Southern Illinois University announced on Apr. 23 that its baseball team will face Murray State in a key Missouri Valley Conference series this weekend at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale.
The matchup is significant as both teams are contenders in the conference, with Southern Illinois holding a 16-23 overall record and Murray State at 24-17. The Salukis were picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll, while Murray State was selected as the favorite.
The Salukis recently swept Bradley for their first sweep of the season before falling to SEMO earlier this week. Pitcher Troy Shepard delivered his best performance of the year against Bradley, tallying a Division I career-high 12 strikeouts and carrying a no-hitter into the ninth inning. His efforts earned him Newcomer of the Week honors from the conference. Cecil Lofton also contributed significantly during last week’s games, hitting .467 with three extra-base hits and six RBIs, including a grand slam.
Southern Illinois brings back much of its offensive power from last season when it set a school record with 113 home runs and ranked among national leaders in several categories. The pitching staff returns experienced arms such as Meade Johnson and Dylan Petrey, along with transfers like Andrew Evans who has posted one of The Valley’s best earned run averages this year. According to the official website, Richard ‘Itchy’ Jones led Southern Illinois to ten NCAA Tournament appearances and three College World Series berths during his tenure; overall, the program has recorded five College World Series appearances.
The program participates in NCAA Division I within the Missouri Valley Conference and hosts games at Itchy Jones Stadium, which features artificial turf and a state-of-the-art video board according to its official website. The stadium is named after legendary coach Itchy Jones whose uniform number has been retired by SIU in recognition of his contributions.
The team promotes community engagement through its role within Southern Illinois University athletics according to official sources and currently includes approximately 39 student-athletes on its roster.
