SOFTBALL NOTES AND LINKS: FGCU/FOUR POINTS BY SHERATON INVITATIONAL

By Tony McDaniel, siusalukis.com

Looking to 2018… 

  • The Salukis return six starters and two of their three pitchers from the 2017 MVC Championship team.
  • In total, 12 of Southern’s 18 players lettered in 2017.
  • Four Salukis, senior infielder Sydney Jones, junior pitcher Brianna Jones, sophomore second baseman Maddy Vermejanand sophomore outfielder Susie Baranski, were all Preseason All-MVC selections.Southern tied Illinois State for the most selections to the team in the Conference with four.
  • The Salukis were picked second in the Valley by the league’s Coaches.Illinois State was picked first and the Salukis were just one vote behind the Redbirds and one point ahead of Northern Iowa in third place.Southern and Northern Iowa are tied with the most first-place votes with three a piece.

So far… 

  • The Salukis are 4-4 on the season and are outscoring opponents 37-29.
  • The Salukis have 11 home runs through 8 games, the most through as many games since 2003.
  • Starting pitcher Brianna Joneshas struck out 35 batters in 31 innings.She’s 4-0 on the season and has allowed just 19 hits, 7 earned runs and 5 walks.
  • On Feb.17, Southern beat Georgetown 13-4.It was the biggest win and most runs scored in a five-inning game since March 14, 2017 when SIU defeated Southern Utah 14-2.

Milestone/Record watch… 

  • Southern’s long time head coach Kerri Blaylockis approaching several big career records and milestones.
  • As of 2/21 she is…
  • Two wins from 634 which would surpass Kay Brechtelsbauer for the all-time lead at Southern.
  • 15 games from the 1,000th of her career.She is projected to manage that game on March 14 at UT – Martin barring cancellations.
  • She is 8 wins from her 300th in MVC play.She will be the third coach in Conference history to win that many games.

More on Blaylock… 

  • Blaylock is the only coach to lead an MVC team to five-straight NCAA tournaments.She did so from 2003-07.
  • She has the second-best winning percentage (.645) of any coach in the MVC with more than 500 wins.
  • She is one of just two coaches in the program’s 51-year history.Kay Brechtelsbauer is the program’s only other coach.

Nationally Ranked Statistically 

(Top-50 only) 

  • Maddy Vermejanis second in the nation in hit by pitch per game.She’s been hit five times in eight games, an average on 0.63.
  • Kyleigh Deckerhas been hit four times in eight games and is 16th in the nation with an average of 0.50.
  • Vermejan is 28th in nation in on-base percentage at .621.
  • Katelyn Massais 15th in the nation in home runs with 4.
  • She is also 12th in the nation in home runs per game with an average of 0.50.
  • Massa is 44th in the nation in RBI per game.She has 11 in 8 games for an average of 1.38 per.
  • Her 1.000 slugging percentage is the 27th best in the nation.
  • Brianna Jonesis 38th in the nation in strikeouts with 35.
  • Jones has won four games this year; good for 21st in the nation.
  • As a team, the Salukis are 14th in the nation in home runs per game.SIU has hit 11 in eight games for an average of 1.38.
  • Southern is 32nd in the nation in team slugging percentage at .490.

MVC Leading Salukis… 

  • Vermejan is tops in the Valley in hit by pitch with 0.63 per game.Her .621 on base percentage is the MVC’s best.
  • Katelyn Massaleads the MVC in home runs and home runs per game.She’s hit 4 in 8 games for an average of 0.50.
  • Brianna Jonesleads the Conference in strikeouts with 35 and is tied for the lead in wins with 4.

Starting Fast… 

  • The Salukis are 3-0 this season when they score first, or score in the first inning, or when leading after one inning.Adversely, the team is 0-3 when trailing after the first inning.

Youth Movement… 

Of Southern’s starters in 2017, three of them were freshmen.They were; outfielder Susie Baranski, second baseman Maddy Vermejan and catcher/ DP Katelyn Massa.

On Baranski…

  • Baranski was one of only four players to start in all 57 games.
  • She led the team in at-bats (181), hits (53) and runs scored (39).
  • She was also second on the team in walks (31) and steals (9).
  • Baranski was a preseason All-MVC selection.

On Massa…

  • Massa unseated a senior catcher and started in 43 games behind the plate or as a DP.
  • She hit .297 with 5 home runs and 22 RBI and struck out only 14 times, the least of any starter last year.
  • She was perfect in the field posting a 1.000 fielding percentage while throwing out 11 of 17 potential base stealers.
  • She was an All-MVC second team selection in 2017.

