Southern's Matchup at Lindenwood Moved Up Due to Weather

Tuesday, April 28

St. Charles, MO

3 PM

Southern Illinois University

Lindenwood

Jacob McKenzie waits for a pitch during Southern Illinois' 7-5 loss to Murray State Sunday, April 26, 2026, at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale, Ill.

Photo by: Zuzanna Gaik

04/27/2026 | 2:52:00 | Baseball

By: Jordan Kruse, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois Baseball travels to Lindenwood for a non-conference midweek bout Tuesday in St. Charles, Mo. Originally scheduled for 6 p.m., the game has been moved up to 3 p.m. in lieu of potential severe weather Tuesday night.

FOLLOW THE GAME

Tuesday — 3 p.m.* | Live Stats | Watch

THE PROBABLE STARTERS

Ryan Halamicek (0-0, 2.84 ERA) vs. TBA

AROUND THE HORN

SIU dropped two of three to Murray State over the weekend, now sitting at 8-7 in Missouri Valley Conference play, good for fifth in the standings.
Charlie Miller is in the midst of a dominant stretch out of the bullpen, not allowing a run over his last 9.2 innings pitched. He threw a season-high 4.1 scoreless frames Sunday against Murray State.
Gabe Petrucelli slashed .364/.533/.727 during last week's games, including a home run in Tuesday's midweek matchup with SEMO and a clutch two-run double to tie the game late against Murray State Sunday.
Julio Guerrero made the most of his return to the starting lineup, collecting four RBIs in his first start since March 31 on Saturday in a comeback victory over Murray State.
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.

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 213-141 record at SIU, reaching the 200-win mark in a March 3 victory over North Dakota State.

THE MATCHUP

Southern Illinois (17-25, 8-7 MVC) vs. Lindenwood (24-19, 10-8 OVC)
Common opponents: Bradley, Evansville, Murray State, Southeast Missouri, UT Martin (LU: 6-6, SIU: 5-8)
SIU leads the all-time series 5-1, with Lindenwood getting its first win over the Salukis earlier this season on a 3-1 win at Itchy Jones Stadium.
The Lions work best in low-scoring games, scoring the fewest runs in the Ohio Valley Conference, but leading the league with a 3.97 team ERA.
Will Geary leads LU with a .307 batting average, while Jake Radosevich paces the Lions with eight home runs and 33 RBIs.
Easton Rakers leads Lindenwood with five saves, tied for fourth in the OVC.

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.

IN THE BATTER'S BOX

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 5.53 team ERA and lead the league in opponent batting average at .247, allowing the fewest hits per nine (8.17, 37th in NCAA) and second in the MVC in strikeouts per nine (8.64).
The bullpen has collected eight saves, tied for fourth 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.

Kye Watson was the top Saluki hitter in the opening series at Oral Roberts. The redshirt freshman from Lititz, Pa., went 5-for-11 at the plate and hit two solo homers in his debut series for Southern.
Julio Guerrero is tied for the MVC lead with 18 stolen bases and is tied for the SIU lead with six home runs. He ranks in The Valley's top 10 in slugging percentage (.575, 7th).
Cecil Lofton leads the MVC with six sacrifice flies and is tied for the team lead with six home runs.
Kristian Sprawling has been a baseball magnet, taking 16 hit-by-pitches in 90 at-bats.
Andrew Evans is second in The Valley and 37th in the nation in ERA (2.44) and has 71 strikeouts, leading in the MVC. He also sports the league's fifth-best opponent batting average at .212, and the best WHIP (1.12) among qualified pitchers.
Troy Shepard is second in the league with an opponent batting average of .205, tied for seventh with a 4.10 ERA, third with a 1.18 WHIP, and tied for third with 61 strikeouts.

*Tuesday's first pitch of 3 p.m. is subject to change based on the day's weather patterns, follow Saluki Baseball on X, Facebook, and Instagram for updates.

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