Southern Illinoise University Athletics
This Week in Saluki Athletics: May 11-17
05/11/2026 | 12:21:00 | General
CARBONDALE, Ill. – The school year is officially over at Southern Illinois. While some sports, such as softball, have recently concluded their seasons, others, like baseball and track and field, are still working towards wrapping their seasons up.
Softball (34-17, 21-6)
The 2026 season concluded this week for softball, who fell in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinals.
SIU opened their tournament run on Thursday with a 6-5, extra innings loss to Murray State. Amanda Knutson and Sydney Potter both hit home runs for SIU, with Potter's tying the single season record for SIU home runs. In the circle, Emily Delgado did her best for Southern, allowing just one run across five innings of relief work.
The Salukis then staved off elimination on Friday with a 1-0 win over Illinois State in eight innings. Hayden Kurtz was the hero for SIU, grabbing the walk-off hit to send the Redbirds home. Delgado and Hailey Lucas both pitched four innings apiece to combine for the shutout.
A rematch against the Racers awaited Southern on Friday night, with Murray State eventually ending the SIU season with a 6-1 win. A solo shot by Emily Williams provided Southern with their only run while Delgado put up another scoreless outing across two innings.
At the end of the season, SIU stands with a record of 34-17 and 21-6 in conference play.
Baseball (21-28, 12-9)
It was a huge weekend for baseball, who secured their spot in the MVC Tournament thanks to a three-game sweep over Belmont.
The series started on Friday with an 8-3 win. Julio Guerrero and Jaden Flores both homered for SIU as Guerrero collected four RBIs. On the mound, starter Andrew Evans went eight innings deep while allowing three runs.
Southern won again on Saturday, 9-4. Flores hit another home run as he and Gabe Petrucelli both had multi-RBI games. Southern got another excellent start, this time from Troy Shepard and his eight innings of one-run ball.
SIU closed out the sweep on Sunday with a 13-4 win. Guerrero and Tim Simay both had hits leave the park, but it was Cecil Lofton who led the team in RBIs with three. Southern's pitching rotation of Charlie Miller, Jack MacIntosh, Dylan Petrey, and Meade Johnson combined to contain the Belmont offense.
The regular season ends this week for SIU with four games. On Tuesday, May 12, they welcome SIUE for the final non-conference game of the season at 6 p.m. The Salukis then host Valparaiso for the final weekend series of the year and Senior Weekend. Games take place on Thursday, May 14, at 6 p.m., Friday, May 15, at 6 p.m., and Saturday, May 16, at 2 p.m.
Track and Field
It is championship week for track and field, who head to Terra Haute, Indiana, for the MVC Championships on May 16 and 17.
Track and field now looks to the MVC Championships, hosted in Terra Haute, Indiana, this year on May 16 and 17.
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.
Softball (34-17, 21-6)
The 2026 season concluded this week for softball, who fell in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinals.
SIU opened their tournament run on Thursday with a 6-5, extra innings loss to Murray State. Amanda Knutson and Sydney Potter both hit home runs for SIU, with Potter's tying the single season record for SIU home runs. In the circle, Emily Delgado did her best for Southern, allowing just one run across five innings of relief work.
The Salukis then staved off elimination on Friday with a 1-0 win over Illinois State in eight innings. Hayden Kurtz was the hero for SIU, grabbing the walk-off hit to send the Redbirds home. Delgado and Hailey Lucas both pitched four innings apiece to combine for the shutout.
A rematch against the Racers awaited Southern on Friday night, with Murray State eventually ending the SIU season with a 6-1 win. A solo shot by Emily Williams provided Southern with their only run while Delgado put up another scoreless outing across two innings.
At the end of the season, SIU stands with a record of 34-17 and 21-6 in conference play.
Baseball (21-28, 12-9)
It was a huge weekend for baseball, who secured their spot in the MVC Tournament thanks to a three-game sweep over Belmont.
The series started on Friday with an 8-3 win. Julio Guerrero and Jaden Flores both homered for SIU as Guerrero collected four RBIs. On the mound, starter Andrew Evans went eight innings deep while allowing three runs.
Southern won again on Saturday, 9-4. Flores hit another home run as he and Gabe Petrucelli both had multi-RBI games. Southern got another excellent start, this time from Troy Shepard and his eight innings of one-run ball.
SIU closed out the sweep on Sunday with a 13-4 win. Guerrero and Tim Simay both had hits leave the park, but it was Cecil Lofton who led the team in RBIs with three. Southern's pitching rotation of Charlie Miller, Jack MacIntosh, Dylan Petrey, and Meade Johnson combined to contain the Belmont offense.
The regular season ends this week for SIU with four games. On Tuesday, May 12, they welcome SIUE for the final non-conference game of the season at 6 p.m. The Salukis then host Valparaiso for the final weekend series of the year and Senior Weekend. Games take place on Thursday, May 14, at 6 p.m., Friday, May 15, at 6 p.m., and Saturday, May 16, at 2 p.m.
Track and Field
It is championship week for track and field, who head to Terra Haute, Indiana, for the MVC Championships on May 16 and 17.
Track and field now looks to the MVC Championships, hosted in Terra Haute, Indiana, this year on May 16 and 17.
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.
Players Mentioned
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/ Softball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Softball
1B/3B
/ Softball
INF
/ Baseball
P
/ Softball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
C/INF
/ Softball
LHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF/C
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