Evans, Guerrero Lead Southern's All-Conference Award Winners Ahead of MVC Tournament

Wednesday, May 20

Murray, KY

11 AM

Southern Illinois University

Evansville

Andrew Evans eyes his target during Southern Illinois' 6-4 win over Valparaiso Thursday, May 14, 2026, at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale, Ill.

Photo by: Abby Harris

Evans, Guerrero Lead Southern's All-Conference Award Winners Ahead of MVC Tournament

05/19/2026 | 6:07:00 | Baseball

By: Jordan Kruse, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Ahead of the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Tournament opener against Evansville, Andrew Evans and Julio Guerrero each earned specialty awards, the league announced Tuesday. Evans was named SIU's first Pitcher of the Year, an award given out since 1987. Guerrero was named Co-Defensive Player of the Year with UIC's Vidal Colon, the first time a Saluki has earned the honor.

Here are the Salukis that were named to All-Conference teams in 2026:

FIRST TEAM

Andrew Evans

SECOND TEAM

Julio Guerrero
Troy Shepard
Tim Simay (Named Second-Team in 2025)

HONORABLE MENTION

ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM

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AROUND THE HORN

SIU took two of three from Valparaiso to wrap the regular season.
Kristian Sprawling has been scorching hot over his last 10 games, slashing .436/.551/.718. He carries a 20-game reached-base streak into the tournament, the longest of any Saluki this season.
Dylan Petrey is pitching his best heading into the tournament. The Pingree Grove, Ill., native has a 1.80 ERA over his last nine appearances with a .208 opponent batting average. This marks his second appearance on the MVC's Scholar-Athlete list after being named to the Second Team in 2025. He has a 3.75 GPA in Industrial Management and Applied Engineering.
Michael Mylott had his best weekend at the plate this season during the series win over Valparaiso. He went 9-for-15 at the dish, with a home run and four RBIs last week.

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

No. 4 Southern Illinois (23-30, 14-10 MVC) vs. No. 5 Evansville (20-31, 13-11 MVC)
The teams have played 12 times in the MVC Tournament, deadlocked at six wins apiece.
Evansville dropped two of three at home against Murray State last weekend.
They lean heavily on the pitching staff, heading into the tournament with the league's lowest batting average at .225.
MVC Freshman of the Year Spike Magill is the leader offensively, hitting .296, and leads The Valley with a .488 on-base percentage. Reagan Reeder leads with nine home runs and 35 RBI.
Max Hansmann has been the top starting pitcher and is tied with Southern's Troy Shepard, sporting a 3.38 ERA this season, fourth in the league.

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 5.50 team ERA and lead the league in opponent batting average at .258, allowing the fewest hits per nine (8.73) and collecting the most strikeouts per nine (8.7).
The bullpen has collected 11 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 third in the Missouri Valley Conference with 19 stolen bases and leads SIU with eight home runs. He ranks ninth in the MVC with a .551 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 169 plate appearances, third in The Valley and 33rd in the NCAA. He ranks sixth in the MVC with a .443 on-base percentage.
Andrew Evans is second in The Valley and 17th in the nation in ERA (2.50) and has 84 strikeouts, leading in the MVC. He also sports the league's fourth-lowest opponent batting average at .217, and the lowest WHIP (1.13) among qualified pitchers.
Troy Shepard is first in the league with an opponent batting average of .204, fourth with a 3.38 ERA, third with a 1.15 WHIP, and tied for fourth with 75 strikeouts.

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