University of Southern Indiana Softball’s post-season fate will be decided this weekend as the Screaming Eagles host Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheaders against Lindenwood University, Saturday at noon, and the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Sunday at noon, to close out the regular-season.
USI (15-18, 12-12 GLVC) also will honor senior outfielder Alicia Webb (Elberfeld, Indiana) following the conclusion of Sunday’s doubleheader with Missouri-St. Louis as part its Senior Day festivities.
All four of USI’s games this weekend will be carried on the GLVC Sports Network, while Sunday’s doubleheader will be simulcast on 95.7 The Spin. Live stats, audio and video links can be accessed at GoUSIEagles.com.
USI’s Spectator Policy
• Attendance has been increased to four pre-approved guests per USI student-athlete.
• USI student attendance will be allowed and limited to the first 40.
• Masks/face coverings for entry into the facility and must be worn at all times.
• Social distancing must be observed at all times.
• Visiting team fans are still prohibited at this time.
Notes
• USI puts together another strong week. USI Softball went 4-2 last week, including 3-1 in GLVC play. The Eagles started the week with a doubleheader split with Midwest Region foe Kentucky Wesleyan College, falling in game one, 9-8, in nine innings before winning the nightcap, 7-1. USI lost to Maryville University, 8-3, in the opening game of a GLVC doubleheader on Sunday before salvaging a split with a 3-2 win in game two. The Eagles concluded the week with a sweep of Missouri S&T on Monday, winning game one, 3-0, and game two, 5-1.
• Heating up. USI Softball has won 10 of its last 13 games and nine of its last 11 GLVC contests to pull to .500 in league play for the first time this season.
• GLVC Tournament. Due to its recent success, the Eagles find themselves in a tie with the University of Missouri-St. Louis for the eighth and final spot for the GLVC Tournament. Several scenarios are still in play for USI, which is just a game behind seventh-seeded Lewis University and a game ahead of No. 10 University of Illinois Springfield. USI can finish as high as No. 4 in the GLVC standings with four wins and everything going its way in the final weekend of the season, or it could finish as low as 12th.
• Last week’s offensive leaders. Sophomore second baseman Rachel Martinez (Chicago, Illinois) and senior outfielder Alicia Webb (Elberfeld, Indiana) led the Eagles at the plate last week. Martinez hit .412 (7-17) with a pair of doubles and three RBI, while Webb hit .381 (8-21) with a triple and team-high nine RBI.
• Last week’s leaders in the circle. Junior pitcher Katie Back (Indianapolis, Indiana) and sophomore pitcher Allie Goodin (Evansville, Indiana) paced USI in the circle last week. Back went 2-0 with a 1.26 ERA, while Goodin was 2-1 with a 2.21 ERA and team-best .162 opponent batting average.
• Beep Beep. Freshman outfielder Mackenzie Bedrick (Brownsburg, Indiana) continued her strong presence on the base path last week, going 6-of-6 in steal attempts. Bedrick enters the final week of the regular-season ranked fourth in batting average (.394), tied for first in runs scored (34) and first in stolen bases (26).
• Webb to be honored Sunday. Sunday is Senior Day for USI Softball and senior outfielder Alicia Webb (Elberfeld, Indiana) will be honored following the conclusion of USI’s doubleheader with Missouri-St. Louis. In four years with the Eagles, Webb has hit .332 with 20 doubles, six triples, five home runs and 62 RBI. She is currently ranked No. 3 in the GLVC in batting average (.398) this season, No. 4 in doubles (11) and No. 5 in RBI (31). Webb has been part of 106 wins, two NCAA II Tournament teams and the 2018 NCAA II Championship squad during her four-year career at USI.
• Batting around. USI has sent nine or more players to the plate in a single inning nine times this year and 10 or more players to the plate in a single frame five times.
• Strong schedule. While the Eagles have had some hiccups along the way, their 2021 schedule has not been easy by any means. Of their 18 losses, five have come against teams that have been ranked in the top five of the NFCA Top 25 Poll at one juncture this season. USI has lost eight games by one run and nine by two runs or less.
• Scouting the Eagles. The Eagles rank in the top five of the GLVC in 12 offensive categories, including batting average (.304/3rd), slugging percentage (.432/3rd), on-base percentage (.369/3rd) and doubles (54/2nd). Defensively, the Eagles rank fifth in fewest doubles allowed (30), second in fewest triples allowed (1) and fifth in fewest home runs allowed (15).
• USI’s individual offensive season leaders. Webb leads USI with a .398 batting average, 11 doubles, three home runs and 31 RBI, while Bedrick is hitting .394 with 34 runs scored, 26 stolen bases and a .450 on-base percentage. The Eagles have six players hitting at least .300 and eight hitting at least .274 or better. Additionally, the Eagles have seven players with double-digit RBI totals and two more players with at least eight RBI.
• In the circle. Goodin leads the Eagles with an 8-6 record, 75 strikeouts and a .227 opponent batting average, while junior pitcher Elissa Brown(Brownsburg, Indiana) has a team-best 1.52 ERA.
• Scouting the opposition (Lindenwood). The Lions enter Saturday’s games with a 22-10-1 overall record and a 15-9-0 record in GLVC play and have a strong offensive and defensive presence to contend with. Lindenwood hits .303 as a team and has seven players hitting .306-or-better, while its pitching staff, which has given up the fewest walks (44) in the GLVC, is second in the league with a 1.81 ERA and fourth with a .235 opponent batting average. Senior infielder Whitney Wendel leads the Lions with a .393 batting average, 10 doubles, three home runs and 20 RBI. Sophomore hurler Amanda Weyh is 9-5 with a 1.35 ERA and .230 opponent batting average.
• Scouting the opposition (Missouri-St. Louis). The Tritons, who visit McKendree Saturday, are 17-21 overall and 12-12 in GLVC play after winning seven of their last 10 games, including a doubleheader sweep of Lindenwood last Saturday. Freshman utility player Maddie Snemis is hitting .301 with a home run and four RBI to lead the Tritons, who are hitting just .225 as a team. Junior pitcher Mimi Bradley is 10-6 with a team-best 2.32 ERA and .251 opponent batting average to lead UMSL in the circle.
• Webb’s hitting streak ends at 22. Webb’s career-high 22-game hitting streak came to an end during USI’s 5-4 game-two loss at McKendree on April 3. Her streak is believed to be USI’s longest since Amber Huse set the program record with a 27-game hitting streak in 1994.
• USI picked to finish second in GLVC. League coaches predicted that the Eagles will finish second in the GLVC in 2021. USI received 170 points and two first-place votes, while Indianapolis was picked to finish first, receiving 190 points and four first-place votes.
• Eagles in 2020. USI finished the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign with a 15-4 record. The Eagles were set to host Indianapolis in their GLVC-opener when the season was canceled.
• Kunkle going for 600. USI Head Coach Sue Kunkle, now in her 20th year leading the Eagles, is 578-403-1 overall record. She is 22 wins from becoming the first coach in USI history with 600 wins.
• Eagles looking to continue NCAA run. The Eagles were on pace for their sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth in 2020 and their seventh in the last eight years when the season was cut short due to COVID. USI won back-to-back NCAA II Midwest Region titles in 2017 and 2018 before capturing the 2018 national championship.