On Vermejan…

  • Made 54 starts and hit .284 in her freshman season.
  • She led the team in batting average during the Conference season hitting at a .350 clip.
  • She was third on the team with 7 doubles.
  • Posted a .990 fielding percentage, the best of any non-catcher on the team.
  • Was selected to the 2017 All-MVC second team and the All-Defensive team and is a member of this year’s preseason All-MVC team.
  • Also, several more underclassmen are slated to start this season.Sophomore Kyleigh Deckeris projected to take the bulk of the starts at first and two true freshmen Jenny Jansen and Maris Boelens could see a lot of time in the outfield.

Scouting the Opponents… 

On Wright State..

  • Wright State is 0-5 this season and is coming off a week without any competitive softball.The team is being outscored 24-8.
  • Last year, the Raiders were 21-31 and 14-10 in the Horizon League.They were just 2-11 in neutral site games.
  • As a team, Wright State ranks in the top-100 nationally in only one category, steals.The team is 65th in stolen bases per game averaging 1.40 a game.
  • Mercer’s staff of three pitchers has a combined ERA of 7.41.Ashley Sharp’s 5.88 ERA is the best on the team.She’s struck out 12 and walked 9.She’s the only pitcher with more strike outs than walks.
  • The Salukis are 5-0 against Wright State all time and last beat the Raiders 8-6 in 2012 at the Coach B Classic.

On Connecticut…

  • The Huskies are 5-4 so far this season and are being outscored 25-20.Last year the Huskies were 17- 31 overall and 3-14 in the American.
  • UConn ranks in the top-100 nationally in one category.The Huskies are 38th in Earned Run Average at 1.71.
  • Chelsea Eckert leads the nation in ERA.She has not allowed an earned run yet in 10.2 innings pitched.She’s 1-0, has struck out 14 and walked 5 batters.
  • The Salukis are 3-0 all-time vs.UConn.The teams last met in 1998 when Southern won 3-0.The Salukis are outscoring the Huskies all-time 12-4.

On Stony Brook…

  • The Seawolves open their season this weekend.Last year, they were 18-29 and 9-7 in the America East.
  • Sophomore Melissa Rahrich is a dual threat player for the Seawolves.She hit .363 with eight home runs and 32 RBI.She also posted a 3.47 ERA and a 12-12 record in 2017 striking out 54 batters and walking 43.
  • The Seawolves had five players start in at least 20 games and hit better than .300 in 2017. All five players are back this season.
  • This will be the first time SIU and Stony Brook have ever played each other.

On Florida Gulf Coast…

  • FGCU is 8-0 this season and have played all their games at home.Last year the Eagles were 30-30 and 8-9 in the Atlantic Sun.
  • As a team, the Eagles are top in the nation in team ERA at 0.25 and win/loss percentage.
  • Junior Natalie Lopez leads the nation in batting average at .769 and on-base percentage at .842.
  • Three Eagles pitchers lead the nation in pitching categories.Morgan White’s 0.00 ERA is the best in the nation.She’s struck out six and walked five in 18.1 innings.Taylor Bauman leads the nation in saves with 6 in 6 appearances.Riley Randolph leads the nation in walks per seven innings.She’s struck out 18 and walked 0.
  • Southern is 1-2 against FGCU all-time.The Eagles have won the last two meetings against the Salukis.Southern last won in 2011.

Loyola rolls past Saluki Men’s Basketball, 75-56

CARBONDALE, Ill. Loyola led from start to finish in a dominating 75-56 win over Southern Illinois on Wednesday night, securing its first-ever Missouri Valley Conference championship in front of a season-high crowd of 6,036 at SIU Arena.

Harrisburg’s Tyler Smithpeters in his last start in the SIU Arena, drives around league MVP candidate Clayton Custer in last nights loss to Loyola.

The Ramblers (24-5, 14-3) made 14 of their first 18 shots and never looked back in an impressive show of marksmanship and unselfish play. Junior guard Clayton Custer, the favorite to win Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year honors, had 16 points, five assists and five steals. Back-court mate Ben Richardson added nine points, eight assists and no turnovers. Loyola shot 60 percent from the field in the first half and 57 percent for the game.

