Southern Illinois University’s baseball team is set to host North Dakota State for a two-game series beginning Tuesday at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale. The games are scheduled for 3 p.m. on both Tuesday and Wednesday, with live stats and streaming available.
For the opening game, Southern Illinois will start Alec Ammerman, who has yet to record a decision and currently holds a 9.00 ERA. North Dakota State has not announced its starting pitchers for either contest.
The Salukis come into the matchup after winning two out of three games against Seton Hall over the weekend. Tim Simay contributed significantly, going 3-for-4 in Friday’s win and hitting his first home run of the season during Saturday’s victory. Jack MacIntosh played a key role out of the bullpen, earning a win and a save across 3.1 scoreless innings.
Last season, Southern Illinois set a school record with 113 home runs, with much of that power returning this year through players like Michael Mylott and Gabe Petrucelli. The pitching staff retains experienced arms such as Meade Johnson and Dylan Petrey, while new additions are expected to fill important roles early in the season. The roster features 13 seniors, 15 juniors, three sophomores, and two freshmen.
Head coach Lance Rhodes is in his seventh season leading SIU and is one win away from reaching 200 career victories with the program. Under Rhodes’ guidance, the Salukis achieved back-to-back 40-win seasons for the first time in school history during 2021 and 2022.
Southern Illinois holds a 4-2 advantage in their all-time series against North Dakota State, though the Bison have won two of the last three meetings dating back to 2009. North Dakota State enters this series with a record of 1-10 after being swept by Missouri in their previous outing. Caleb Corbin leads the Bison offense with a .325 batting average and an .875 OPS.
In preseason polling for the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), Southern Illinois was picked to finish second behind Murray State. Six Saluki players—Tim Simay, Dylan Petrey, Kaleb Hall, Meade Johnson, Cecil Lofton, and Gabe Petrucelli—were named MVC Players to Watch. Last year Simay led SIU with a .351 batting average; Petrey received All-MVC Honorable Mention honors as a reliever.
Offensively, SIU returns several top run producers from last year’s lineup that helped set program records in home runs (113) and slugging percentage (.555). On the mound, key returners include Johnson and Petrey; transfer Andrew Evans from Kansas State has become an important addition as well.
The Salukis currently lead The Valley conference with a team ERA of 4.48 and hold opponents to a .241 batting average.
Statistically last season, SIU ranked among national leaders: they were second in MVC runs scored (500), led the league with an average of 8.8 runs per game, finished tenth nationally in home runs (113), sixth nationally in slugging percentage (.555), tied for second in MVC doubles (124), ranked second in triples (17), led MVC sacrifice flies (33), were second in stolen bases (81), posted five shutouts (tied for second MVC), and recorded twelve saves including eight by Sam Frizzi.
Early standouts this season include freshman Kye Watson—who went 5-for-11 with two solo homers at Oral Roberts—and sophomore Charlie Miller who pitched three shutout innings out of the bullpen during that series opener. Cecil Lofton, Michael Mylott, and Watson each have two home runs so far this year; Julio Guerrero leads or is tied for first in stolen bases within MVC play; Andrew Evans ranks among league leaders with his pitching statistics; Troy Shepard also ranks highly for opponent batting average allowed.
Fans can follow updates about Southern Illinois baseball on Twitter (@SIU_Baseball), Facebook (Facebook.com/SalukiBaseball), Instagram (@SIU_Baseball), or through the “Salukis” Mobile App available on major app stores.
