Softball Hosts Northern Iowa this Weekend for Three-Game Set; Celebrates Senior Day, 'Bark in the Park' on Saturday

Softball Hosts Northern Iowa this Weekend for Three-Game Set; Celebrates Senior Day, 'Bark in the Park' on Saturday

04/16/2026 | 5:35:00 | Softball

By: Dominic Hoscher, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois University softball team (25-14 overall, 14-5 MVC) is back at home this weekend to face Northern Iowa starting with a doubleheader on Friday at 2 p.m. The series will wrap up on Saturday at 1 p.m. for Senior Day and the 'Bark in the Park' game with St. Francis CARE.

Southern Illinois will honor seniors Erin Lee, Haley Wilkerson, and Brooklyn Pritchett on Saturday, April 18, after the conclusion of game three. This will also be SIU's 'Bark in the Park' game in partnership with St. Francis CARE. St. Francis will have dogs on-site that are up for adoption and prior to the game, its president and founder, Diane Daugherty, will be throwing out the first pitch. Fans can donate supplies, treats, and more on Saturday. For the full list of donation needs, click here.

Fans are also encouraged to bring their dogs to Saturday's game.

Details
- Date: Friday, April 17 to Saturday, April 18
- Location: Charlotte West Stadium | Carbondale, Ill.
- Opponent: Northern Iowa
- 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.)

Highlighting the Seniors
Southern Illinois will honor and celebrate Erin Lee, Haley Wilkerson, and Brooklyn Pritchett on Saturday for Senior Day.

Lee has spent all four years of her collegiate career at Southern Illinois and has spent most of it as the program's starting second baseman. The senior has played in 165 games and made 161 starts during her time as a Saluki.

Wilkerson, like Lee, has also been a member of the Southern Illinois softball program for all four years. Originally from Whiteland, Ind., the veteran infielder has made 20 appearances and eight starts in 2026.

Pritchett is in her first year as a Saluki after spending the past two seasons at Utah State. The graduate student and outfielder from Layton, Utah, has been featured in 29 games this season and has started in seven.

Weekly Recap
Southern Illinois went 2-1 in its last series at Drake this past weekend. SIU won the first two games in Des Moines before falling, 10-7, in game three on Saturday,

The Salukis started off the week with an 11-0 win in game one. Southern had 17 hits in the victory. Prior to Friday, the last time Southern Illinois had registered 17 hits in a game was April 26, 2014, at Wichita State.

In SIU's other win, a 3-1 victory in game two, both Emily Williams and Mikaela Coburn went deep against the Bulldogs. In the circle, Hailey Lucas (7-6) picked up the win while Emily Delgado (3) earned the save.

Southern combined for a .340 batting average and scored 21 runs during the three-game series in Des Moines. Maleah Blomenkamp paced the Salukis with a .500 average, six hits, and five RBI, and was tied for a team-high two home runs with Amanda Knutson.

The freshman duo of Lucas and Brooklynn Danielson limited the Bulldogs to a combined four runs in 16.1 total innings pitched. Lucas went 1-0 with a 1.68 ERA and seven strikeouts, while Danielson also went 1-0 with a 1.75 ERA and a team-high 11 strikeouts. Delgado picked up her third save of the season in game two.

At 14-5 in MVC play, Southern Illinois currently sits in second place in the Valley behind Belmont who is 17-3. Northern Iowa is in third at 10-5, followed by Illinois State in fourth at 13-7.

This weekend's matchup between SIU and UNI will involve the two highest-scoring offenses in the conference. Northern Iowa's 319 runs scored are a league-high, while Southern Illinois is second at 226.

The Salukis are second in ERA at 3.07. In Valley play, Southern has a 2.02 ERA which is also second in the league.

Series History
Southern Illinois holds a record of 82-51 all-time against Northern Iowa. This weekend will mark the 134th, 135th, and 136th meetings between the two programs.

The Salukis and Panthers met three times in 2025, with UNI winning 2-of-3. Over the last five meetings, Southern Illinois is 3-2 against Northern Iowa.

