SIUE Cougars at North Alabama
Feb. 13-14
Mike D. Lane Field at Bank Independent Stadium
Florence, Alabama

Probable Pitching Matchups:
SIUE RHP Jase Phillips vs. UNA LHP Tripp Patterson
SIUE RHP Spencer Stearns vs. UNA RHP Luke Davenport
SIUE RHP Tim Teixeira vs. UNA RHP John Allen Stogner

• The schedule has been adjusted due to weather conditions. The current schedule has the two teams playing a doubleheader Friday and then a single game Saturday.
• SIUE and North Alabama have met six previous times but have not played since both teams were Division II programs. North Alabama completed its transition to Division I ahead of the 2022-23 season. The Lions own a 7-1 advantage in the series all-time.
• North Alabama was picked to finish third in the Atlantic Sun's Gold Division.
• SIUE was picked as the preseason favorite in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll.
• The Cougars finished 18-8 in OVC play in 2025, marking the second most OVC wins in program history.
• SIUE led the OVC in wins but finished second by percentage points to Eastern Illinois in the regular season race.
• The Cougars' 26 total wins tied for fourth most since moving to Division I play in 2008.
• Head Coach Sean Lyons is beginning his 10^th season at the helm and has a career record of 188-250-1 (.439). His 188 wins are third most in program history.
• In 2025, SIUE hit 77 home runs and drove home 337 runs. Both totals were second most in the program's Division I history.
• SIUE returns five players who started at least 49 games in 2025 in Chase Bloomer, Daniel Gierer, Mack Mitchell, Ryan Niedzwiedz and Ethan Willoughby.
• In total, the Cougars bring back 11 players on the offensive side. Those 11 players accounted for 62 of 77 home runs (81 percent) and 263 of 337 (78 percent) RBIs.
• Niedzwiedz was named as the OVC Preseason Player of the Year by D1baseball.com. He ranked 34^th on D1baseball.com's list of preseason Top 50 first baseman.
• Mitchell was ranked 32^nd on D1baseball.com's preseason Top 50 second baseman. Mitchell's 19 home runs in 2025 tied for the OVC lead.
• On the mound, SIUE returns its top two starters in Spencer Stearns and Tim Teixeira. They accounted for 28 starts, 126 strikeouts and six wins between them.