SIUE Cougars (6-11, 0-0 OVC) vs. Valparaiso (5-8, 0-0 MVC)
March 13-15
Roy E. Lee Field / Simmons Baseball Complex
Edwardsville, Illinois

LAST WEEK: SIUE dropped a midweek game to Bradley before being swept in a three-game series at Kansas State.

SERIES STUFF: SIUE and Valpo have met five previous times in baseball, but haven't met since 2019. The Cougars hold a 3-2 lead in the series. All five games have been played in Edwardsville. 

COMEBACK COUGARS: SIUE has had two large comebacks in midweek games. The Cougars trailed 5-1 after an inning and a half Tuesday against SIU Carbondale before coming back to win 16-6 in eight innings. SIUE was down 7-0 after the top of the first Feb. 24 against Saint Louis. then scored 17 unanswered runs to win 17-7 in seven innings. 

WALLACE WATCH LIST: Senior shortstop Chase Bloomer was named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List for the third time in his career. The award honors college baseball's best shortstop.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Ryan Niedzwiedz earned his first career Player of the Week award from the OVC March 2. He then he was named to Baseball America's Team of the Week. He hit .421 with three homers and nine RBIs in five games last week.

EIGHT IS ENOUGH: Mack Mitchell hit a pair of home runs, including his first career grand slam Feb. 24 against Saint Louis and drove in eight runs-tying SIUE's single game record at the Division I level.

HOMER HAPPY: The Cougars hit six homers Tuesday against SIUC and are second in the OVC with 24 home runs. In 2025, SIUE led the league with 77 home runs while driving in 337 runs. Both totals were second most in the program's Division I history.

STRIKE FORCE: SIUE pitchers are fifth in the OVC with 127 strikeouts. The Cougars rank fourth in team ERA at 7.88.