The last time the two sides met in Carbondale was in late-March of 2024. Northern Iowa won the series, 2-1. Later that season, SIU and UNI met in the MVC Championship, which was won by Southern, 3-2, on May 11 in Normal, Ill.

Southern Illinois' series with Northern Iowa dates back to 1977. SIU and UNI first met in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., with the Panthers winning the first-ever meeting, 3-0, on May 25, 1977.

Looking at the Panthers
Northern Iowa is 22-16 overall and 10-5 in conference play heading into the weekend. On the road, the Panthers are 9-7 this season.

The Panthers are 12th in the NCAA in scoring with 319 runs on the year. UNI is averaging 8.39 runs-per-game, which ranks seventh in the country. In terms of home runs, Northern Iowa is also seventh with 78.

UNI has had three players hit at least 15 home runs on the season, with Kate Lappe's 16 leading the way. Both Skylar Benesh and Brynn Acton have hit 15 each.

Danielson Earns MVC Pitcher of the Week Honors
Freshman Brooklynn Danielson was named the MVC Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday for the first time in her career. This was also the first time a Saluki has received the award since April 28, 2025 (McKenzie Newcomb).

Danielson went 2-0 and recorded a 1.00 ERA in three appearances against Evansville and Drake. The freshman also led the team with 13 strikeouts and 14.0 innings pitched.

Since the start of conference play, Danielson has been one of the Valley's top arms. The Kenosha, Wis., native is second in the league in ERA (1.21), third in wins (six), and second in WHIP (0.95) against MVC opposition.

Single-Season Home Run and RBI Record Watch
Juniors Sydney Potter and Emily Williams are climbing SIU's single-season home run and RBI leaderboards. Potter is one home run shy of tying the program record of 17 (Jackie Lis in 2023, Williams in 2025).

Williams is now eighth all-time in single-season home runs with 13. The junior needs one more to go into a four-way tie for fifth at 14 (Katie Jordan and Maria Damico in 2005, Katie Wilson in 2007).

In terms of RBI, Williams has 46 while Potter has 43. Jenny Jansen (2021) is ninth in single-season RBI with 47 while the record is 57 (Lis, 2023).

Blomenkamp's First Two Collegiate Home Runs
During SIU's road trip to Des Moines, redshirt sophomore Maleah Blomenkamp launched the first two home runs of her collegiate career. Blomenkamp hit her first-career homer in the fourth inning of game one of the series on Friday, April 10.

One day later, Blomenkamp went deep again in the third inning of game three.

In MVC play, Blomenkamp is second in the league in both hits (29) and batting average (.492). The outfielder's .492 on-base percentage ranks fourth in the Valley.

Other Key Offensive Numbers
Junior Amanda Knutson hit two home runs at Drake and is now third on the team with six on the year. Knutson is tied for seventh in Valley play in RBI (18), home runs (five), and hits (24).

Sophomore Sage Grann also has 24 hits against MVC opponents. Across the conference play leaderboards, Grann is 12th in batting average (.421) and 10th in on-base percentage (.515).

Since hitting her first-career home run on Feb. 28 vs. Western Carolina, sophomore Hayden Kurtz has become a regular in the SIU lineup. After making one start in her first six appearances of the year, Kurtz has started in each of Southern Illinois' past 20 games.

Junior Mikaela Coburn is one of six Salukis to be hitting above .300, registering a .305 batting average in 33 games played. Against MVC opponents, Coburn is hitting .326 with a .370 on-base percentage.

Inside the Circle
Southern Illinois' pitching staff ranks second in the league in ERA at 3.07. In conference play, this sits at 2.02.

Freshman Hailey Lucas' 2.32 ERA leads the team and is second in the MVC. Lucas is 7-6 and has the conference's second-best WHIP at 1.04.

Junior Emily Delgado is now tied for third in the Valley in saves with three. Delgado has a 2.94 ERA, ranking sixth in the league.

Danielson leads SIU in wins (nine) and is second in both ERA (2.57) and WHIP (1.09). The freshman recorded a career-high nine strikeouts on April 10 at Drake. As a team, SIU finished with a season-high 12 strikeouts in the game. This was the first time Southern Illinois has had 12 strikeouts in a game since March 15, 2024, vs. Drake.

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.