Postseason Seeding on the Line as Southern Travels to Belmont for Weekend Set

Friday, May 8

Nashville, TN

4 PM

Southern Illinois University

Belmont

Jaden Flores goes through his batting routine during Southern Illinois' 2-1 win over Indiana State Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale, Ill.

Photo by: Zuzanna Gaik

Postseason Seeding on the Line as Southern Travels to Belmont for Weekend Set

05/07/2026 | 11:58:00 | Baseball

By: Jordan Kruse, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois and Belmont both sit at 9-9 in the Missouri Valley Conference Baseball standings heading into a three-game set at Belmont beginning Friday at Nashville. The top six teams will qualify for the MVC Tournament, and the two squads are tied for the final spot with just two weekends left to play.

THE SCHEDULE

Friday — 4 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch | Listen
Saturday — 2 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch | Listen
Sunday — 1 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch | Listen

THE PROBABLE STARTERS

Friday — Andrew Evans (5-2, 2.39 ERA) vs. TBA
Saturday — Troy Shepard (3-3, 3.80 ERA) vs. TBA
Sunday — TBA vs. TBA

AROUND THE HORN

SIU dropped two of three to Indiana State last weekend. Tuesday's midweek matchup with Bellarmine was canceled due to inclement weather.
Kristian Sprawling has been scorching hot over his last 10 games, slashing .441/558/.706 over his last 10 games and carries an 11-game hitting streak into the weekend. He smacked two home runs in the series against Indiana State.
Troy Shepard and Meade Johnson combined to allow just one run in Saturday night's 2-1 victory. Shepard went seven strong with just one run allowed, while Johnson earned a save after two perfect innings and four strikeouts.
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 as the season begins. The roster consists of 13 seniors, 15 juniors, three sophomores, and just two freshmen.

THE MATCHUP

Southern Illinois (18-28, 9-9 MVC) vs. Belmont (19-29, 9-9 MVC)
Common non-conference opponents: UT Martin (BEL: 1-1, SIU: 0-2)
SIU leads the all-time series 17-6 with a 7-3 record at E.S. Rose Park. SIU swept Belmont in Carbondale in 2025.
The Bruins rarely keep the bat on their shoulders, taking the fewest walks of any MVC team.
Charlie Davis leads the Bruins and is seventh in The Valley, hitting .345, and is tied for first with five triples. Landon Godsey paces Belmont with nine home runs and 40 RBIs, both seventh in the MVC.

MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL

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 5.61 team ERA and lead the league in opponent batting average at .252, allowing the fewest hits per nine (8.41, 48th in NCAA) and collecting the most strikeouts per nine (8.73).
The bullpen has collected nine saves, tied for 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 18 stolen bases and is tied for the SIU lead with six home runs.
Cecil Lofton is tied for the team lead with six home runs.
Kristian Sprawling has been a baseball magnet, taking 16 hit-by-pitches in 105 at-bats, third in The Valley.
Andrew Evans is second in The Valley and 26th in the nation in ERA (2.39) and has 77 strikeouts, leading in the MVC. He also sports the league's fourth-best opponent batting average at .213, and the third-best WHIP (1.15) among qualified pitchers.
Troy Shepard is second in the league with an opponent batting average of .198, sixth with a 3.80 ERA, first with a 1.15 WHIP, and fourth with 66 strikeouts.

FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
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