Southern Illinois Looks to Extend Winning Streak this Weekend at Drake

Southern Illinois Looks to Extend Winning Streak this Weekend at Drake

04/09/2026 | 4:13:00 | Softball

By: Dominic Hoscher, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois University softball team (23-13 overall, 12-4 MVC) is heading to Des Moines, Iowa, to visit Drake for a three-game series starting with a doubleheader on Friday at 2:30 p.m.

Details
- Date: Friday, April 10 to Saturday, April 11
- Location: Buel Field - Des Moines, Iowa
- Opponent: Drake
- Live Stats: Friday (2:30 p.m.) | Friday (5 p.m.) | Saturday (2 p.m.) - Times listed are CST.
- Watch: Friday (2:30 p.m.) | Friday (5 p.m.) | Saturday (2 p.m.) - All games will be streamed on ESPN+

Weekly Recap
It was a strong week for the Salukis who went 5-0 against Indiana State and Evansville. Southern Illinois played five games from Sunday to Tuesday, winning three at Indiana State before winning two more at home against Evansville on Tuesday.

During its three-game series in Terre Haute, Southern Illinois out-scored Indiana State, 29-8. The Salukis combined for a .366 batting average, .423 on-base percentage, and .584 slugging percentage while also hitting six home runs. Emily Williams led the way with three homers (two being grand slams) and 10 RBI. Sage Grann and Amanda Knutson both recorded a team-high six hits, while Grann's eight runs were the most on the team.

The pitching staff put up a 2.67 ERA against the Sycamores. Brooklynn Danielson, Emily Delgado, and Hailey Lucas were all awarded wins in Indiana with Danielson's 1.00 ERA leading the trio.

Southern's big week continued on Tuesday against Evansville, out-scoring the Purple Aces, 17-0, in the doubleheader. Both wins were via run-rule with a 9-0 (6) win in game one and 8-0 (5) win in game two. Hayden Kurtz went 3-for-4 with three doubles and four RBI. Knutson also tallied three hits while Williams hit the team's lone homer.

Lucas and Danielson combined to blank the Aces on Tuesday. The freshman duo allowed just four hits across 11 scoreless innings.

Across the five total games, SIU posted a .373 batting average and scored 46 runs while allowing eight. As a staff, Southern had a 1.75 ERA against the Sycamores and Aces.

Knutson's .529 batting average led the team (min. 10 at bats), followed by Grann's .471. Williams hit a total of four home runs with 14 RBI in the five games. In the circle, Danielson went 2-0 with a 0.54 ERA while Lucas also went 2-0 with a 2.33 ERA.

Series History
Southern Illinois and Drake have met a total of 103 times heading into the weekend in Des Moines, Iowa. SIU leads the series, 66-37.

The Salukis have won five-straight games against the Bulldogs dating back to the 2022 season. Southern's last loss vs. Drake was on April 2, 2022, in Iowa, when the hosts won, 5-4. This was also SIU's last trip to Des Moines in the regular season.

In 2025, Southern Illinois and Drake played just once, with the lone meeting coming in the quarterfinals of the MVC Tournament. SIU won, 12-4, in five innings against the Bulldogs in Des Moines.

Looking at the Bulldogs
Drake is 8-27 overall and 2-12 in MVC play entering the weekend. The Bulldogs have lost five-straight games after falling, 9-0 (5), against Creighton on Wednesday. Prior to the loss, Drake had been swept in three games at Belmont and lost the previous game, 5-2, vs. Bradley on March 30.

As a team, the Bulldogs are hitting .270 with 27 home runs on the year. Natalee Watts' six homers are a team-high.

The pitching staff has combined for a 6.52 ERA in 35 games.

Potter Named MVC Newcomer of the Week
Junior catcher Sydney Potter earned Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week honors after SIU's series at Indiana State. This is the second time Potter has received the award, as she was named both MVC Player and Newcomer of the Week after week one.

Potter hit two home runs with six RBI, three runs scored, and a .909 slugging percentage against the Sycamores.

The catcher is tied for 14th in the NCAA in home runs with 16 on the year. This is also tied for the second-most in a single season in program history with Jackie Lis ('24).

Potter is one home run away from tying the program record, which is currently held by Lis ('23) and Emily Williams ('25).

Williams Leading Conference in RBI
Since the start of conference play, Emily Williams is batting .418 with a team-high 10 home runs and 31 RBI. Williams also has a .964 slugging percentage against Valley opponents.

Overall, Williams now leads the team in batting average (.379) and RBI (44). The junior is first in the MVC in RBI and ninth in batting average. In MVC play, the junior is first in both RBI and home runs.

Both Williams and Potter are top two overall and in league play in terms of RBI.

Blomenkamp Torching MVC Pitching
Against Valley opposition, redshirt sophomore Maleah Blomenkamp has a .489 batting average with 23 hits. The batting average leads the Salukis while the 23 hits are tied for the most on the team with Williams.

Blomenkamp also leads SIU in terms of on-base percentage (.579) in MVC play. The outfielder ranks fourth in the league in this category and is also tied for second in hits and is first in batting average.

Other Key Offensive Numbers
Sophomore outfielder Sage Grann has a .366 batting average on the season, ranking third on the team. Grann's .500 on-base percentage is a team-best and ranks sixth in the MVC. The sophomore is also sixth in Valley play in on-base percentage at .564 while her .455 batting average is tied for fifth.

Also batting .455 against MVC opponents is junior Amanda Knutson. Knutson has three home runs, 14 RBI, and a .773 slugging percentage in conference play.

Sophomore Hayden Kurtz hit .357 with three doubles and seven RBI last week against Indiana State and Evansville. Kurtz is now batting .321 on the year with four home runs, 20 RBI, and six doubles in 23 games played.

As a team, SIU is second in the MVC in runs scored (205), fourth in batting average (.298), and second in home runs (40).

Inside the Circle
Southern Illinois' pitching staff ranks second in the league in ERA at 3.09. In conference play, this is lowered to 1.87.

Freshman Hailey Lucas' 2.38 ERA leads the team and is second in the MVC. Lucas is 6-5 with a team-high 67 strikeouts in 82.1 innings pitched.

Second on the team (and third in the league) in ERA is junior Emily Delgado at 2.63. Delgado holds a record of 7-3 and has 49 strikeouts in 64.0 innings pitched. The junior's ERA in conference play is down to 1.83 in six appearances.

Freshman Brooklynn Danielson leads SIU in wins (five) and ERA (1.10) in Valley play. Danielson is 5-1 across nine MVC appearances and hasn't allowed an earned run in six of those games.

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.