Carbondale Reporter

The Southern Illinois University (SIU) baseball team is set to compete in the 2025 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Championship, which will be hosted by Illinois State in Normal. The Salukis, seeded third, are scheduled to face the fourth-seeded University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. CT at Duffy Bass Field.

Fans can follow the tournament through various platforms. All games will be broadcast on ESPN Plus, with Luke Martin providing radio commentary for the Salukis on the Varsity Network. Live statistics and updates will also be available via Twitter @SIU_Baseball.

The Salukis aim to secure their first MVC Tournament Championship since 1990. Since adopting a double-elimination format in 2019, SIU has maintained a balanced record of 10-10 in tournament play. The team has reached four championship games since 2000, most recently falling to Missouri State in 2022.

Southern Illinois enters this year's tournament as the No. 3 seed for the sixth time in its history. The team recently broke its single-season home run record with a total of 102 homers so far this year, significantly outpacing opponents by a margin of 47 home runs.

Key performance statistics highlight SIU's strong season. The team ranks highly both nationally and within the MVC across several categories, including runs scored, hits, home runs, slugging percentage, doubles, triples, and sacrifice flies.

Individual players have also contributed significantly to SIU's success this season. Matt Schark stands out with his national rankings for home runs and RBIs while leading the MVC in slugging percentage. Other notable performances include Jordan Bach's doubles tally and John Lemm's impressive streaks reaching base.

Head Coach Lance Rhodes continues to lead SIU into another promising season with back-to-back 40-win seasons achieved under his guidance.

For ongoing updates and information about Saluki Baseball, fans are encouraged to follow their social media channels or download their mobile app.