“As a coach, you don’t want to lose ballgames, but you can certainly appreciate when you see good teams,” said SIU head coach Barry Hinson. “I’m comfortable enough in my own skin to tell people when they do well. I told Porter (Moser) and each one of those individuals when I shook their hands — congratulations on a championship. It’s a great feat.”

The game was a missed opportunity for Southern to pick up a Top 50 win and strengthen its resume for a potential at-large slot in the National Invitational Tournament, but the separation between the teams was clear.

“I’m disappointed and also shocked,” Hinson said. “We were extremely selfish tonight and it really affected how we played on defense. We were un-coachable tonight. They would not listen to me. They would not listen to the assistants. At the eight-minute mark, I turned and told my staff, ‘we’re done — they won’t listen.'”

Five different players made 3-point shots for the Ramblers in the first half as they sprinted to a 36-19 lead. SIU responded with a flurry of three-straight 3-point shots — two by Marcus Bartley and one by Sean Lloyd — to trim the deficit to 36-28, but Loyola countered with an 8-2 run.

“The worst thing we did was hit those threes back-to-back, then everybody started jacking threes,” Hinson said. The Salukis finished 6-of-19 from long range, including 1-of-8 in the second half.

Southern cut the deficit to eight again at halftime, but that only seemed to motivate Loyola’s defense, which held SIU to 30 percent shooting in the second half.

“Instead of celebrating that we had an eight-point lead at half, it was all about we’re not guarding,” said Loyola head coach Porter Moser, who won his first league title in his ninth year as an MVC head coach. “We didn’t want a tight game because they’ve done so well in them.”

After Armon Fletcher hit a three for Southern to make it 47-39 with 18:23 to go, the Ramblers answered in a big way, reeling off nine-straight points to make it 56-39. SIU never threatened thereafter.

The Salukis (19-11, 11-6) had out-scored their last seven opponents in Points in the Paint, but Loyola turned the tables with a 42-22 advantage inside. Loyola freshman center Cameron Krutwig had 14 points and was 6-of-7 from the field. It was an even battle down low versus SIU’s Kavion Pippen, who had 16 points and made 7-of-10 shots. Hinson would have liked to have seen his big man get even more attempts.

“We had times tonight where we wouldn’t even throw him the ball and we’re yelling at our guys to throw it to him,” Hinson said. “And when we tell them on the bench, they’re rolling their eyes at me.”

Several streaks ended tonight for SIU. Hinson lost on Senior Night for the first time in his career as a head coach in 17 tries. Southern also had its seven-game home-winning streak snapped. The Salukis can still secure the No. 2 seed at next week’s MVC Tournament with a win at Evansville on Saturday or an Illinois State loss at Loyola.

Hinson was asked afterward if he thought Loyola could earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament if it fails to win the conference tournament next week.

“You’re talking to the wrong guy — 21, 34 and 36 — those are the three RPIs I had as a coach (and did not get in),” he said. “But I will campaign my ass off for them, hopefully after we beat them in the championship game.”

Box Score

http://siusalukis.com/boxscore.aspx?id=8041&path=mbball

Parr breaks Redbirds heart …..gives A-J last second win

JOHNSTON CITY-  The Redbirds stormed back from a ten point deficit to take the lead late in the game.  Anna-Jonesboro’s Jake Parr converts on a conventional three point play as, A-J advances the Championship game of the Johnston City regional with  a 59-57 win.

C.J. Johnson led the Redbirds with 20 and Lucas Wolfe added 12.  Please click on the link for the full story from Jack Bullock of A Baseline View.

http://abaselineview.com/abvajwf.html

Saluki Men’s Basketball hosts first-place Loyola on Senior Night

By Tom Weber, siusalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois hosts Loyola on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in a key Missouri Valley Conference showdown at SIU Arena. The Ramblers have already clinched at least a share of their first-ever MVC regular-season title. The Salukis, though, could still earn a piece of the title if they win their last two regular-season games and Loyola loses their last two games. SIU has not won a conference title since 2007.

Southern Illinois is 7-3 versus Loyola since the Ramblers joined the league in 2014, including a 3-1 mark at SIU Arena. Loyola head coach Porter Moser is 3-15 lifetime against SIU between his stops at Loyola and Illinois State. SIU G Armon Fletcher is a career 54 percent shooter in six games against Loyola, including 7-of-14 from 3-point.

