The University of Southern Indiana baseball team returns to the USI Baseball Field Friday and Saturday for a four-game Great Lakes Valley Conference series with McKendree University. The Screaming Eagles (16-14, 9-3 GLVC) and the Bearcats (10-21, 1-11 GLVC) throw out the first pitch for Friday’s doubleheader at 2 p.m., while Saturday’s twin bill is slated for a noon start. Coverage of the Eagles in 2017 can be found on GoUSIEagles.com.
SCREAMING EAGLES BASEBALL NOTES:
USI starts week with a win. The Eagles have won a season-high five-game winning streak after posting a 5-3 victory over the University of Missouri-St. Louis Tuesday afternoon in St. Louis, Missouri. USI junior designated hitter/outfielder Drake McNamara led the Eagle hitters with a three-for-four performance, including a two-run double and a home run.
USI goes 4-1 last week with four-game GLVC sweep. After a rough start, USI rebounded to go 4-1 in last week’s action. The Eagles began last week’s action with a loss to the University of Evansville in the annual “Battle at the Braun” before sweeping four Great Lakes Valley Conference games from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. USI junior designated hitter/outfielder Drake McNamara led the way for the Eagles, batting .429 (6-14) with two doubles and eight RBIs.
McNamara reaching base. Junior designated hitter/outfielder Drake McNamara has reached base in each of the last 13 games.
USI gets over .500. USI pushed its overall record over the .500 mark for the first time 2017 with the four-game winning streak. The Eagles have won 14 of the last 20 games since starting the year with a 3-8 record.
Eagles fly into a tie for first in GLVC East. The Eagles have flown into a tie for first in the GLVC East Division with a 9-3 record. USI is tied for first with the University of Illinois Springfield, but has the tie-breaker after taking three-of-four from the Prairie Stars two weeks ago. The Eagles also lead third place Bellarmine University and the University of Indianapolis by a full game.
Griffin named GLVC Pitcher of the Week. Junior right-hander Kyle Griffin was named the GLVC Pitcher of the Week after shutting out UW-Parkside, 6-0, last weekend. Griffin (3-3), who has three wins and a no decision in his last four starts, scattered five hits and struck out seven in his seven innings on the mound versus the Rangers.
Pitchers doing the job. USI’s pitching staff has been doing the job in the last 20 games, posting a 2.41 ERA and holding opposing hitters to a .244 batting average. In the first 11 games, USI hurlers had a 5.13 ERA, while the opposition had a .307 batting average.
Individual win streaks. The Eagles have won each of junior right-hander Kyle Griffin‘s last four starts with the hurler posting a 3-0 record. Senior right-hander Lucas Barnett has three-straight victories, while the Eagles have won five of his last six starts.
Last 10 games. Junior designated hitter/outfielder Drake McNamara leads the Eagles over the last 10 games, batting .480 (12-25) with 12 RBIs, three doubles, and a home run in nine of the contests. Sophomore shortstop Jacob Fleming follows with a .444 batting average (12-27) in nine starts at shortstop and second base.
Season hitting leaders. Sophomore shortstop Jacob Fleming and junior utility player Nathan Kuester are the only Eagles over .300 with .327 and .322 batting averages, respectively. Junior outfielder Drake McNamara leads USI with a team-best five home runs and 24 RBIs.
Season pitching leaders. Sophomore right-hander Austin Krizan has the Eagles’ best ERA at 2.25 (minimum 15 innings) in his 10 appearances and 36.0 innings of work. Senior right-hander Lucas Barnett has the team lead in victories with four, while junior right-hander Kyle Griffin has recorded a team-high 51 strikeouts in eight games.
Archuleta at USI. USI Head Coach Tracy Archuleta is USI’s all-time winningest coach with a record of 394-206 (.657) in nine-plus seasons and is 542-330 (.622) 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.
USI vs. McKendree. USI leads the all-time series with McKendree, 20-12, after taking three of four from the Bearcats on the road last year. The Eagles also have won seven of the last eight meetings with the Bearcats. McKendree visits Evansville after winning its last two games, posting a 28-5 win over the University of Indianapolis Sunday and a 5-3 win over NCAA Division I St. Louis University Tuesday.
