2024 Cougar Invite
Edwardsville, Ill. (Cougar Field)
Friday, March 1
vs. Loyola, 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 2
vs. St. Thomas, 5 p.m.
vs. Illinois State, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 3
vs. Creighton, 2:30 p.m.
vs. Loyola, 5 p.m.
Video
ESPN+ (SIUE tournament games only)
Live Stats
SIUEstats.com
HOME OPENER
Friday's game against Loyola serves not only as the Cougars' first contest of the 2024 Cougar Invite but also as the home opener for SIUE.
TOURNAMENT SETUP
SIUE's Cougar Field plays host to 12 games over three days beginning with Loyola vs. St. Thomas at noon Friday. The tournament features SIUE, Loyola, St. Thomas, Creighton and Illinois State. The tournament website is at
https://siuecougars.com/sports/2024/1/12/siue-softball-2024-cougar-invite.aspx.
SERIES RECORDS
SIUE is 2-0 all-tie against Loyola having only played in Florida-based tournaments. SIUE defeated Loyola 2-0 in 2013 at Clearwater, Florida, and 6-1 in 2018 at Madeira Beach, Florida. SIUE and Illinois State are tied 1-1 having only played neutral site games previously. Illinois State defeated SIUE 4-3 in eight innings in 2014 at Tempe, Arizona. SIUE returned the favor with a 4-2 win in 2022 at Boca Raton, Florida. This is the first-ever meeting between the Cougars and St. Thomas or Creighton.
LAST SEASON
SIUE is coming off a 30-26 season in which the Cougars advanced to the title game of the 2023 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. The Cougars won 10 of their last 12 games and the season-best six straight games to close out the regular season. SIUE, the No. 5 seed at the 2023 OVC Championships, knocked out the No. 1, No. 3 and No. 4 seeds in the tournament.
LEAGUE LEADERS
Rylie Pindel leads the OVC in saves with two and is ranked 11th nationally in that category.
Paige Rocha is 16th nationally and first in the OVC in doubles with six. Rocha also leads the OVC in hits with 20.
Jenna Herron is the league leader in sacrifice bunts per game at 0.31.
HIT MACHINE
Rocha recorded a Division I era-best 74 hits last season. It was the most hits by a Cougar since Alicia DeShasier hit 82 in 2006. All four of the players who have more hits in a season by the Cougars now reside in the SIUE Athletics Hall of Fame (DeShasier, Jenny Esker, Katie Waldo and Erin Newman). Rocha continued that trend with a team-leading 20 hits during the first 13 games.
100 STRIKEOUTS
Baalman and Ray were neck and neck in strikeouts last season. Ray finished ahead with 103 in 132.2 innings pitched. Baalman recorded 101 in 154.2 innings pitched. Baalman has 19 this season followed by 14 from Ray.
START OF AN ERA: Lone Tree, Iowa, native
Ben Sorden is in his second season as head coach of the Cougars. Sorden came to SIUE after holding positions at Michigan State and Indiana, helping the pitching staffs to national honors and top-notch results.
