Southern Illinoise University Athletics
This Week in Saluki Athletics: May 18-24
05/18/2026 | 1:54:00 | General
CARBONDALE, Ill. – The first week of summer break has come and gone, but two Saluki athletics teams are still in action. Baseball finished their regular season last week and now turn their attention towards the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Meanwhile, track and field competed in their MVC Championships this past weekend.
Baseball (23-30, 14-10)
Baseball concluded their 2026 regular season this past week with a pair of wins and pair of losses.
They first lost to SIUE on Tuesday, 9-7. Jacob McKenzie hit a home run for Southern as he joined five other Salukis in recording an RBI.
Southern then hosted Valparaiso for Senior Weekend and started the slate with a 6-4 win on Thursday. Kye Watson led the offense with a pair of hits and RBIs while Andrew Evans threw three, shutout innings in his start.
Valparaiso evened up the series on Friday with a 9-4 win. Watson had another two RBIs as he was responsible for half of SIU's offense while starter Troy Shepard did not allow an earned run over his three innings of work.
SIU closed out the weekend and regular season with a 13-3, eight-inning win on Saturday. Michael Mylott homered for the Salukis on his way to three RBIs. Tim Simay also drove a trio of runs in, and Southern's four-man bullpen combined to not allow any earned runs.
It is now tournament time for SIU. The Salukis enter the MVC Tournament as the four seed, and will open their run with an 11 a.m. game against #5 Evansville on Wednesday, May 20.
Track and Field
Saluki track and field concluded their run at the 2026 MVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships this past weekend. In the team standings, the men's squad placed fifth while the women came in sixth.
Southern came away with six gold medals. The women's 4x100-meter relay team took home first, as did Leah Thames in the women's 400-meter dash. Kwame Smith then topped the 400-meter dash on the men's side, and Shane Ashton came away as the men's 400-meter hurdles winners. Thames reeled in another gold medal in the 200-meter dash while also setting an all-conditions program record with her time of 22.69. The men's 4x400-meter relay team then ended the event with one more win.
Now, the team gets set to send select athletes to the NCAA West Regional in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on May 27-30.
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.
Baseball (23-30, 14-10)
Baseball concluded their 2026 regular season this past week with a pair of wins and pair of losses.
They first lost to SIUE on Tuesday, 9-7. Jacob McKenzie hit a home run for Southern as he joined five other Salukis in recording an RBI.
Southern then hosted Valparaiso for Senior Weekend and started the slate with a 6-4 win on Thursday. Kye Watson led the offense with a pair of hits and RBIs while Andrew Evans threw three, shutout innings in his start.
Valparaiso evened up the series on Friday with a 9-4 win. Watson had another two RBIs as he was responsible for half of SIU's offense while starter Troy Shepard did not allow an earned run over his three innings of work.
SIU closed out the weekend and regular season with a 13-3, eight-inning win on Saturday. Michael Mylott homered for the Salukis on his way to three RBIs. Tim Simay also drove a trio of runs in, and Southern's four-man bullpen combined to not allow any earned runs.
It is now tournament time for SIU. The Salukis enter the MVC Tournament as the four seed, and will open their run with an 11 a.m. game against #5 Evansville on Wednesday, May 20.
Track and Field
Saluki track and field concluded their run at the 2026 MVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships this past weekend. In the team standings, the men's squad placed fifth while the women came in sixth.
Southern came away with six gold medals. The women's 4x100-meter relay team took home first, as did Leah Thames in the women's 400-meter dash. Kwame Smith then topped the 400-meter dash on the men's side, and Shane Ashton came away as the men's 400-meter hurdles winners. Thames reeled in another gold medal in the 200-meter dash while also setting an all-conditions program record with her time of 22.69. The men's 4x400-meter relay team then ended the event with one more win.
Now, the team gets set to send select athletes to the NCAA West Regional in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on May 27-30.
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
/ Track and Field
RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
OF/INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
/ Track and Field
/ Track and Field
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