Southern Illinois University Edwardsville - April 8
For their second true midweek game of the season, the Tigers will travel to Edwardsville, Illinois, to face SIUE.
In his eighth season as head coach, Sean Lyons led the Cougars to a 21-34-1 record (12-15 conference), falling to Morehead State in the second round of the conference tournament as a No. 7 seed. Lyons returns for his ninth season and looks to make an impact with his team.
Most of SIUE’s hitters will already be familiar with head coach Sean Lyons, as much of the roster returns from 2024, which was filled with young players.
The Cougars lost their best hitter, Lucas Spence, who signed a free-agent contract with a major league organization. However, the rest of their top offensive producers are back. Leading the lineup in Spence’s absence will be sophomore Ryan Niedzwiedz, who ranked second on the team last season with an .884 OPS and led SIUE with 11 home runs; junior Ethan Willoughby, one of two players to hit over .300 in 2024; and junior Chase Bloomer, who recorded 20 extra-base hits last season.
Nearly every player who appeared in at least 45 games, including those three, returns in 2025, meaning the roster could closely resemble last year’s. SIUE also lost a key infielder to the transfer portal, but to replace those at-bats, the Cougars added three freshman hitters—two outfielders and a first baseman—along with five transfer bats who play across multiple positions.
On the pitching side, the outlook is not much more promising for a team that finished near the bottom of college baseball in 2024 with a 7.90 team ERA. The only player who started more than 10 games last season graduated, leaving SIUE to rely on others to fill those innings.
The two returning pitchers who ranked second and third in starts last season are back and expected to take on similar, if not expanded, roles. Junior Garrett Helsel, who started eight games, and senior Alex Rodriguez, who started seven, will likely be two of the team’s primary starters in 2025, along with redshirt sophomore Spencer Stearns. Stearns made just four starts in 2024 but was effective, posting a 4.43 ERA in just over 22 innings.
Like their starting rotation, the bullpen will look much the same as last season. SIUE’s top two relievers return, with senior Liam McKillop, who led the team with 20 appearances, and sophomore Joseph Martin, who pitched in 17 games, expected to retain their roles. Most of the bullpen arms from 2024 will return, but several newcomers—four freshmen and six transfers—will look to contribute. Some could take over roles previously held by departing players.
Guys to look for:
- Lane Crowden
- Matthew Gist
- Kyle Hepburn
- Kyle Rossy