May 19, 2009

By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com

2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament

#5 Southern Illinois (23-26) vs. #4 Creighton (28-24)

Date: Wednesday, May 20
Location: Wichita, Kan.
First Pitch: 11 a.m., CT
Stadium: Eck Stadium-Tyler Field (7,851)
Head Coaches: SIU: Dan Callahan (413-416-1, 196-226-1 MVC/15th Year); CU: Ed Servais (224-123, 101-48 MVC/Sixth Year)
Radio: WVZA 92.7 FM (Night Games); WFRX 1300 AM
(Day Games). Mike Reis (Play-by-Play)
Audio Webcast: www.siusalukis.com (Saluki All-Access)
Live Stats: www.siusalukis.com
Weather Forecast: Wednesday - Mostly Sunny, 82 degrees; Thursday - Mostly Sunny, 83 degrees; Friday - Partly Cloudy, 81 degrees; Saturday - Partly Cloudy, 78 degrees

2009 State Farm MVC Tournament | May 20-23 | Wichita, Kan. | Host: Wichita State University

Wednesday, May 20
#4 Creighton (28-24) vs. #5 Southern Illinois (23-26), 11 a.m.
#1 Missouri State (32-19) vs. #6 Illinois State (23-21), 3 p.m.
#2 Indiana State (33-18) vs. #3 Wichita State (27-24), 7 p.m.

Thursday, May 21
#1 Missouri State vs. #5 Southern Illinois, 11 a.m.
#2 Indiana State vs. #6 Illinois State, 3 p.m.
#3 Wichita State vs. #4 Creighton, 7 p.m.

Friday, May 22
#2 Indiana State vs. #5 Southern Illinois, 11 a.m.
#1 Missouri State vs. #4 Creighton, 3 p.m.
#3 Wichita State vs. #6 Illinois State, 7 p.m.

Saturday, May 23
MVC Championship Game, 7 p.m.
(Fox Sports Midwest, Mitch Holthus (Play-by- Play); Kirk Champion (Analyst)

Home team in Bold

MVC Tournament Notes | 2009 State Farm MVC Tournament Central

Wichita Bound
Southern Illinois University heads to the 2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Championship as a five-seed for the third time in four years. The Salukis open postseason play against No. 4 Creighton on Wednesday at 11 a.m., CT.

Eight in a Row
This year marks SIU's eighth-straight trip to the MVC Tournament. Only SIU, Wichita State and Creighton have made the Valley Tournament every year since 2002.

Salukis Clinch Five-Seed
SIU locked up the five-seed after it swept Evansville (5/14-16) in its final week of the 2009 regular- season. The Salukis have heated up to win eight of their last 11 games and carry a three-game winning streak to Wichita.

Hot Dawgs
The Salukis, after going 3-8 during the first part of their MVC schedule, won eight of nine games down the stretch to finish 11-9 in the conference. SIU finished one spot lower than its Valley preseason fourth-place ranking. The Dawgs' only loss over the second half of league play was at Bradley (1-0) on May 1.

Tournament History
SIU goes to the MVC Tournament for the 27th time in school history. The Salukis are 45-46 all-time in MVC Tournament games. SIU makes the six-team field for the 11th time in 15 years under head coach Dan Callahan. Callahan's teams are 11-20 in postseason play, with the 2003 and 2004 clubs finishing runner-up to Wichita State.

Salukis are Due
SIU has not won a MVC regular-season or tournament title since 1990. That year, the Salukis went 49-14 overall and 14-6 in league play, won the conference tournament and advanced to the NCAA Regional, where they were eliminated by San Diego State. Since then, the closest SIU came to winning a MVC Tournament was when it finished second in both 2003 and 2004. The Salukis went undefeated through their first three games before falling twice to Wichita State in the championship round of those tournaments.

Callahan vs. this year's MVC Tournament Field
Head coach Dan Callahan is a combined 6-17 against Wichita State (1-11), Missouri State (3-4), Creighton (2-1) and Indiana State (0-1) at the MVC Tournament. Callahan has never faced Illinois State in the postseason.

Series History vs. Creighton
SIU holds a 57-51 advantage in its alltime series against Creighton. Head coach Dan Callahan's teams are 28-27 versus the Jays. The Salukis have lost eight of their last 10 games against CU. SIU, which was swept by the Bluejays this season, eliminated the Bluejays from the 2008 MVC Tournament.