Carbondale Reporter

Southern Illinois University's baseball team is set to challenge Western Kentucky on Tuesday in Bowling Green. The game marks a test for both teams, each riding a 10-game winning streak. Southern Illinois, boasting an 11-3 record this season, aims to continue its successful run.

Fans can follow the action via live stats, radio streams, or on Twitter at @SIU_Baseball.

Southern Illinois ranks high nationally with a .301 batting average and leads the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) in runs scored. Their pitching staff holds the best ERA in the conference at 3.55. Notably, Mason Schwalbach recently hit a grand slam that secured a win against Bellarmine.

Tyler Timmerman will pitch for Southern Illinois with a current 2-0 record and an ERA of 2.79 over 9.2 innings. Western Kentucky's Lucas Litteral will make his first start of the season after appearing in six games.

Western Kentucky holds a strong 15-1 record and has been undefeated at home this season. The team leads Conference USA in several categories, including batting average (.317) and ERA (2.29).

The history between Southern Illinois and Western Kentucky dates back to numerous encounters, with Southern leading the series 26-15 but having lost their last five meetings since their last victory in 2014.

Key players for Southern Illinois include Jordan Bach with a .400 batting average and Matt Schark known for his power hitting four home runs this season.

On the mound, Alec Nigut has been effective with an ERA of just 0.82 over 22 innings pitched while Dylan Petrey maintains an impressive relief performance holding hitters to a .188 average.

Coach Lance Rhodes continues his tenure leading the Salukis into another competitive season aiming for more victories following previous successes which included consecutive seasons with over forty wins.