The Salukis hope wood bats will get their offense in gear against a Mississippi River rival.

After dropping two of three against No. 6 Wichita State in its last series when it scored six runs, the SIU baseball team will take on Missouri at 6:30 p.m. at T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O’Fallon, Mo.

Saluki coach Dan Callahan said the wood bat game offers a change of pace from using aluminum bats.

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“It’s more of a nostalgic thing than anything else because I don’t recall a ton of scouts being there last time,” Callahan said. “In past games, when we’ve played Mizzou and (Saint Louis), we’ve done the same thing and I think the guys look forward to it.”

The Tigers (28-10) are ranked No. 10 in the USA Today college baseball poll and took two out of three from Oklahoma this past weekend.

SIU (20-17) defeated Missouri 7-0 in the previous meeting between the teams in 2006, but the Tigers still hold the all-time advantage 14-13.

Callahan is going to tinker with the rotation for tonight’s game by moving in junior reliever Adam Curynski for a spot start.

The move comes in the wake of junior Andrew Dunn picking up the start in Sunday’s 8-3 loss to the Shockers.

The other option could have been junior David Kington but he was roughed up in the loss – Kington gave up three runs in two-thirds of an inning.

Curynski registered an out in the game but did so using one pitch. He carries a 2-1 record with a 4.50 ERA in 11 appearances this season.

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“We thought we’d try something different but that’s not because this is some kind of theme game or something,” Callahan said. “We just think going in with his changeup and slider that it could be a pretty good matchup.”

Junior starting pitcher Ian Berger will take the mound for Missouri with a 3-3 record and a 3.20 ERA.

Berger should look familiar to most of the Saluki lineup because he pitched for Illinois State in 2006.

Junior outfielder Bret Maugeri leads the SIU offense with a .364 batting average. Maugeri also has 17 runs scored in 22 starts.

Senior outfielder Jacob Priday is the Tigers’ top hitter with a .364 average. Priday also has a team-high 13 home runs.

Matt Hartwig can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 282 or [email protected].