Salukis set for five-game tournament in Mexico

SIU (2-5) at Triple Crown Puerto Vallarta College Callenge vs. Northern Colorado (3-4), BYU (9-6) and Nevada (3-12)
Date	Feb. 26-28, 2015
Location	Puerto Vallarta, Mexico — City Stadium
SIU Games	Thursday, Feb. 26: SIU vs. Northern Colorado // 4:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27: SIU vs. BYU // 2 p.m. | SIU vs. Nevada // 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28: SIU vs. BYU // 11 a.m. | SIU vs. Nevada // 1:30 p.m. | All times Central | Home team in italics
Live Stats	Dependant on internet availability. Follow @SIU_Softball on Twitter for links and in-game updates
Weekend Previews	Southern Illinois | Northern Colorado | BYU | Nevada | Triple Crown
Statistics	Southern Illinois | Northern Colorado | BYU | Nevada | MVC
Social Media	@SIU_Softball   |  @SIU_Softball   |  Saluki Softball

FAST FIVE

1. SIU has never played BYU or Nevada, and this is just the second meeting between Southern and Northern Colorado.
2. In both of their wins, the Salukis have won the game in their last at bat. Shaye Harre hit a walk-off RBI single in a 4-3 win over UMBC on Feb. 6, and a Harre grand slam and Sydney Jones two-run home run in the top of the seventh against Morehead State allowed Southern to overcome a 6-2 deficit in the final at bat and win 8-6.
3. Katie Bertelsen pitched her best game of the season against No. 5 Kentucky on Feb. 13. Bertelsen allowed just two earned runs in the 5-2 loss to the Wildcats.
4. Two of SIU’s top four hitters are true freshman. Savannah Fisher is leading the team in hitting at .357, and Sydney Jones is fourth on the team at .286. Jones has started all seven games for SIU, and Fisher has played in all seven games and started five.
5. Despite losing five starters, SIU returns four of its top five hitters from last year’s team. Jayna Spivey was the team’s top hitter in 2014 at .337, but Shaye Harre (.329), Kelsey Gonzalez (.328), Kalyn Harker (.313) and Merri Anne Patterson (.292) had the next four highest averages on the team.

FOR STARTERS

The Salukis head to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for the Triple Crown Invitational to face Northern Colorado, BYU and Nevada. SIU has never played BYU or Nevada and has only played Northern Colorado once, a win. SIU faces Northern Colorado on Thursday, Feb. 26, before facing BYU and Nevado both on Friday and Saturday.

Southern Illinois…

• is outscoring its opponents 7-0 in the seventh inning, with all seven runs coming in its two wins.
• overcame a four-run seventh-inning deficit against Morehead State, scoring six runs in the seventh to win 8-6.
• had only one home run in the first 39 innings of the years. SIU has three home runs in the last eight innings (2 in seventh vs. Morehead State, one in sixth vs. IUPUI).
• Was picked fourth in the preseason MVC poll.

SCOUTING THE NORTHERN COLORADO BEARS
Northern Colorado has won three of its last five after an 0-2 start to the season. The Bears have played just twice since the season’s opening weekend, splitting a pair of games against Creighton last weekend. The pitching staff has held UNCO’s opponents to four or fewer runs five times, including a pair of shutouts.

SCOUTING THE BYU COUGARS
BYU is off to a 9-6 start to the season thanks to a potent offense. The Cougars are hitting .307 as a team, thanks to four hitters batting better than .390. Gordy Bravo (.469), Lacey Hofstedt (.419), McKenzie St. Clair (.414) and Coco Tauali’i (.394) are the only Cougars hitting better than .275, but their production (66 of team’s hits) has made up for BYU’s lack of power (on four home runs in 15 games).

Did you know? True freshmen Sydney Jones and Savannah Fisher enter the tournament each on a five-game reached base streak, the longest figures on the team.

SCOUTING THE NEVADA WOLFPACK
Nevada has struggled to a 3-12 start and has lost six-straight games entering the tournament. Nevada was a 25-win team a year ago but has struggled against a challenging schedule early on. The Wolfpack went 0-5 last weekend but played at the Mary Nutter Classic, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the country that drew 25,000 fans over four days. Nevada has played No. 2 Oregon tough, losing 12-8, and beat No. 25 Cal State Fullerton 6-5 on Feb. 13.

FRESHMEN CONTRIBUTING RIGHT AWAY
SIU has gotten big contibutions in the lineup from true freshmen Sydney Jones and Savannah Fisher. Both freshmen have reached base in five-straight games entering the weekend, and both are among the top four hitters through seven games. Fisher leads the team with a .357 average, and Jones is fourth at .286. The duo scored both of SIU’s runs in a 5-2 loss to No. 5 Kentucky, with Jones tripling in Fisher before scoring herself. Fisher ranks 13th in the MVC in batting average and seventh in slugging percentage (.714), and both Fisher and Jones lead the MVC in triples per game (0.14).

BERTELSEN SHINES AGAINST TOP COMPETITION
SIU senior pitcher Katie Bertelsen has pitched her best games against the best competition throughout her career. Late last season, Bertelsen faced eventual MVC champion Wichita State, which led the league in 10 offensive categories. Bertelsen shut down the Shockers in a 2-1, allowing WSU to go just 4-for-24 against her. Against No. 5 Kentucky, which is coming off a Women’s College World Series appearance, Bertelsen pitched her best game of 2015, allowing just two earned runs in a complete game in a 5-2 loss.

EVERYONE CONTRIBUTES
All 17 players on SIU’s roster played in its 8-6 win over Morehead State. All 14 position players have at least one start this year, and 16 of 17 players have started at least one game. The only player without a start is senior pitcher Alyssa Wunderlich, who has yet to give up an earned run in 2015. All 11 players with at least seven at-bats has recorded a hit.

HARRE’S WALKOFF ALSO GIVES HER PITCHING W
SIU super sophomore Shaye Harre showcased her two-way ability in Southern Illinois’ 4-3 win over UMBC on the opening day of the season. Harre pitched 5.2 innings, allowing only two earned runs, in relief to help SIU stay within striking distance. After the Salukis tied the game at three, Harre came up in the bottom of the seventh with a runner on second; and she hit a walkoff RBI single to complete her 3-for-4 day at the plate.

SIU COMES THROUGH WITH TWO OUTS
SIU is doing some of its best work at the plate with two outs. Though the team’s batting average is just .220 after seven games, the Salukis are hitting .311 with two outs, and 13 of the team’s 25 RBIs have come with two outs. Seven players have recorded at least one two-out RBI, led by Sydney Jones and Kelsey Gonzalez with three each.

Senior captain Meredith Wilson came to the plate more than anyone with two outs in the opening weekend of the season, and she came through. The two-time All-MVC senior went 3-for-6 with a pair of two-out RBIs–both coming against Ohio State. One of Wilson’s two-out RBIs was a double, the 25th of her career.