Southern Illinoise University Athletics
This Week in Saluki Athletics: May 4-10
05/04/2026 | 1:23:00 | General
CARBONDALE, Ill. – It is finals week here at Southern Illinois. Similarly, several teams from Saluki athletics are preparing for the ends of their seasons. Men's golf concluded their season last week at the Missouri Valley Conference Championship while softball begins their tournament run this week. Additionally, track and field now looks toward their championship event and baseball partakes in their second-to-last conference series.
Softball (33-15, 21-6)
Softball closed out the regular season with four straight wins this past week.
First was a 10-1, five-inning win over SIUE on Wednesday. Home runs came courtesy of Emily Williams and Mikaela Coburn, with Coburn's being a grand slam. In the circle, Emma Gipson, Hailey Lucas, and Brooklynn Danielson combined for the shutout.
The Salukis then visited UIC for a weekend series and won the first game on Friday, 2-1. Williams and Amanda Knutson drove in the Southern runs while Danielson went the distance, allowing no earned runs over seven innings of work.
SIU then won game two on Friday, 6-4. Williams hit another home run on her way to two RBIs. Emily Delgado picked up the win in the circle with her 4.2 innings of relief work, allowing two earned runs.
Southern completed the sweep on Saturday with an 11-6 win. Williams picked up a trio of RBIs as she became the single-season record holder for RBIs. Coburn, Hayden Kurtz, and Hailey Lucas all had multi-RBI games as well. Danielson earned the win thanks to three innings of relief work where she allowed one run.
It is now tournament time for the Salukis, who host the MVC Tournament this week, starting on Wednesday. As the #2 seed, SIU will first see action at 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, when they face either #3 Murray State or #6 Evansville.
Baseball (18-28, 9-9)
Baseball went 1-3 this week.
It started with a 12-2 loss at Lindenwood on Tuesday in seven innings. Kristian Sprawling and Jacob McKenzie had RBIs for SIU.
The Salukis then fell 8-5 versus Indiana State on Friday. Sprawling hit a homer for SIU as he was one of five SIU players to drive a run in. On the mound, Andrew Evans had a strong start, allowing one earned run across five innings.
SIU evened the series on Saturday with a 2-1 win. Tim Simay had the only RBI for Southern while Troy Shepard and Meade Johnson combined to allow just one run on the mound.
Unfortunately for SIU, Indiana State put on a hitting clinic on Sunday to down Southern 14-3. Sprawling had two of SIU's three RBIs thanks to a home run. In terms of pitching, Dylan Petrey did his best to keep SIU in the game, allowing one run in his 4.2 innings of relief work.
With this Tuesday's game against Bellarmine canceled, SIU now prepares for a three-game set at Belmont this weekend. On Friday, May 8, the two face off at 4 p.m. They play again on Saturday, May 9, at 2 p.m., and then finish the series on Sunday, May 10, at 1 p.m.
Track and Field
For their final meet before the MVC Championships, track and field competed at the Jim Green Invitational. Leah Thames was the story of the meet, becoming the first woman in program history to run the 400-meter in less than 53 seconds.
Track and field now looks to the MVC Championships, hosted in Terra Haute, Indiana, this year on May 16 and 17.
Men's Golf
The men's golf season ended last week at the MVC Championship, with the Salukis securing a third-place finish. Anthony De Schutter was the event's runner-up thanks to his 9-under score. De Schutter was also named the MVC Golfer of the Year as he, Ben Keil, and Jaeseung Na were all named All-MVC members.
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 (33-15, 21-6)
Softball closed out the regular season with four straight wins this past week.
First was a 10-1, five-inning win over SIUE on Wednesday. Home runs came courtesy of Emily Williams and Mikaela Coburn, with Coburn's being a grand slam. In the circle, Emma Gipson, Hailey Lucas, and Brooklynn Danielson combined for the shutout.
The Salukis then visited UIC for a weekend series and won the first game on Friday, 2-1. Williams and Amanda Knutson drove in the Southern runs while Danielson went the distance, allowing no earned runs over seven innings of work.
SIU then won game two on Friday, 6-4. Williams hit another home run on her way to two RBIs. Emily Delgado picked up the win in the circle with her 4.2 innings of relief work, allowing two earned runs.
Southern completed the sweep on Saturday with an 11-6 win. Williams picked up a trio of RBIs as she became the single-season record holder for RBIs. Coburn, Hayden Kurtz, and Hailey Lucas all had multi-RBI games as well. Danielson earned the win thanks to three innings of relief work where she allowed one run.
It is now tournament time for the Salukis, who host the MVC Tournament this week, starting on Wednesday. As the #2 seed, SIU will first see action at 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, when they face either #3 Murray State or #6 Evansville.
Baseball (18-28, 9-9)
Baseball went 1-3 this week.
It started with a 12-2 loss at Lindenwood on Tuesday in seven innings. Kristian Sprawling and Jacob McKenzie had RBIs for SIU.
The Salukis then fell 8-5 versus Indiana State on Friday. Sprawling hit a homer for SIU as he was one of five SIU players to drive a run in. On the mound, Andrew Evans had a strong start, allowing one earned run across five innings.
SIU evened the series on Saturday with a 2-1 win. Tim Simay had the only RBI for Southern while Troy Shepard and Meade Johnson combined to allow just one run on the mound.
Unfortunately for SIU, Indiana State put on a hitting clinic on Sunday to down Southern 14-3. Sprawling had two of SIU's three RBIs thanks to a home run. In terms of pitching, Dylan Petrey did his best to keep SIU in the game, allowing one run in his 4.2 innings of relief work.
With this Tuesday's game against Bellarmine canceled, SIU now prepares for a three-game set at Belmont this weekend. On Friday, May 8, the two face off at 4 p.m. They play again on Saturday, May 9, at 2 p.m., and then finish the series on Sunday, May 10, at 1 p.m.
Track and Field
For their final meet before the MVC Championships, track and field competed at the Jim Green Invitational. Leah Thames was the story of the meet, becoming the first woman in program history to run the 400-meter in less than 53 seconds.
Track and field now looks to the MVC Championships, hosted in Terra Haute, Indiana, this year on May 16 and 17.
Men's Golf
The men's golf season ended last week at the MVC Championship, with the Salukis securing a third-place finish. Anthony De Schutter was the event's runner-up thanks to his 9-under score. De Schutter was also named the MVC Golfer of the Year as he, Ben Keil, and Jaeseung Na were all named All-MVC members.
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
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
/ Men's Golf
P
/ Softball
RHP
/ Baseball
P
/ Softball
RHP
/ Baseball
/ Men's Golf
INF
/ Softball
1B/3B
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C
/ Baseball
/ Men's Golf
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
/ Track and Field
INF/C
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