This Week in Saluki Athletics: April 20-26

04/20/2026 | 2:06:00 | General

By: Peter Borkowski

CARBONDALE, Ill. – The postseason draws nearer for all spring sports in Saluki Athletics. Softball just completed their final weekend, home series, while men's golf and track and field look forward to their final competitions before the conference championships. Additionally, baseball just pulled off their first sweep of the season while women's golf has begun their run at the Missouri Valley Conference Championship.

Softball (28-14, 17-5)
It was a successful senior weekend for softball as they swept Northern Iowa in a three-game slate.

SIU first one Friday's opening game, 2-1. Hayden Kurtz and Maleah Blomenkamp provided RBIs for the Salukis while Brooklynn Danielson and Emily Delgado combined to allow just one run and strike out nine in the circle.

Southern then won game two on Friday, 3-1. Emily Williams had both of SIU's RBIs while Amanda Knutson swiped home on a passed ball. In the circle, Hailey Lucas threw five innings without allowing an earned run to start before Delgado cleaned up the final two innings.

The Salukis completed the sweep with a Senior Day win on Saturday, 5-3. Knutson hit a homer on her way to three RBIs as Mikaela Coburn and Haley Wilkerson drove runs in as well. Delgado was once again solid out of the bullpen, allowing just one hit across 2.2 innings to earn the win.

Just two games await Southern this week. On Tuesday, April 21, they visit Murray State for a doubleheader at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Baseball (16-22, 7-5)
Baseball picked up its first sweep of the season this past weekend.

But first, they suffered an 11-5 midweek loss to Arkansas State on Tuesday. The Salukis did get home runs from Mason Schwalbach and Xavier Farnum as those two combined for four of SIU's five RBIs.

SIU then visited Bradley for a weekend series and won the first game, which was split between Friday and Saturday due to weather, 10-1. Jaden Flores and Cecil Lofton hit homers for the Salukis, with Lofton compiling four RBIs. On the mound, Andrew Evans, Jack MacIntosh, and Alec Ammerman combined to allow just one run while striking out 11.

The Salukis then won game two of the series, 6-2, Saturday evening. Troy Shepard was the story of the game, as he carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning while striking out 12 Braves. Shepard was backed up by RBIs from Kye Watson, Kristian Sprawling, and Kaleb Hall.

Southern finished off the sweep with a 13-5 win on Sunday. Flores and Mager launched home runs for the Salukis as Mager collected five RBIs. SIU's bullpen of Ryan Halamicek, Dawson Hargrove, and Dylan Petrey was lights out, allowing no earned runs across four innings of work.

Another four games are on the schedule for baseball this week. On Tuesday, April 21, they travel to SEMO for a 6 p.m. game. SIU then welcomes Murray State to Carbondale for a weekend series. On Friday, April 24, they face off at 6 p.m. before playing again on Saturday, April 25, at 2 p.m. They then conclude the series on Sunday, April 26, at 3 p.m.

Track and Field
Track and field was in action in two spots this week, as there were Salukis competing in both the Bob Gibson Invitational in Indiana and the Tom Jones Memorial in Florida.

In Indiana,Malik Allen, Layla Watson, and Calen George were all crowned event winners. Meanwhile, in Florida, Kwame Smith, Leah Thames, and the men's 4x400-meter relay team all put up top-five results in school history, while Jalen Dickerson grabbed a top-10 spot in the record book with his 400-meter hurdles time of 51.88.

The track and field squad now looks forward to the Jim Green Invite on May 1 and 2, which will be their final meet before the MVC Championships.

Women's Golf
The Women's Golf MVC Championship is underway in Silvils, Illinois. After kicking off on Sunday, the Championship runs through Tuesday, April 21.

Men's Golf
Men's golf competes in the Hawkeye Invitational today, Monday, April 20, and Tuesday, April 21. This is their final competition before the MVC Championships, which begin on Sunday, April 26.

Follow the Salukis
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on X at @SIUSalukis, on Instagram at @siusalukis , and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SalukiAthletics/. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.