The SIU men’s golf team is ready to make history one swing at a time behind its core of senior leaders.

Seniors Jordan Cox, Blake Driskell and Patrick Scheil are three of the top-five players for a team looking to win its first Missouri Valley Conference championship.’

‘This is our last hoorah so the three of us are working as hard as we can and if the freshmen players see that then it will rub off on them,’ Scheil said. ‘I feel like we are already working together more this season.’

The men’s golf team is heading south to compete in the Wasioto Winds Fall Kickoff Monday at the Pine Mountain Resort in Pineville, Ky.

Freshmen Jeff Miller and Jake Erickson qualified for the tournament along with the three seniors to fill out the roster for SIU’s first trip.

Miller said he is excited to get on the course for the first time as a member of the Salukis.

‘If I can be a role player and I can shoot at the very least a decent score to add to the seniors scores, we’ll have a pretty good shot at winning conference this year,’ Miller said.

Erickson said collegiate golf is different than what he was accustomed to in high school.’

‘We had a qualifying match this past weekend at Cape Girardeau at Dalhousie Country Club and I shot a 77,’ Erickson said. ‘That will be one of the toughest courses we will play on. It is good to see where I’m at.’

Men’s golf coach Leroy Newton said he is expecting a great year and said the freshmen players will be vital to the success of the team.

‘The freshmen are going to have to put up good scores because we are going to have to count on of them,’ Newton said. ‘I do feel they are very capable of putting up low scores.’

Newton said while teams to beat in the MVC are Wichita State and Illinois State, the Salukis are ready to shock the conference.

‘The seniors are real positive and they can’t wait to get out and play,’ Newton said. ‘If the freshmen can come along over the course of the season I think we can beat anybody anywhere.’