In the first meeting this season between the teams on Jan. 17 in Chicago, Loyola shot 56 percent from the field, never trailed, and led by double digits the entire second half in a 79-65 win over SIU. Sean Lloyd led Southern with 21 points, but SIU made just 2-of-13 from 3-point range and turned the ball over 20 times. Donte Ingram led Loyola with 25 points.

Harrisburg seinoir Tyler Spmithpeters appearing in his final game at SIU arena.

SIU has won seven-straight home games, its longest home streak since winning nine-straight in 2014. SIU can finish anywhere from 1st to 3rd in the MVC standings. The highest SIU has finished in the last 10 years is 3rd (2008 and 2017). The last time SIU won 11 games in conference play was 2016. The last time it won more than 11 was in 2007 (15).

The team will recognize three senior players during pregame ceremonies — guard Tyler Smithpeters, forward Jonathan Wiley and forward John GardnerBarry Hinson has never lost on Senior Day as a college head coach (16-0).

Head coach Barry Hinson met with the media on Tuesday.

Preview tomorrow’s matchup vs. Loyola.
I think there’s a lot of hot teams in the league right now. We’re certainly one of them, but the hottest team without question is Loyola. They’ve won 12 of their last 13. There’s 13 statistical categories I look at before I go into a game, and they lead nine of those 13 statistical categories against us. What I’m looking for, we’re going to have to really play well, we know that. To be honest, what a great position to be in. We could be in a lot different positions. Our basketball team has put us in a position to possibly share a conference championship, and that was our goal to start the season, regardless of what’s happened to this team, regardless of the adversity we’ve gone through. Until they ship that trophy to Chicago, we’re going to continue to play for it.

How much closer are you to getting to playing your best ball?
I was disappointed — I think we have some individuals who can play much better than what they’re playing. We’ve battled some sickness. I think Kavion (Pippen) will be much healthier going into this game. He’s our leading rebounder and he has one rebound in the last two games. We’ve got to get through that. I am convinced and I know Marcus Bartley can play better than what he played at Indiana State. He’s been in foul trouble the past few games. People are attacking him to get him out of the game. I think when I say our best basketball is ahead of us, I believe that. It’s not coach-speak, it’s not media talk. I don’t think we’ve played our best basketball yet and I believe in what these guys can do.

Pippen has to have a great game to be the offset for what (Cameron) Krutwig can do.
I think he’ll respond well. He always has responded to most of his challenges. I think the reason we haven’t seen the real Kavion is because he had the flu. I’m sorry, it’s a 7-to-14 day period. I had the flu and felt bad for 17 days. Kids are more resilient than we are as adults. I think that has a lot to do with it. I think there’s five key matchups. Can we stop Krutwig and can we stop four guys on the perimeter? That’s going to be a challenge for us. When you have five guys averaging double figures, there’s a chance you’re going to win a lot of ballgames and they’ve won 23 of them.

Is there anything you’ll say to motivate them tomorrow before the game or are they just motivated by themselves?
There won’t be any Knute Rockne speeches tomorrow. This group is a low-key group, they’re not a rah-rah group. No, this is what we’ve come here to do. We’re not going to change anything we do. We’re certainly going to stay the course of what we’ve done all year long. Our goal yesterday was to get better, our goal today is to get better, our goal tomorrow night is to win the ballgame. These guys, I just don’t think they’re going to respond to rah-rah.

What’s it like to see Jonathan Wiley and Tyler Smithpeters go through Senior Night?
I’ve never hidden my emotions on Senior Night. I’ve always told you guys the two most important games of the year you play are the conference championship tournament game and Senior Night. That’s how I’ve always felt. It will be a very emotional night for a lot of people, especially the head coach and his seniors. Tyler Smithpeters has meant so much to this university, to our athletic program and to our region. He comes from a basketball tradition-rich family. This is going to be the last Smithpeters to have an impact for quite some time until I coach Tyler’s sons.

How much do you look back at the last game vs. Loyola versus the recent games?
We do both. These guys beat us worse than anybody in the league. It’s our worst loss in the league. It was a bad game at Loyola, we didn’t play well, and they had a lot to do with it. I go back, when you put us head-up against Loyola, we can’t just have an average game because we’re at home and win, we’re going to have to play our best basketball of the year to beat these guys. This is a team that won at Florida and Florida is a top 20 team. We refer to the past but we focus on the present.

Jacksonville State completes season-opening sweep of SIU

By John Lock siusalukis.com 

OXFORD, Miss. – The Southern Illinois University baseball team dropped a 6-0 decision to Jacksonville State on Sunday afternoon at Choccolocco Park. The Gamecocks swept the season-opening three-game series.

