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Alex Dorethy
William Caudill

WIU Heads to SIU for Midweek Tilt

| By: WIU Athletic Communications

First pitch is set for 3 p.m. versus Southern Illinois on Tuesday (March 2).

Who | Western Illinois (1-2) at Southern Illinois (7-0) 
When | Tuesday (March 2) at 3 p.m. 
Where | Itchy Jones Stadium - Carbondale, Ill.  
Watch | ESPN+ or ESPN3 - TBA
Social Media | Twitter + Facebook #TRADITIONofTOUGH

First Pitch | After defeating No. 4 Louisville in the season opener on Friday, the Western Illinois baseball team heads to undefeated Southern Illinois for a midweek contest on Tuesday (March 2). 

Tickets / COVID-19 Protocols | Due to COVID-19 health protocols, attendance at Itchy Jones Stadium will be limited to immediate family of student-athletes and a limited number of SIU students, with a capacity of 100 in the seating bowl. 

Headlines 
  • On Friday, the Leathernecks upset No. 4 Louisville 8-3 in the season opener to give head coach Andy Pascoe his first career victory. The most recent win over a ranked opponent occurred at No. 24 Iowa in 2015, and the Leathernecks also notably defeated No. 1 Arkansas on opening weekend in 2013.
  • Newcomer Derek Botaletto hit .500 with six hits and a 1.154 OPS on the opening weekend at Louisville, highlighted by a 4-5 performance in the series opener.  
  • Brett Sears (1-0) earned his first career victory on Friday as he pitched five innings and limited the Cards to two hits and three runs. Brian Raymond threw four shutout frames out of the pen with six strikeouts en route to his first career save.  
  • Upperclassmen - Kevin Raisbeck (.385), Alex Dorethy (.417), and Trenton Bauer (.357) all knocked five hits last weekend to sit in a three-way tie for second on the team. 
  • On the opening weekend, four student-athletes - Derek Botaletto, Kory Olsen, Jacob Greenan, and Will Jaynes - all made their Leatherneck debuts. 
  • Head coach Andy Pascoe enters his second season at the helm of Western Illinois and is currently the third youngest head coach in Division I baseball. 
  • Prior to the start of the season, Trenton Bauer was named a Summit League Player to Watch, and Austin Edwards was selected as a Summit League Pitcher to Watch.  
  • SIU owns the all-time series, 34-7, with WIU's last win against the Salukis came in the 1965 season. 
  • Leatherneck baseball welcomed nine newcomers for the 2021 season with five transfers and four from the high school ranks. 
  • WIU returns 27 players from the 2020 campaign, highlighted by seven starters. 
Scouting the Opposition | SIU sits a perfect 7-0 and is coming off a three-game sweep of Mercer on the road… the Salukis are off to the program's best start in 54 years… SIU's seven-game winning streak this season is the longest for the program since 2007... senior first baseman Philip Archer was named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week, the league announced on Monday. Archer hit .625. 

The Return | Shortly after the 2020 season was canceled, seniors Trenton Bauer, Kevin Raisbeck, and Jackson Gray were granted an extra year of eligibility. The transfer trio has combined for 133 games in the Purple and Gold, including helping set the program's all-time Summit League victories (16) and handing Oral Roberts, the 18-time league champion, first-ever sweep in league play. 

In addition, Western returns its team-leaders in every offensive, defensive, and pitching category. 

Quick Start Part 2 | Catcher Jayden Gibson made his collegiate debut in the season opener last year at Tennessee one to remember as he recorded both of Western's two hits in the series opener and threw out a runner. The backstop mirrored the performance as he knocked a hit in his first at-bat of the season and threw out three runners at Louisville. 

Bullpen | The WIU bullpen returns 13 of 15 arms from last season, led by the team-leaders in appearances, starts, strikeouts, and innings pitched. 

Newcomers | Nine newcomers suit up for the Purple and Gold this season - Derek Botaletto, Kory Olsen, Caden Kratz, Collin Drake, Christian McKelvey, Gavin Terry, Thurman Thomas III, Jacob Greenan, and Will Jaynes. 

On Deck | Western travels to Evansville for a four-game series against the Purple Aces this weekend, with a doubleheader on Saturday (March 6).   
 
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