After the SIU baseball team won only two of its last nine Missouri Valley Conference games, the team has prepared for a weekend series against Creigton University that includes a Sunday game on ESPN.

The Salukis struggled early in the season, but they have won six of thier 10 April games and posted a .282 team batting average.

However, the most reliable season performance has come from the pitching staff. After Tuesday’s win against the University of Tennessee-Martin, junior pitcher Todd Eaton earned his 16th career save and moved into second on SIU’s all-time save list. Eaton has struck out 15 batters, allowed just five earned runs and posted a 2.65 ERA in 16 appearances this season.

SIU sophomore pitcher Sam Coonrod said he has faith in leaving the game in Eaton’s hands.

“He has been very important this year,” he said. “I feel like when he comes in, the game is over.”

Another pitcher that has performed well this season is senior starting pitcher Cody Forsythe

Before the Saluki’s 10-game stretch in April, senior outfielder Rennie Troggio struggled to hit the ball. Troggio has moved his batting average up to .231, posted 14 RBIs and hit one home run this season.

Troggio had a similar year in 2012, when he struggled early then picked up late in the season, coach Ken Henderson said.

“He started off slow last year then we got into late play, and he really started swinging the bat,” he said. “I think part of it is confidence. If you think you are going to hit the ball, you can hit.”

Senior catcher Luke Mottashed has also seen his play progress since April. Mottashed, who is listed at catcher, but often gets appearances at designated hitter, already has 26 more at bats than last year. Mottashed had 10 runs, 14 hits and nine RBIs in 20 appearances during the 2012 season. This year, Mottashed has eight runs, 25 hits, 16 RBIs and a .338 batting average in 22 games played.

Henderson said Mottashed’s approach to the game is much different than it was last year.

“I think he is battling really hard, and he has made the adjustments mechanically as well,” he said. “He just wants to hit, and he wants to play.”

The Salukis will face Creighton University this weekend in Omaha, Neb., in their third MVC season series. Henderseon said there is no reason they shouldn’t beat CU if the Salukis continue to play well.

“They are a good aggressive ball club, and they are going to try and make some things happen,” he said. “All we have to do is go out there, pitch well and play good baseball.”

Sunday’s 4:30 p.m. game will be featured on ESPNU, and Henderson said the opportunity is huge for the school.

“When they asked us to do that it was a no-brainer,” he said. “They only do one Valley game a year, and to be selected for that, you can’t measure the importance.”