Jacksonville State took an early lead with a solo home run in the second inning, and the Gamecocks added another solo shot in the fourth. A two-out error added another JSU run in the fifth, but SIU starter Mason Hiser, who was making his first Division I start after transferring from Barton College, limited damage in his five innings of work to keep the Salukis close.

“One of the home runs was a really good pitch,” SIU head coach Ken Henderson said. “That’s a really good lineup. Give them credit; they can really swing it. Mason did a good job and gave us a chance.”

Freshman Noah Farmer from Massac County works 2/3 innings out of the bullpen for the Salukis in yesterday’s loss to Jacksonville State.

Southern’s offense started the day with a leadoff double by Connor Kopach, but that was Southern’s only hit against JSU starter Colton Pate, who went five innings. The Salukis (0-3) limited the damage in several potential big innings — JSU (3-0) pounded out 12 hits in its eight times at bat — but the Gamecocks kept expanding the lead with single run-innings in the second, fourth, fifth, and sixth. They scored two in the seventh to set the final score.

“There will be a lot teams that will struggle to get through (JSU’s) lineup,” Henderson said. “You’re going to have to match them. We couldn’t do that today. They kept expanding the lead. It wasn’t out of reach, but all of the sudden we’re down 6-0 late in the game.”

Closer Ryan Netemeyer, a preseason Stopper of the Year candidate, pitched the final four outs and didn’t allow a hit. He was the only one of seven SIU relievers this weekend to not allow a run.

On the weekend, Logan Blackfan led the offense, going 6-for-13 (.462) with 3 home runs and 6 RBIs. He slugged 1.154. Connor Kopach bounced back from an 1-for-5 Friday and went 4-for-8 over the final two games. Newcomers J.T. Weber (freshman) and Alex Lyon (Volunteer State transfer) also had good weekends. Weber went 3-for-9 with a double and a home run, and Lyon went 3-for-10 with 2 doubles. The Salukis also flashed their great speed, going 8-for-10 stealing bases on the weekend.

“We did a lot of positive things,” Henderson said. “Nobody is happy about being 0-3, but we will be a good club. I have no doubt in my mind. We have a lot of new guys. We had to get down here, get going, and see what we have to work on. We will clean that up, and we’ll be a good club.”

The series is juxtaposed against last year’s opening sweep at Stetson. While Southern went 24-30 the rest of the 2017, the Hatters ended up finishing second in the A-SUN.

“It’s one weekend. We started 3-0 last year, and a few weeks later nobody remembered,” Henderson said. “We just have to get better every day. We will, and this will be a good year.”

The Salukis are back in action Tuesday at Austin Peay. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.

Box Score

http://siusalukis.com/boxscore.aspx?path=baseball&id=8048

Salukis suffer 62-53 setback at Loyola

By Will Becque siusalukis.com

CHICAGO – Behind a game-high 19 points from Jessica Cerda, the Loyola Ramblers knocked off the Southern Illinois Salukis, 62-53 Sunday afternoon inside Gentile Arena.

Cerda finished 5-of-11 from the field, and 4-of-7 from three-point range. She was a major reason that the Ramblers were able to snap their four-game losing streak to the Salukis as she helped Loyola exceed it’s season average of 5.3 three-pointers per game. The Ramblers were 7-of-15 (46.7%) from the behind the arc in their wire-to-wire win.

SIU Salukis photo

“We were flat,” fifth-year head coach Cindy Stein said. “Whatever reason for it, we were flat today. I think Loyola played a great game and dominated the game from the tip. You have to give Loyola credit for a tough, great game plan. They made it tough for everybody to score.”

The Salukis were able to whittle the lead down to seven at the end of the third quarter on an up and under by Abby Brockmeyer and got to within four on multiple occasions in the fourth quarter, including with 27 seconds to go on a three-point play by Brittney Patrick, but were ultimately undone by costly turnovers down the stretch.

All 10 Salukis who dressed played, as Coach Stein shuffled her deck as much as she could in an attempt to give Southern’s exhausted starting five breathers throughout.

“We don’t want to use anything as an excuse,” Stein said. “If we want to have a chance at the MVC Tournament Championship, we are going to have to play three games in three days.”

Nicole Martin scored in double figures for the 11th time in her last 12 games, and 19th time overall this season, as she finished with a team-high 15 points to go along with four rebounds. Kylie Giebelhausen added nine points and four boards.

