April 25, 2008

By Kyle Herm
www.SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois softball team begins its final stretch of the regular-season on the road for a three-game weekend series at Missouri State this Saturday and Sunday, April 26-27. The Salukis will play their final eight games of the season on the road before returning home to host the MVC Tournament, May 8-10.

The series opens with a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. on Saturday and concludes with a single game on Sunday at noon at the Missouri State Softball Field.

SIU enters the three-game set in fourth place in the league at 10-7, while the Bears are right behind in the fifth spot with a 10-8 conference mark. Both teams are coming off a pair of weekday losses, with the Salukis dropping both games of a doubleheader against UT Martin, and Missouri State falling at home on Wednesday in two games against Tulsa.

Southern Illinois trails slightly in the all-time series with MSU, 37-32, and split last year's season series, 1-1, in Carbondale. SIU lost the first, 4-3, but topped the Bears 8-0 in the second game.

The Saluki offense ranks in the top three in nine different statistical categories in the MVC, while Missouri State holds the leagues best team earned run average of 2.25. The two teams are also positioned back-to-back in stolen bases in the conference, with SIU ranked No. 1 with 43 steals, and MSU at No. 2 with 36.

All three games of the series can be heard live online through a webcast by Patrick Erickson. To access the audio of the games, visit the Saluki softball Web page at www.SIUSalukis.com.