Carbondale Reporter

Southern Illinois University's baseball team is set to face Indiana State in a three-game series over the weekend at Bob Warn Field, Terre Haute. The games, scheduled in the Eastern Time Zone, will commence at 5:30 PM on Friday, 1 PM on Saturday, and 12 PM on Sunday.

Saluki fans will have the opportunity to follow the games on ESPN Plus, or through live stats and updates on Twitter @SIU_Baseball.

The series will see SIU's Tyler Timmerman, Alec Nigut, and Meade Johnson take to the mound, while Indiana State will field Max McEwen, Ty Brooks, and a to-be-announced pitcher in the respective matchups.

Southern Illinois enters the series with a 23-9 overall record and is fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference standings with a 6-3 conference record. Recent performance highlights include a stretch of eight wins in the last ten games and maintaining a strong record when scoring six or more runs. The team has also shown particular prowess in extra innings, with a 2-1 record in such scenarios.

Indiana State stands at a 16-16 record and 5-4 in conference play. The Sycamores are hitting .267 as a team, with a notable performance from Carlos Pena, who boasts a .369 average and leads the team with eight home runs.

Historically, Southern Illinois leads the all-time series against Indiana State with a record of 106-96. The teams last met in a decisive MVC Tournament encounter, which resulted in a 10-9 victory for the Salukis.

The team notes highlight that Southern Illinois leads the MVC and is 17th nationally in slugging percentage (.539) and home runs (56). The Salukis have managed to score 273 runs and tally 328 hits over 32 games. Their pitching staff holds second place in the MVC with a team ERA of 5.41.

Individual players of note include Matt Schark, leading with 12 home runs and a slugging percentage of .723, and Kaleb Hall, who leads the MVC with five triples. Alec Nigut stands out on the mound with a 2.75 ERA and a WHIP of 1.00.

The Missouri Valley Conference Preseason/Midseason Poll placed Southern Illinois second, with Jaxon Holder and Alec Nigut recognized as Preseason All-MVC players.

Head coach Lance Rhodes continues in his sixth season with a commendable track record and aims to lead the team to further success this season. Fans can follow the detailed coverage of the team through social media platforms and the "Salukis" Mobile App.