Southern Takes on Valpo for Senior Weekend

Thursday, May 14

6 PM

Southern Illinois University

Valparaiso

Photo by: Zuzanna Gaik

05/13/2026 | 12:27:00 | Baseball

By: Jordan Kruse, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois baseball wraps its regular season with a three-game set at Itchy Jones Stadium against Valparaiso on Senior Weekend.

13 seniors will be honored before Saturday's game:

THE SCHEDULE

Thursday — 6 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch
Friday — 6 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch
Saturday — 2 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch

THE PROBABLE STARTERS

Thursday — RHP Andrew Evans (6-2, 2.50 ERA) vs. RHP Adam Guazzo (2-6, 4.88 ERA)
Friday — LHP Troy Shepard (4-3, 3.51 ERA) vs. Connor Lockwood (3-8, 3.84 ERA)
Saturday — TBA vs. Nick Baffa (3-4, 5.55 ERA)

AROUND THE HORN

SIU swept Belmont and clinched a spot in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament over the weekend before dropping a midweek matchup 9-7 to SIUE.
Kristian Sprawling has been scorching hot over his last 10 games, slashing .436/.542/.744. He carries a 15-game hitting streak into the weekend, the longest since Ian Walters hit safely in 16 straight games between the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Troy Shepard delivered a dominant outing during Southern Illinois' 9-4 victory over Belmont Saturday in Nashville, and was rewarded with an MVC Pitcher of the Week honor Monday. The southpaw threw eight complete innings, allowing just one solo home run to the first batter he faced. He also added seven strikeouts to his ledger while walking just one batter. He currently ranks in the Missouri Valley Conference's top 10 with a 3.51 ERA (fifth), four wins (tied for ninth), 73 strikeouts (third) and leads the conference with a 1.12 WHIP. He and fellow starter Andrew Evans have combined for four games of eight-plus complete innings, the first time Southern has received four such performances since 2019.
Gabe Petrucelli slashed .538/.571/.846 during Southern Illinois' sweep of Belmont this past weekend. He notched a Division I career high with four hits in Sunday's 13-4 win with an RBI and one of his four doubles during the series. He also made an impact on the basepaths, swiping two bags on the weekend. The Rocklin, Calif., native is riding a five-game hitting streak.
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. The roster consists of 13 seniors, 15 juniors, three sophomores, and just two freshmen.

THE MATCHUP

Southern Illinois (21-29, 12-9 MVC) vs. Valparaiso (11-36, 4-17 MVC)
Common non-conference opponents: SIUE (VALPO: 1-2, SIU: 0-2)
The all-time series is tied between the two teams, 13-13. The Beacons tied the series, winning two of three in Northwest Indiana last season.
The Beacons dropped two of three at home to Evansville last weekend.
The pitching staff likes to keep the ball in play, allowing the fewest walks while striking out the fewest batters in the MVC.
Michael Kuska leads the Beacons batting .311 on the season. Thomas Cooper, Javin Gauthier and Cal Schembra are tied for the team lead with seven home runs each. Schembra leads with 30 RBIs.
Saturday's starter, Connor Lockwood, is seventh in The Valley with a 3.84 ERA.

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 this season.
The Salukis are currently second in The Valley with a 5.54 team ERA and lead the league in opponent batting average at .253, allowing the fewest hits per nine (8.44, 44th in NCAA) and collecting the most strikeouts per nine (8.8).
The bullpen has collected 10 saves, third 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 second in the Missouri Valley Conference with 19 stolen bases and leads SIU with eight home runs. He ranks ninth in the MVC with a .556 slugging percentage.
Cecil Lofton is tied for The Valley's lead with seven sacrifice flies.
Kristian Sprawling has been a baseball magnet, taking 21 hit-by-pitches in 154 plate appearances, third in The Valley and 27th in the NCAA. He ranks fifth in the MVC with a .447 on-base percentage.
Andrew Evans is second in The Valley and 29th in the nation in ERA (2.50) and has 83 strikeouts, leading in the MVC. He also sports the league's third-lowest opponent batting average at .215, and the second-lowest WHIP (1.14) among qualified pitchers.
Troy Shepard is second in the league with an opponent batting average of .198, fourth with a 3.51 ERA, first with a 1.12 WHIP, and third with 73 strikeouts.

FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_Baseball, on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiBaseball, and on Instagram at @SIU_Baseball. Fans can also download the Salukis Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.