The Salukis return to action on Friday, Feb. 23 when they travel to Springfield, Mo. to take on Missouri State. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

Saluki Men’s Basketball downs Indiana State to win second-straight OT game

By Tom Weber, siusalukis.com

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Southern Illinois erased a six-point deficit in the final four minutes of regulation, then won its second-straight overtime game, dropping Indiana State, 76-72, on Saturday at the Hulman Center.

The Salukis (19-10, 11-5) have lived on the edge of a dime throughout much of this conference season, but have shown a knack for making enough big plays down the stretch to get the W. The outcome of 12 of their 16 MVC games have come down to the final minutes, and today was no different.

After leading by as many as 12 points in the first half, SIU’s lead evaporated in the second half until they found themselves trailing, 63-57, with 3:54 remaining. Southern had trouble stopping dribble penetration as center Kavion Pippen and guard Marcus Bartley both fouled out of the game in regulation.

Super-sub Tyler Smithpeters of Harrisburg, goes up for two of his 11 points on the bench, with reserve center Rudy Stradnieks boxing out. (Photos by Tom Webber- SIU Salukis)

Saluki guard Aaron Cook, who led his team with 18 points, started the comeback with a pair of free throws to make it 63-59. After Brenton Scott split a pair of charity tosses for ISU, it was Tyler Smithpeters turn to go to the line for Southern. He knocked down two more to cut the deficit to 64-61 with 1:39 to go. Smithpeters, a 24-year-old senior sixth man, was superb off the bench with 11 points, a team-high seven rebounds and six assists.

Once again, missed free throws were the Sycamores’ downfall, as Jordan Barnes split a pair, allowing Southern to come down and get a pull-up jumper by Jonathan Wiley that made the score 65-63 with 58 seconds.

The defensive play of the game came on Indiana State’s next possession, as Cook swiped the ball from walk-on guard Matt Deady, which led to a breakaway layup for Sean Lloyd, tying the score, 65-65, with 15 seconds to go. Barnes took the last shot of regulation for Indiana State but came up well short at the buzzer.

“I let ’em down at the end of regulation — I didn’t have us very well organized,” admitted ISU head coach Greg Lansing. “Couple tough possessions there where you make a shot or you get to the free throw line, you probably win the game. That’s on me. We did not look like a well-coached team offensively there at the end.”

Saluki forward Jonathan Wiley gave the Dawgs 23 valuable minutes off the bench, as Center Kavion Pippen spent the day in foul trouble. Wiley had five points and seven boards.

In overtime, both teams made just two field goals, but the biggest shot was a long 3-pointer by Lloyd to give SIU some breathing room, 72-67, with 3:02 remaining. Lloyd had not made a 3-point shot for Southern since the first meeting with Indiana State on Jan. 24, but he made both of his 3-point tries today and had 13 points.

“He was in rhythm, he never hesitated, he just rose up and made it,” SIU head coach Barry Hinson said. “Players make plays.”

Indiana State misfired on several opportunities in the final minute of overtime. With his team trailing, 74-72, Barnes missed a free throw, but the Sycamores got the ball back on a 10-second violation. Barnes then missed a potential go-ahead 3-ball with 13 seconds to go. He had one more opportunity to tie the game with five seconds left, but his 3-pointer came up short.

Southern held Indiana State’s top two scorers — Barnes and Scott — to 23 points on 7-of-28 shooting. One of the league’s top 3-point shooting threats, Barnes was 2-for-11 from long range.

“Don’t let Jordan and Brenton beat you — make the other guys beat you,” Hinson said. “I thought we did a phenomenal job on Barnes and Scott, but we gave up straight-line drives to those other guys.”

The Sycamores (11-17, 6-10) lost their fourth-straight home game and their seventh game out of eight.

“I should have been doing a better job for them this year,” Lansing said. “They’re a good group that really plays hard. I’m big enough to take blame when blame is needed and a lot of these self-inflicted wounds are the head coach’s fault. I have to do better, we’ll do better, we have to stay positive.”

Meanwhile, the Salukis have won eight of nine and are still in the hunt for first place. They trail Loyola by 1.5 games pending the Ramblers’ game at Evansville on Sunday. The two teams will meet in Carbondale on Wednesday night where SIU can pick up a game in the standings if it wins.

“This is the first time in a long time we’ve had a chance to win a championship,” Hinson said. “There’s two games left and we’re two games back, but they have to come to our place. We control half of our destiny.”

