May 20, 2022

By Will Becque

Southern Illinois University Athletics

For the first time in 32 years, the Southern Illinois University baseball team sits atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings at the end of the regular season.

The Salukis clinched the No. 1 seed in next week's Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, and at least a share of their first MVC regular season title since 1990, with a 7-1 win in game two of Friday's doubleheader against Illinois State.

"I’m really proud of our guys," head coach Lance Rhodes said. "There is a lot of hard work that goes from August until now to get to this point. Winning is not easy, it’s very difficult. Everything that we do in our program, we talk about winning. There's so much that goes into it - the dedication, the preparation and discipline that trickles through our culture and into every aspect of our lives. You look at what we have accomplished - we only lost one weekend all season long and we didn't lose a single conference weekend. These guys had an unbelievable season and it’s not done. We've got a lot of baseball ahead of us. But to be in the position we are in speaks to how good of a season we have had."

Southern used a pair of three-run home runs from Nathan Bandy and Grey Epps coupled with a terrific pitching performance from Matthew Steidl to secure its seventh MVC series win of the season. The win also gave SIU its 40th win of the season, which marks the first time in program history that the Salukis have won 40 or more games in back-to-back seasons.

The Redbirds used a leadoff double to manufacture a run in the bottom of the third but that was all they could get off the Saluki pitching triumvirate of Jake Combs, Steidl and Trey McDaniel.

Steidl came on in relief of Combs after the leadoff double in the third and was dominant. The Gallatin, Tenn. native threw a career-high six innings and allowed just four hits while tying his career-best with nine strikeouts to improve to 6-2 on the season. McDaniel threw a scoreless ninth to lock down the win for the Salukis.

"Exactly what I was hoping Steidl would give us," Rhodes said. "Probably a little more than I hoped he would give us. We talked Thursday afternoon before we got to the ballpark that we were going to empty the tank this weekend. We weren't worried about the tournament. Our eyes were on this weekend. We are in a good position, where we have plenty of days to rest guys and not worry about pitch counts. We wanted to put ourselves in the best position to win the regular season outright."

SIU's potent offence went to work in the top of the fourth. Kaeber Rog led off with a double and Ryan Rodriguez followed with a single. Rog scored on a wild pitch to tie the game and Grey Epps worked a six-pitch walk to put two on for Nathan Bandy. Bandy then unloaded on 3-1 pitch for his second home run of the season to put Southern ahead, 4-1.

"I knew he was going to come with two off speed pitches because that's how I had been thrown recently," Bandy said of his fourth-inning home run. "He couldn't command his off speed pitches early in the count so I knew he was going to come back with a fastball. I missed the first one but he made a mistake by coming back with another fastball."

Steidl continued to hang zeros and Epps landed the knockout blow in the eighth. Rodriguez singled to lead off the frame and Pier-Olivier Boucher (Saint-Joseph-de-Bauce, Que.) followed with walk. Epps then socked his 12th home run of the season to put Southern comfortably ahead, 7-1.

Boucher finished the game 1-for-4 with a hit, a walk and a run.

Eight different Salukis recorded a hit in the victory, which included three with multiple hits. Jack Rigoni went 3-for-5, while Rodriguez was 2-for-5 with two runs scored. Bandy also went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs.

The Salukis will next play at the 2022 MVC Tournament, hosted by Missouri State, on Wednesday, May 25 at 11 a.m. Southern's opponent will depend on the results of Tuesday's play-in round games.