Carbondale Reporter

The Southern Illinois University (SIU) baseball team is set to participate in the 2025 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Championship. The event will be hosted by Illinois State in Normal, Illinois. SIU, holding the No. 3 seed, will face off against No. 4 seed UIC at Duffy Bass Field on Wednesday at 11 a.m. CT.

The Salukis are aiming for their first MVC Tournament Championship since 1990. Since the tournament adopted a double-elimination format in 2019, Southern Illinois has recorded a balanced record of ten wins and ten losses. Notably, they reached the championship game in 2022 but were defeated by Missouri State.

In recent play, SIU's offensive prowess was highlighted as they broke their single-season home run record with a total of 102 homers so far this year. Their performance includes three home runs in their final midweek game against SIUE and an additional thirteen during a series at Valpo.

The team's stats reflect strong performance across various metrics: they have scored 478 runs, leading the MVC; collected 576 hits; and hit 121 doubles this season. On the mound, SIU's pitching staff has achieved five shutouts and holds an ERA of 5.58.

Individually, Matt Schark stands out with his remarkable achievements this season. He ranks second nationally with twenty-three home runs and third with seventy-nine RBIs while leading the MVC in slugging percentage at .735.

Head Coach Lance Rhodes is guiding SIU through his sixth season with an overall record of 196-114 for the team.

Fans can follow the Salukis' progress via ESPN Plus broadcasts or listen to Luke Martin's radio commentary on the Varsity Network.