Softball Faces SIUE on Wednesday for Final Regular Season Game at Home

Softball Faces SIUE on Wednesday for Final Regular Season Game at Home

04/28/2026 | 2:00:00 | Softball

By: Dominic Hoscher, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois University softball team (29-15 overall, 18-6 MVC) is set to host SIUE on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in its final home game of the regular season.

SIU's game against the Cougars will be "Greek Night" with the Dawg Pound hosting a cookout as well.

Details
- Date: Wednesday, April 29, at 6:30 p.m.
- Location: Charlotte West Stadium | Carbondale, Ill.
- Opponent: SIUE
- Live Stats: Click here
- Watch: ESPN+

Weekly Recap
Southern Illinois played just two games last week, going 1-1 at Murray State on April 21. SIU won game one, 4-3, after Hayden Kurtz hit a go-ahead, two-run home run in the fifth. Amanda Knutson's two hits led the team. In the circle, Emily Delgado (9-4) picked up her ninth win of the season after not allowing a run or a hit across 2.2 innings pitched out of the bullpen.

In game two, the Salukis fell, 3-0, to Murray State. Knutson again led the team with two hits in the loss.

Overall, Knutson went 4-for-6 with two doubles and one run scored in the doubleheader last Tuesday. Mikaela Coburn and Emily Williams both had two hits each in Murray.

Delgado went 1-0 with a 2.10 ERA across two appearances to lead the way in the circle.

Entering the final week of the regular season, Southern Illinois holds a 29-15 overall record and 18-6 conference record.

SIU's game against SIUE on Tuesday will be its last at home in the regular season. Southern is 11-2 while playing in Carbondale in 2026.

After its matchup against the Cougars, Southern will travel to UIC this weekend starting with a doubleheader on Friday, May 1. The Salukis will be heading to Chicago for the first time since March 22-24, 2024, when they went 2-1 against the Flames.

When Southern Illinois returns home, it will host the Missouri Valley Conference tournament starting on Wednesday, May 6. The tournament will run until Saturday, May 9, with the championship currently scheduled for 1 p.m.

Series History
Southern Illinois is 41-9 in 50 all-time meetings against SIUE.

The last time the two programs met was on Feb. 26, 2023, in Carbondale during the Coach B. Classic. The Salukis won, 4-3, and are on a three-game winning streak vs. the Cougars.

SIUE's last win vs. Southern Illinois was on March 29, 2017 (4-0).

The series dates back to 1976 where SIU won the first-ever meeting, 7-4. The Salukis were victorious in each of the first eight contests between the two programs.

Redshirt sophomore Maleah Blomenkamp played one season at SIUE in 2024 as a freshman prior to arriving in Carbondale. Blomenkamp appeared in 46 games as a Cougar and made 19 starts.

Looking at the Cougars
SIUE brings a 25-25 overall record and 16-8 Ohio Valley Conference record into Carbondale. The Cougars have won three-straight games and are 11-9 in away games.

In its last series, SIUE swept Tennessee State on the road over the weekend. The Cougars out-scored the hosts, 19-10, across three games.

The Cougars currently sit in third place in the OVC entering the final week of the regular season. Eastern Illinois leads the conference at 20-3 in league play, followed by UT Martin in second at 18-5.

Raegan Duncan leads the Cougars offensively with a .316 batting average and a .889 OPS in 46 games played and 45 games started. In terms of pitching, Avery Arwood's 3.52 ERA leads the way for SIUE.

Valley Update
The Salukis are in second place in the MVC entering the final week of the regular season. SIU will face eighth-place UIC this weekend in Chicago.

Belmont is in first at 21-5. The Bruins are concluding conference play on Tuesday at Indiana State with a doubleheader.

After SIU, Murray State sits in third while Illinois State is in fourth. Northern Iowa and Evansville are currently holding on to the final two postseason spots, with UNI in fifth and Evansville in sixth.

Indiana State is currently on the outside looking in with a 10-12 record in seventh place. The Sycamores conclude the season at Northern Iowa this weekend while the Purple Aces will host Valparaiso.

Pitching Trio Among Top Valley Arms
Three of the MVC's top five ERAs currently reside in Carbondale. Hailey Lucas is in second at 2.37, Brooklynn Danielson is in third at 2.56, and Emily Delgado is in fifth at 2.67.

All three pitchers are also top five in MVC only ERA. Danielson's 1.51 ERA against Valley opponents is second behind only Belmont's Maya Johnson (0.78). Delgado is third at 2.20 while Lucas is in fourth at 2.33.

In terms of saves, Delgado's three in MVC play are a league-high.

Prior to the bye weekend, the Salukis had claimed each of the previous two MVC Pitcher of the Week honors. Danielson received the award on April 14 while Delgado earned both this and D1Softball's Mid-Major Pitcher of the Week on April 21.

Record Watch
With four games remaining in the regular season, junior catcher Sydney Potter is one home run away from tying the single-season program record of 17. This was set by Jackie Lis (2023) and Emily Williams (2025). Potter is currently in a tie for third with Lis (2024) at 16.

Junior Emily Williams' 13 home runs are the eighth-most in a season in program history. Williams is one homer away from going into a four-way tie for fifth all-time with Katie Jordan (2005), Maria Damico (2005), and Katie Wilson (2007).

In terms of RBI, Williams is tied for sixth with Taylor Orsburn (2011) at 49. The junior is just eight RBI away from tying Lis (2023) for the most in a season in program history at 57.

Other Key Offensive Numbers
Redshirt sophomore Maleah Blomenkamp's .453 batting average and .534 on-base percentage in Valley play both rank second in the league. Blomenkamp has reached base in 22 of 24 conference games and has a hit in 20 of them. Overall, the redshirt sophomore has had 16 multi-hit games in 2026.

Against MVC opponents, junior third baseman Amanda Knutson is batting .429, which ranks third in the Valley. Knutson is also tied for seventh in league play in home runs (six), is ninth in RBI (21), tied for fifth in doubles (seven), and is fourth in slugging percentage (.786).

Williams leads the league in RBI (36) in Valley play and is second in overall RBI (49).

Sophomore Hayden Kurtz has emerged as one of SIU's top bats over the course of the season. After hitting her first-career home run on Feb. 28 against Western Carolina, Kurtz has started in each of SIU's last 26 games. The sophomore is batting .358 with a 1.090 OPS and six home runs.

Where the Salukis Rank
Southern Illinois ranks second in the MVC in team batting average (.299) and is fifth in runs scored (240). Against Valley opponents, SIU is hitting .330 which ranks second in the conference.

In the circle, the Salukis are second in both overall ERA (2.95) and conference play ERA (2.03). In 155.0 innings pitched in MVC play, Southern Illinois has allowed just 45 earned runs.

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.