate, leading ASU and the Sun Belt with a 1.184 OPS. Lane Walton leads the team and is tied for fourth in the SBC with 11 home runs.

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 have an experienced roster, including only a handful of underclassmen, and rely 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. 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 has been one of The Valley's best arms early on.
The Salukis are currently second in The Valley with a 5.42 team ERA and lead the league in opponent batting average at .250, allowing the fewest hits and leading the MVC in Ks per nine. They have given up the fewest home runs with 26.
The bullpen has collected eight saves, second in the conference.

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.

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.
Charlie Miller made the most of his first appearance out of the bullpen, pitching three shutout frames with three strikeouts in the opening victory at Oral Roberts.
Julio Guerrero leads the MVC with 17 stolen bases, and leads SIU with six home runs. His recent surge has him ranked in The Valley's top 10 of slugging percentage (.571, T-7th), hit-by-pitches (9, T-7th), and sacrifice flies (3, T-9th).
Cecil Lofton leads the MVC with five sacrifice flies.
Tim Simay leads the Salukis with 40 hits on the season, tied for 10th in the MVC.
Andrew Evans is second in The Valley and tied for 17th in the nation in ERA (1.80) and has 64 strikeouts, leading in the MVC. He also sports the league's second-best opponent batting average at .195, and the best WHIP (1.04) among qualified pitchers.
Troy Shepard is fourth in the league with an opponent batting average of .220, seventh with a 4.37 ERA, eighth with a 1.30 WHIP, and fifth with 44 strikeouts.

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.