Box Score

http://siusalukis.com/boxscore.aspx?id=8040&path=mbball

Cardinals, former closer Motte set for a reunion

Former Cardinal Closer Jason Motte, picking up a save for the 2011 World Champions against the Texas Rangers.

JUPITER, Fla. – The last closer to throw a World Series-clinching pitch for the Cardinals will rejoin team as soon as Monday with a chance to retrofit a rebooted bullpen.

Jason Motte agreed to terms with the Cardinals on a minor-league deal that will become official after he passes a physical Monday, a source confirmed Friday. The agreement includes a non-roster invitation to big-league camp, but no promises for the righthander, who last pitched for the Cardinals in 2014.

Motte, 35, spent last season with Atlanta and had a 3.94 ERA in 46 relief appearances for the Braves.

Please click on the link for the full story from Derek Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinals-former-closer-motte-set-for-a-reunion/article_01f14f8d-a549-5d9d-836d-31da7777894f.html

Saluki Men’s Basketball plays at Indiana State at 1:00 p.m.

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Southern Illinois continues its conference season on Saturday when it travels to Indiana State for a 1 p.m. game televised live on ESPN3. The Salukis have a five-game winning streak against Indiana State, having swept the season series from the Sycamores the last two seasons. Southern is 24-18 all-time against Indiana State at the Hulman Center. Head coach Barry Hinson is 21-7 lifetime against ISU, including 7-5 while at Southern Illinois.

In the first meeting between the teams in Carbondale on Jan. 24, Aaron Cook poured in a career-high 25 points and Southern Illinois held off a late ISU rally to win, 82-77. Both teams shot better than 50 percent in the second half, but the difference in the game was at the free throw line where the Salukis were 22-of-31, compared to 10-of-13 for ISU.

Armon Fletcher goes up for a dunk in a home win against Indiana State

Four Salukis average double figures
The Saluki have four players averaging double figures in scoring this season — Armon Fletcher, Sean Lloyd, Kavion Pippen and Aaron Cook. The last season this happened was in 2002-03, when Kent Williams, Jermain Dearman, Darren Brooks and Stetson Hairston were all double-figure scorers. Since 1950, there have been 13 Saluki teams that have had four or more double figure scorers.

Kavion Pippen second in scoring among MVC newcomers
Juco transfer C Kavion Pippen (6-10, 240, Jr.) ranks second in scoring (12.6) among MVC newcomers, trailing only Illinois State’s Milik Yarbrough (16.5). Pippen leads the team in field goal percentage (.560) and blocked shots (38), and has scored in double figures in all but six games this season.  The nephew of NBA legend Scottie Pippen is a four-time winner of the MVC Newcomer of the Week (Nov. 12, Dec. 4, Feb. 5, Feb. 12). He is 45-of-66 (.682) from the field in the last six games.

Armon Fletcher increases output after move to “hybrid forward”
Since the Salukis switched to a four-guard offense on Dec. 13, and moved G Armon Fletcher (6-5, 207, Jr.) to the “hybrid forward” position, the team is 14-6 and his stats have shot up.
Position    GP    PPG    RPG    FG%    3FG%
Guard    8    11.9    4.7    .460    .296
Hyrbrid    20    15.3    5.4    .512    .362
Fletcher had a career night at Valparaiso on Jan. 6 with 32 points and 14 rebounds. He made the game-winning basket at Missouri State with six seconds left, and the go-ahead 3-pointer versus Valparaiso with less than a minute left on Feb. 3.

Aaron Cook hits game-winning FTs
Aaron Cook (6-2, 185, So.) made the game-winning free throws in overtime of Wednesday’s win over Missouri State. He hit both ends of a 1-and-1 with 4.1 seconds left to give SIU an 81-80 win. Cook has made significant improvement in his offensive game as a sophomore.
2016-17    2017-18
Scoring    3.0 PPG    10.0 PPG
FG Percentage    .333    .461
3FG Percentage    .185    .415

