University of Southern Indiana Softball returns to action Saturday at noon when it hosts Great Lakes Valley Conference rival Bellarmine University in a doubleheader at the USI Softball Field.
The Screaming Eagles enter this weekend’s play with a 12-9 overall record and a 1-1 mark in GLVC play, while the Knights are 10-10 overall and 1-1 in GLVC action.
Live stats and GLVC Sports Network Coverage can be accessed at GoUSIEagles.com.
USI Softball Notes
• Recapping last week. USI Softball finished a busy week that featured 11 games in an eight-day period, including nine games at the PFX Spring Games and its GLVC-opening doubleheader against Maryville University. The Eagles ended the weekend with a doubleheader split with the Saints after going 5-4 at the Spring Games.
• Last week’s leaders. Sophomore outfielder Allison Schubert hit .400 with a pair of doubles, four home runs and 12 RBIs last week to lead the Eagles offense. Including Schubert, the Eagles had seven players post batting averages of at least .300, including junior outfielder/pitcher Caitlyn Bradley, who hit .353 with three doubles, a triple, three home runs and eight RBIs.
• Extra bases. USI has racked up 44 extra-base hits this season, including 18 doubles, 16 triples and 10 home runs. The 16 triples are three shy of the program’s single-season record (19), which was set in 1994 and matched in 1995.
• Johnson racking up triples. Junior second baseman Claire Johnson has racked up an NCAA Division II-best six triples throughout the first 21 games, just five short of the single-season record of 11, which is held by Amber Huse (1995).
• Leonhardt matches single-game record. Sophomore pitcher Jennifer Leonhardt tied a single-game record for triples in USI’s 14-6 win over Cedarville when she hit triples in both the first and second innings. Only three players in program history prior to Leonhardt had recorded two triples in a single game.
• Hitting streaks. Seven different players have recorded hitting streaks of five games or better this year, with Johnson posting a season-best 11-game hitting streak. Bradley has the longest current hitting streak at three games.
• Leonhardt posting big strikeout numbers. Leonhardt is tied for third in the GLVC with 61 strikeouts on the year, including 10 in USI’s 3-0 shutout of Maryville last week. Leonhardt also had an 11-strikeout game in the Eagles’ 5-3 win over Minnesota-Duluth.
• Beanball. After getting plunked 17 times a year ago, senior third baseman Mena Fulton is tied for the GLVC lead in 2018 as she has been hit a team-high five times. Senior first baseman Marleah Fossett, who was hit a league-high 21 times last year, has been hit by pitches twice in 2018.
