Southern Illinois University’s baseball team is set to host Seton Hall for a three-game series at Itchy Jones Stadium, with the opening game on Friday now scheduled for 6 p.m. instead of the originally planned 3 p.m. start.
The weekend schedule includes games on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m., with live stats and audio available for each contest and a video stream for Sunday’s matchup.
Andrew Evans will start on the mound for SIU in Friday’s opener, facing Seton Hall’s Steven Svenson. Starters for Southern Illinois on Saturday and Sunday are yet to be announced, while Seton Hall plans to start Jayden Barroqueiro and John Downing.
The Salukis come into the series after losing all three games last weekend against Queens (N.C.) and Appalachian State, followed by an 11-0 defeat to Miami University in midweek play. Despite these early setbacks, SIU returns much of its offensive power from last season, including Michael Mylott and Gabe Petrucelli. The pitching staff also features experienced arms like Meade Johnson and reliever Dylan Petrey, alongside several newcomers expected to contribute immediately.
Head coach Lance Rhodes is entering his seventh season leading SIU. He has guided the program to consecutive 40-win seasons in 2021 and 2022—the first time this has happened in school history—and holds a record of 197-122 with the team. Rhodes is currently three wins away from reaching his 200th victory at SIU.
Southern Illinois holds a historical edge over Seton Hall, having won both previous meetings between the programs. Their first encounter was during the 1974 NCAA Tournament when SIU claimed a 5-1 win.
In preseason polls, Southern Illinois was picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference behind Murray State. Six Saluki players were named MVC Players to Watch: Tim Simay, Dylan Petrey, Kaleb Hall, Meade Johnson, Cecil Lofton, and Gabe Petrucelli. Simay led last year’s team with a .351 batting average; Petrey earned All-MVC Honorable Mention as a key bullpen contributor.
SIU enters this season with an experienced roster consisting mostly of upperclassmen—13 seniors and 15 juniors—with only two freshmen listed.
Last year’s offense set several records: SIU ranked second in the conference with 500 runs scored (25th nationally), led the league with an average of 8.8 runs per game, hit a program-record 113 home runs (10th nationally), posted a .555 slugging percentage (sixth nationally), recorded five shutouts as a pitching staff (tied for second in MVC), and stole 81 bases (second in MVC).
Freshman Kye Watson stood out during the opening series at Oral Roberts by going five-for-eleven at bat with two solo home runs. Sophomore Charlie Miller pitched three scoreless innings out of the bullpen during that same series debut.
Cecil Lofton and Watson have each hit two home runs so far this season—tied for second most in the conference—while Julio Guerrero leads or shares first place in stolen bases within the MVC with six steals early on.
On the mound, Andrew Evans ranks seventh among MVC pitchers with a 2.25 ERA and third-best opponent batting average (.154). He also stands second in strikeouts with twelve so far this season.
Fans can follow updates about Saluki baseball through Twitter (@SIU_Baseball), Facebook (Facebook.com/SalukiBaseball), Instagram (@SIU_Baseball), or via their official mobile app available on major platforms.
