Carbondale Reporter

Southern Illinois University's baseball team is set to face UT Martin in a midweek home-and-home series. The first game will take place on Tuesday, March 25, in Martin, Tennessee, followed by a second game on Wednesday in Carbondale. The latter was initially scheduled for February 18 but was postponed due to bad weather.

UT Martin currently holds a record of 10-13 overall. Recently, they hosted SEMO and won two out of three games in their Ohio Valley Conference opener. Their team batting average stands at .295, with T.J. Grines leading the charge at .400 and recording six RBIs during their recent high-scoring victory against SEMO.

The historical matchup between Southern Illinois and UT Martin shows SIU leading the series 36-12. SIU had previously won four consecutive games until UT Martin's narrow victory on March 26, 2024.

SIU's Jordan Bach has been performing well as the leadoff hitter with a .391 average and leading the team with 13 doubles. Gabe Petrucelli has also contributed significantly to the offense with an OPS of 1.158. John Lemm leads in home runs with seven this season.

On the pitching side, Alec Nigut has been impressive with a 0.99 ERA, ranking first in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). Sam Frizzi has also excelled in relief appearances with a 1.69 ERA.

Jordan Bach is the only returning starter from last year's lineup, while redshirt senior Matt Schark is back after an injury-plagued season in 2024.

Lance Rhodes continues his tenure as head coach for his sixth season, having led the team to over 40 wins twice in recent years.

The Salukis were ranked second in the MVC Preseason/Midseason poll, just behind Missouri State.

Fans can follow Southern Illinois baseball updates on various social media platforms including X (@SIU_Baseball), Facebook (Facebook.com/SalukiBaseball), and Instagram (@SIU_Baseball).