Dawg Bites
•The highest SIU has finished in the MVC standings in the last 10 years is 3rd (2008 and 2017). It last won the MVC title in 2007.
•The last time SIU won 11 games in conference play was 2016. The last time it won more than 11 was in 2007 (15).
•SIU has swept the series from two MVC foes so far (Northern Iowa and Missouri State). That’s the most sweeps since the 2016 team swept four opponents (Missouri State, Bradley, Drake, Indiana State).
•The Salukis need one more road win to match last year’s road win total of five. They had nine in 2016.
Tyler Smithpeters is 12-for-25 (.480)from 3-point range during his career vs. Indiana State (8 games).
•The Salukis have out-scored their last six opponents in Points in the Paint by an average of 12.6 points per game.
•11 of SIU’s 15 conference games have been “one-possession games” (three points or less) during the final three minutes of regulation.
•SIU has shot better than 50 percent during the second half in nine of its last 10 games.
•F Jonathan Wiley has played the last two games after missing 11 games with a knee injury.
•The Salukis are 7-2 in games decided by five points or less this season.
•The Salukis are 14-1 when they hold an opponent under 70 points and 3-9 when an opponent scores 70 or more.
•SIU has gone 111-consecutive games with at least one 3-point field goal.
•The Salukis have two injured players who are out for the season — F Thik Bol and G Eric McGill.

Rangers Draw the Marion Wildcats in first round of the Carbondale Class 3A regional

BLOOMINGTON – The Benton Rangers will face the Marion Wildcats on Tuesday February 27, at 7:30 P.M in the first round of the Carbondale Class 3A Regional.  Below are the pairings for the Centralia Sectional.

Centralia (H.S.) Sectional (map)

Manager: Lee Bennett

Phone: 618-532-7636, Fax: 618-532-9286

E-mail: lbennett@centraliahs.org

Tue., Mar. 6

Game 1 at 7:00 pm: Winner Waterloo (H.S.) Regional vs. Winner Carbondale (H.S.) Regional

Wed., Mar. 7

Game 2 at 7:00 pm: Winner Mt. Vernon (H.S.) Regional vs. Winner Highland Regional

Fri., Mar. 9

Game 3 at 7:00 pm: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2

Carbondale (H.S.) Regional (map)

Manager: Mark Albertini

Phone: 618-457-3371 x239, Fax: 618-351-9603

E-mail: mark.albertini@cchs165.com

Mon., Feb. 26

Game 1 at 7:00 pm: (8) Metropolis (Massac County) vs. (10) Carterville

Tue., Feb. 27

Game 2 at 6:00 pm: (2) Carbondale (H.S.) vs. Winner Game 1

Game 3 at 7:30 pm: (3) Benton vs. (5) Marion (H.S.)

Fri., Mar. 2

Game 4 at 7:00 pm: Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3

Mt. Vernon (H.S.) Regional (map)

Manager: Doug Creel

Phone: 618-231-3226, Fax: 618-246-1765

E-mail: dcreel@mvths.org

Mon., Feb. 26

Game 1 at 7:00 pm: (7) Mt. Vernon (H.S.) vs. (9) Herrin (H.S.)

Tue., Feb. 27

Game 2 at 7:00 pm: (1) Centralia (H.S.) vs. Winner Game 1

Wed., Feb. 28

Game 3 at 7:00 pm: (4) Murphysboro vs. (6) Salem

Fri., Mar. 2

Game 4 at 7:00 pm: Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3

Waterloo (H.S.) Regional (map)

Manager: Mitchell North

Phone: 618-939-3455, Fax: 618-939-1373

E-mail: mnorth@wcusd5.net

Mon., Feb. 26

Game 1 at 6:00 pm: (7) Mascoutah vs. (10) Freeburg

Game 2 at 7:30 pm: (5) Columbia vs. (12) Waterloo (H.S.)

Tue., Feb. 27

Game 3 at 7:00 pm: (1) Alton (Marquette) vs. Winner Game 1

Wed., Feb. 28

Game 4 at 7:00 pm: (4) Bethalto (Civic Memorial) vs. Winner Game 2

Fri., Mar. 2

Game 5 at 7:00 pm: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4

Highland Regional (map)

Manager: Caleb Houchins

Phone: 618-654-7131, Fax: 618-654-6548

E-mail: chouchins@highlandcusd5.org

Mon., Feb. 26

Game 1 at 6:00 pm: (8) Breese (Mater Dei) vs. (9) Breese (Central)

Game 2 at 7:30 pm: (6) Cahokia (H.S.) vs. (11) Troy (Triad)

Tue., Feb. 27

Game 3 at 7:00 pm: (2) East St. Louis (Sr.) vs. Winner Game 1

Wed., Feb. 28

Game 4 at 7:00 pm: (3) Highland vs. Winner Game 2

Fri., Mar. 2

Game 5 at 7:00 pm: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game

Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News