The University of Southern Indiana baseball team opens the 2016 regular season and home schedule Friday at 2 p.m. when it starts a three-game series against Midwest Region rival Grand Valley State University at the USI Baseball Field. Following Friday’s 2 p.m. first pitch and the start of a 10-game homestand, the Screaming Eagles and the Lakers are scheduled to play Saturday at 1 p.m. before concluding the series Sunday at noon.
Coverage of the Eagles-Lakers series, including live stats and audio, are available at GoUSIEagles.com.
SCREAMING EAGLES BASEBALL NOTES:
USI Baseball picked to place 2nd in GLVC East Division. The Eagles, who were 28-21 overall record and 21-15 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference’s East Division in 2015, are predicted to place 2nd in the GLVC East Division. USI is forecast to follow the University of Indianapolis, but ahead of Bellarmine University, Saint Joseph’s College, Lewis University, the University of Illinois Springfield, McKendree University, and the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper preseason honors. Senior rightfielder Kyle Kempf (Evansville, Indiana) and senior third baseman Trent Gunn (Tell City, Indiana) were named Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Preseason All-Americans, while sophomore outfielder/first baseman Drake McNamara (Mt. Vernon, Indiana) and junior right-hander Colin Nowak (Carol Stream, Illinois) were named preseason “Player” and “Pitcher” to watch this spring.
New pitching rotation in 2016. The USI pitching staff will have a new look to the starting rotation after graduation of or injuries to all but one of the 2015 starting pitchers. The lone returning starter is senior right-hander Alex Holder (Princeton, Indiana), who was 5-1 with a 3.17 ERA in 10 appearances and nine starts during his first year with the Eagles.
Eagle hitters look to continue production. USI hit .310 last season as a team, averaging 6.1 runs per contest in 2015. The Eagles averaged only 5.4 runs per contest during their run to the national championship in 2014. .
Kempf leading hitting attack. USI senior rightfielder Kyle Kempf (Evansville, Indiana) returns to lead the Eagles’ hitting attack after posting a team-best .395 batting average, 45 runs scored, and 15 doubles. Kempf, currently, ranks ninth in total bases; 18th in games played; seventh in hits; 11th in doubles, and 15th in home runs.
Gunn closing on hitting streak record. USI senior third baseman Trent Gunn (Tell City, Indiana) finished 2015 on a 19-game hitting streak, two games away tying Josh Perkins’ record of 21-straight (last two games of 2000 and the first 19 of 2001).
Returning from 2015’s line-up. The Eagles return eight members of the 2015 starting line-up that took the field for the GLVC Tournament last year. USI returns senior catcher Ryan Bertram (Zionsville, Indiana); sophomore second baseman Sam Griggs (Evansville, Indiana); senior third baseman Trent Gunn (Tell City, Indiana); senior leftfielder Jaylen Quarles (Indianapolis, Indiana); senior centerfielderHamilton Carr (Evansville, Indiana); and senior rightfielder Kyle Kempf (Evansville, Indiana).
Archuleta at the helm. USI Head Coach Tracy Archuleta has a USI record of 340-171 (.665) in eight-plus seasons and is 488-295 (.623) in 13-plus seasons as the head coach. He has been named the ABCA Division II Coach of the Year twice (2010 and 2014) after leading the Screaming Eagles to a pair of national championships. He also has earned a pair of GLVC Coach of the Year awards (2011 and 2014).
GVSU in 2016. The Lakers, who were 34-18 last spring, enter 2016 as the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference defending champions and are coming off of an appearance in the 2015 NCAA II Midwest Regional
USI vs. GVSU. USI holds a 9-5 all-time series lead over GVSU, having won four of the last seven meetings (all at the USI Baseball Field). The Eagles and the Lakers also have met in the NCAA II Midwest Regional title game twice since 2007 with USI winning both match-ups.
