Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Southern Illinois
Players Mentioned
Racers and Salukis Set For Rematch
3/21/2017 11:57:00 AM | Baseball
GAME 20
Murray State (11-8) at Southern Illinois (11-9)
March 22, 2017
First Pitch: 5 p.m.
Series History: SIU leads the all-time series 46-19
Last Meeting: MSU 13, SIU 12 – March 8, 2017
Stadium: Jones Stadium
Dimensions: 340 (LF) | 390 (CF) | 340 (RF)
Live Stats
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Twitter In-Game: @RacersBaseball
First Pitch
The Racers begin their four-game Illinois road trip Wednesday as they travel to face Southern Illinois. MSU is coming off a 2-1 weekend at Reagan Field against Austin Peay to earn its first series victory of the season. The Racers rallied from a nine-run deficit two weeks ago to defeat SIU in the two's first matchup of the season.
Inside the Matchup
MSU is 6-26 all-time at SIU but has won 4-of-5 as of late in the series, including back on March 8. The Racers scored 10 straight runs to win that contest as Brandon Gutzler and Adam Bauer recorded four and three RBIs, respectively in the win. MSU lost 5-4 in the last meeting in Carbondale in late March of 2016.
Shutting the Door
Chad Gendron's four saves so far this season are already the most in a single season for the Racers since Will Handlin recorded four in 2012. The four saves are tied for the fifth most in a single season in program history.
Scouting Southern Illinois
The Salukis are led by Greg Lambert in most statistical categories as he as a team-best .333 batting average, three home runs and 22 RBIs. He is also second on the squad with 17 home runs. Connor Kopach leads SIU with 19 runs scored,11 stolen bases and 15 extra-base hits. Dyllin Mucha is hitting .321 in 15 games (28 at-bats) and Kopach is hitting .301. SIU is hitting .268 overall as a team and is 38- for-53 on stolen base attempts. Five Salukis have started in all 20 games this season.
A strong pitching staff is the backbone for the Salukis as they have recorded a 3.67 ERA as a team. Michael Baird is 4-0 on the year with a 0.75 ERA and has a team-high 36 innings pitched. Chad Whitmer leads the Salukis with 29 strikeouts in 2017. Alex Gutermuth leads SIU out of the bullpen with a 0.77 ERA and is 2-0 while closer Ryan Netemeyer has appeared in a team-best 11 games and has a 2.13 ERA and seven saves.
Probable Pitching Matchup
Caleb Arbeiter (RHP) (1-0, 4.00 ERA) vs. Allen Montgomery (RHP) (0-1, 14.29 ERA)
