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  Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
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SIUE Athletics
Cougar Ruler
March 28, 2005

Baseball Even Up in Conference Season
        Southern Illinois University Edwardsville baseball coach Gary Collins knows that his team's pitching has been outstanding this season. The Cougar staff has an earned run average of 2.84 while holding their opponents to a .198 batting average.
        "Our pitching is very good," said Collins. "It is exciting to watch our guys pitch."
        SIUE is 9-6 overall and 4-4 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference heading into games against Kentucky Wesleyan and Southern Indiana this week.
        While the pitching has been there for the Cougars, Collins can see that the SIUE bats are not as hot as he would like. The Cougars have scored just 10 runs in their last 48 innings over the last six games. SIUE is batting .286 as a team on the year with six home runs.
        "Nothing we have done with hitting has seemed to work," said Collins. "We are not making good contact right now. I have my fingers crossed that the hitting will catch up with the pitching."
        Kyle Jones (New Baden) and Cameron Cheek (Atlanta) are the team leaders on the mound. Jones is 4-0 on the season with a 1.71 earned run average, having given up just one run is his last 28 innings pitched, and he ranks first in the GLVC in strikeouts with 41. Cheek leads the team with a 1.03 earned run average and a 3-1 mark on the season.
        "Those two have been off the chart so far this season," said Collins.
        The Cougars split last weekend at Lewis winning the first two games 1-0 and 5-1 on Saturday, before falling 1-0 and 4-3 on Sunday afternoon.
        Brian Newby (Bartonville) collected his first home run as a Cougar in the second win on Saturday.
        Jake Smith (East Peoria) is second on the team with a .389 batting average. Smith leads the club with 13 RBIs and six doubles.
        SIUE takes on the Panthers tomorrow afternoon at T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O'Fallon, Mo. at 1. The Screaming Eagles battle the Cougars on Saturday in O'Fallon and on Sunday in Evansville, Ind., with both doubleheaders beginning at 1 p.m.
                -siue cougars-