Saluki baseball is right around the corner, with only a week and a half until the first series in Edinburg, Texas against the Vaqueros of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) .
After finishing the year with a 12-15 conference record, and 33-27 overall, that left a sour taste in the clubhouse, SIU eyes to be much more competitive in the Missouri Valley Conference this season.
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“Last year, we didn’t meet the expectations we put on ourselves,” first baseman Matt Schark said.
The lineup will look a lot different for the Salukis this season, as only one of the regular starters from last year is back for another go around, Jordan Bach.
In 2024, Bach played in 58 of 60 contests, posting a .299 batting average and an .845 on base plus slugging (OPS) over the course of the season.
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Bach isn’t the only experienced bat that will return for another shot. After a 2023 where he put up a .930 OPS and 11 home runs in 52 games, Schark missed most of 2024 due to a torn labrum which was a tough ordeal to face.
“Knowing I couldn’t help out, it was kind of difficult,” Schark said.
With another year of eligibility, Schark returned to SIU excited to use his two years of experience to be a leader in the locker room.
“It was pretty exciting to come back and try to help the new guys,” Schark said.
Schark also believes that his ability to hit for power, with 19 extra base hits in 2023, was sorely missed last season.
“We were missing that extra base hit in some situations last year,” Schark said.
Now in year 3 in Carbondale, Schark says that there is a fire in the eyes of the 2025 squad that he has not seen before.
“This group is the most determined that I’ve ever seen since I’ve been here,” Schark said.
With 25 roster spots to fill, the year head coach Lance Rhodes and the rest of the coaching staff had to undergo their yearly process of filling out their roster with the players and positions that they needed through the transfer portal.
“We were looking for position specific stuff. We were looking for left-handed bats,” new hitting coach Seth McLemore said.
Schark and McLemore both sang their praises for two players in particular that they see being big contributors this year, John Lemm and Mason Schwalbach.
McLemore also said that they wanted to get guys who could play multiple positions, as they believe that there are advantages that come with that skill set.
“That athleticism carries over to the batter’s box,” McLemore said.
McLemore does believe that his guys will have to make some adjustments with the jump from Junior College to Division 1 baseball, but he wants to see them compete and succeed.
“I have very high expectations for the whole group,” McLemore said.
Unlike the position players, the pitching staff will be more veteran-heavy in 2025. Five pitchers from last year’s team return, most notably, Al Holguin, Cole Koonce and Alec Nigut. Holguin and Nigut each tossed over 50 innings in the 2024 campaign and Koonce made 24 relief appearances, the second most last year.
Pitching coach Austin Tribby said he thinks that experience will be valuable in the upcoming season.
“Anytime you can get a season of Division 1 baseball under your belt, there’s a lot of positivity that comes from that,” Tribby said.
Another main trait the coaching staff looked for during the recruitment process was southpaws.
“Left handed pitching is a hot commodity and we got four really good ones this year,” Tribby said, referring to Holguin, Night, Gavan Wernsing and Jordan Huskey.
They were also looking for guys who had experienced previous success at the collegiate level, like Wernsing, who, over two seasons at Southwestern Illinois College, compiled a 16-1 record and was named All-Conference in both years.
“Being a winner speaks,” Tribby said.
But most importantly, they were looking for players who would mesh with the team they were building.
“You have to make sure you get the right fit,” Tribby said.
Nowhere is that more important than between the pitchers and the catchers. With just Bach, who only caught six games being the only returning catcher, work was needed to build the necessary chemistry. For his part, Tribby feels they have come together quite well.
“We have a great group of catchers and they really try to lead the pitching staff,” Tribby said.
The Salukis will kick off their season with a swing down in Texas on Feb. 14 for a three-game series at UTRGV. They will be at home for the first time on Tuesday, Feb. 18 against the University of Tennessee at Martin.
Sports Reporter Nick Pfannkuche can be reached at [email protected]. To stay up to date on all your southern Illinois news, be sure to follow The Daily Egyptian on Facebook and X @dailyegyptian.
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