The SIU softball team walked into the 2026 season with high expectations after winning the Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship a year ago. The Salukis traveled to the Eastern Time Zone in Fort Myers, Florida to play in the Florida Gulf Coast Kickoff Classic on Friday, Feb. 6, through Sunday, Feb. 8.

A sluggish 1-12 start to last season serves as motivation to avoid that slow start this year. The Dawgs did just that, completing a Saluki sweep, going 5-0 in the Kickoff Classic.

The Salukis started the season strong with a 5-2 victory against the Charlotte 49ers. The pitching stood tall behind a solid outing from sophomore Emma Gipson, and true freshman Brooklyn Danielson. With this win, Danielson made her collegiate debut and simultaneously won her first career game. The Saluki offense had an impressive day, including two hit days from junior Emily Williams and redshirt sophomore Maleah Blomenkamp.

However, the game did not begin the way the Salukis wanted. A home run for the 49ers off the very first pitch of the game put Charlotte up 1-0. Just two batters later, another solo shot widened the deficit to 2-0 in favor of the 49ers. 

“No one has ever won a game in the first inning. Don’t panic,” head coach Jen Sewell said. 

SIU took Sewell’s words to heart and got the bats going. In the bottom of the fourth, senior and co-captain Erin Lee went yard to put the dawgs on top 3-2. Creighton transfer Sydney Potter started what ended up as an outstanding weekend with a 2 run bomb in the bottom of the fifth. That was all SIU needed to tie their win total in their first 13 games last year in just the first contest of the 2026 campaign.

The Dawgs carried that momentum into that afternoon, where freshman pitcher Haley Lucas shut down the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles offense in a substantial way. Lucas paved the way to victory, throwing a complete game shutout in her first collegiate start. Lucas only surrendered 2 hits in 7 innings of work and struck out 5 Eagle hitters, all while throwing 80 pitches. 

Despite some struggles from the offense, the team was able to claw out five hits and push two runs across home plate. Potter recorded her second home run in just as many games to go along with her 4 RBI. Williams notched another 2-hit game. 

Lucas picked up her first career win as the Salukis were victorious by a final score of  2-0. In her postgame interview, Sewell said, “She had all her stuff…she commanded both sides of the plate.” 

Saturday morning the Dawgs were back in action, facing off against the same Charlotte team they had seen just 24 hours prior. The 49ers and Salukis played a tight one, with the Salukis squeaking out their third victory by a final score of 7-6. 

Potter picked up right where she left off on Friday, smoking a ball deep to center for her third home run of the season. This drove in two runs to extend the lead to 2-0. However, Charlotte wasn’t going down without a fight, scoring four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning left the Salukis trailing the 49ers 4-2. 

But Potter wasn’t done yet. She doubled down the left field line and picked up her 7th RBI of the year, bringing the Dawgs down a run 4-3. Williams came up with a clutch double to knock in the tying run, and tie the game at 4-4. Lee hit her second long ball of the weekend and gave her team a two-run advantage. Sophomore Hayden Kurtz then picked up her first RBI of 2026, bringing home what turned out to be a crucial run that would be the difference in the contest. SIU’s 5-run burst in the top of the fifth gave them a 7-4 lead. 

Charlotte responded right away in the bottom of the fifth, putting up two more runs to bring the game right back to a one-run game at 7-6. The Saluki pitching staff was able to fend off the Charlotte offensive onslaught from there, with Danielson pitching her way out of trouble and to get her second win in just as many outings. Junior Emily Delgado made her first appearance of the season and was able to shut things down to pick up her first save of 2026. Southern Illinois moved to 3-0 and carried a boatload of momentum into Sunday.

An early morning first pitch brought a matchup between the red-hot Salukis and the Ball State Cardinals. Gipson and Lucas were unfazed by the 9 a.m. local time start, holding the Cardinal bats at bay and to put together the second shutout of the young season. The SIU offense was a little slower to start, but there was nobody in Florida who could stop Potter this weekend. Potter launched yet another moonshot to put the Dawgs up 2-0. Despite getting hit in the hand by a pitch in the second inning, junior Mandy Knutson remained focused and was able to drive a pitch out of the park for her first long ball of the year, giving the Salukis a 4-run lead.

Williams and sophomore Sage Grann were the definition of consistency all weekend, and both had two-hits a piece in this one. An exceptionally heads-up play by senior Charley Pursley led to an impactful double play in the bottom of the 6th inning. Post game, Sewell complimented Pursley’s work ethic, “She deserves the chance to man that position.” SIU kept the positive momentum flowing as they advanced to 4-0.

The Salukis swept Sunday and the entire Kickoff Classic with an emphatic 7-0 victory against the Long Island Sharks. Junior Kiana McDowell led the Salukis to their third shutout  in her first appearance of the season. McDowell went on to pick up her first win as well as holding the Shark batters to just 3 hits. Emily Delgado came in as relief in the fifth inning and was able to maintain the iron curtain.

RBI doubles from Williams and freshman Delaney Osborne gave the Dawgs an early lead. From there, Potter did what she does best: hit a monster of a homer. Potter finished the weekend with 5 long balls and 11 RBIs. Junior Mikeala Coburn’s 3-run blast put SIU up 7-0, where they marched all the way to victory. 

The Dawgs head south of the border for their next five contests, as they will travel to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for three days starting Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 11 AM against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels. 

Sports reporter Aaron Carnahan can be contacted at [email protected]. Sports reporter Eli Hoover can be found at [email protected] or on Instagram @hoovermakesart

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