ST. LOUIS – Six players from the Southern Illinois baseball program earned spots on the All-Missouri Valley Conference teams, the league announced Monday evening. Aidan Foeller and Steven Loden were named to the Second Team while Cole Christman, Easton Dermody, Anthony Pron and Mathieu Vallee picked up Honorable Mention accolades. All player awards are voted on by the League’s head coaches.
A Nesbit, Mississippi native, Foeller finished the regular season with a 4-3 record and a 4.92 ERA. The right-hander made 12 starts on the mound for the Salukis, pitching 67.2 innings over the regular season. He led the MVC with 91 punchouts and ranked in the top-30 nationally in strikeouts and strikeouts per nine innings (12.10). He recorded 12 or more strikeouts on four different occasions and held opponents to a .253 batting average against.
Loden finished the regular season leading the team in batting average (.325), home runs (12), slugging percentage (.619), and tied for the team lead in RBIs with 48 even after missing nearly three weeks due to injury. The Lower Gwynedd, Pennsylvania native was one of the most consistent fielders for the Dawgs with a .989 fielding percentage, recording just two errors all season.
Christman finished the season hitting .302 with 14 doubles, nine home runs and 45 RBIs. Christman was second on the team in slugging with a .527 mark to go with a .388 on-base percentage. The St. Louis native started 47 games behind the plate for SIU.
Dermody led the Salukis with a 3.75 ERA after making 19 appearances out of the bullpen for a 4-2 record. A Council Bluffs, Iowa product, Dermody struck out 54 batters and walked 27 in 50.1 innings of work. The right-hander held opponents to a .245 average and picked up three saves for the Salukis.
Pron ranks in the top-25 nationally and second in the MVC in saves with nine on the year. His saves mark is the eighth in program history in single season saves. Overall, the Mullica Hill, New Jersey native made 26 appearances out of the bullpen and holds a 2-2 record with a 4.66 ERA. The right-hander struck out 39 and held opponents to a .233 average.
Vallee was second on the team in average with a a.319 batting average to go with a .432 slugging percentage and a .423 on-base percentage. The Saint-Joseph-Du-Lac, Québec native collected 16 extra-base hits and drew 36 walks in 213 plate appearances. The senior also led the Salukis in stolen bases, swiping 15 bases on 16 attempts.