The University of Southern Indiana baseball team returns to the road this week when it travels to Nashville, Tennessee, to visit Trevecca Nazarene University for a three-game series March 3-4. The Friday single-game is at 6 p.m., while Saturday’s doubleheader is slated for a noon start. Coverage of the Screaming Eagles in 2017 can be found on GoUSIEagles.com.
SCREAMING EAGLES BASEBALL NOTES:
USI splits home weekend. The Screaming Eagles split the first home weekend of 2017, losing to Wayne State University, 6-5, and defeating Notre Dame College, 8-2. Junior infielder/catcher Nathan Kuester led the Eagles at the plate, hitting .500 (4-of-8), while junior second baseman Joe Redburn had a team-best four RBIs. Senior right-hander Colin Nowak picked up the win on the mound for USI versus NDC, throwing six solid innings and striking out four batters.
National rankings. USI remains ranked in the D2Baseball News Top 30 at number 29, while dropping out of the Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA, and HeroSports.com polls.
Archuleta at USI. USI Head Coach Tracy Archuleta is USI’s all-time winningest coach with a record of 380-195 (.649) in nine-plus seasons and is 528-319 (.623) in 14-plus seasons all-time as a 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 and the ABCA Division II Midwest Region Coach of the Year after leading USI to the regional crown in 2016. Archuleta also has earned a pair of GLVC Coach of the Year awards (2011 and 2014) at USI.
Eagles off to average start. The 2-3 start to 2017 is on average for USI under Head Coach Tracy Archuleta. Since Archuleta arrived in 2007, the Eagles are averaging 2.3 wins and 2.6 losses in the first five games of the season (best was 5-0 in 2013). In the four seasons that USI made appearances in the NCAA Division II Championship Series, the Eagles are an average 2.5 wins and 2.5 losses through five games.
USI vs. Trevecca Nazarene. USI leads the all-time series versus Trevecca Nazarene, 2-0, after sweeping the two match-ups last year, 12-6 and 9-4, at the USI Baseball Field. Senior right-hander Lucas Barnettwon the first meeting, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits, while striking out five in eight innings of the 12-6 win. At the plate, junior third baseman Sam Griggs and junior leftfielder Drake McNamara had three hits each in the two games.
