SIUE (10-12) vs. Illinois State (8-13)
Wed., March 26, 4 p.m.
Roy E. Lee Field / Simmons Baseball Complex


PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP
SIUE RHP Brady Coon (0-2, 14.18) vs. ISU LHP Ryan Weaver (0-3, 8.25)

LAST WEEK: The Cougars went 4-0 taking a midweek game at Illinois State and then opening Ohio Valley Conference play with a sweep of Morehead State

OVC SWEEP: The Cougars swept Morehead State, marking the first OVC series sweep since April 2023 against Eastern Illinois.

SERIES STUFF: SIUE won at Illinois State last Tuesday, 14-12 in 11 innings. Overall, ISU owns a 22-10 lead in the all-time series. There also has been one tie in the series. The Cougars 6-8 in the series at home. Illinois State won the only meeting last year, 14-3 in Normal.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Spencer Stearns earned Pitcher of the Week honors in the OVC Monday after an eight-inning gem against Morehead State last Saturday. He pitched a career-high eight innings and racked up 12 strikeouts, also a career high.

COMEBACK COUGS: SIUE had to come from behind in all four games last week. The Cougars previously erased a 10-0 deficit to defeat Evansville 12-11 March 11 at Roy E. Lee Field.

LEADERS AT THE PLATE: Chase Bloomer, who was the OVC Player of the Week March 17, leads the team and is sixth in the OVC with a .365 batting average. He is second in the OVC with seven home runs and ninth with 20 RBIs. Lane Crowden is the OVC leader in doubles per game (.47). His eight total doubles rank second in the league. Daniel Gierer is second in the OVC with 12 stolen bases.

LEADERS ON THE MOUND: Tyler Davis picked up two wins (including at Illinois State) last week. He leads the team with three. Stearns and Tim Teixeira each have 27 strikeouts to lead the team. Stearns leads the OVC with 10.57 strikeouts per nine innings.

GOOD HANDS: SIUE is tied for third in the league with a .969 fielding percentage. The Cougars have committed the fewest errors in the league at 23.

THE SKIPPER: Sean Lyons is in his ninth season as SIUE's head coach. His overall record is 172-234.

LAST YEAR: SIUE was 21-31-1 overall and 12-11-1 at home. The Cougars returned to the OVC Tournament for the third consecutive season under Sean Lyons, a first in school history. The Cougars finished seventh in OVC play at 12-15.