EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball junior pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) has been named Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season. The OVC’s weekly accolades are voted upon by the league’s communications directors.
The junior was also named OVC Pitcher of the Week a couple of weeks ago on March 25. Newman has won OVC Pitcher of the Week five times over the last two seasons.
In USI’s recent road series at the University of Tennessee at Martin, Newman went 2-0 and did not allow a single earned run in two complete-game starts, one being a shutout in the series opener. Even more impressive, Newman struck out 31 total batters across 14 innings of work and posted a WHIP of 0.43.
Newman started the road series in the first game on Friday with a career performance toward a 2-0 victory for Southern Indiana. Newman held UT Martin hitless for the first four innings. Even though the Skyhawks did break through in the hit column, Newman remained dominant. The pitcher struck out the side in innings four through six en route to tying a career mark with 17 strikeouts in the contest. Newman previously struck out 17 batters in March 2022 against Drury University. In the 3-1 series finale win on Saturday, Newman picked up where she left off from Friday’s outing. Newman carried a no-hitter into the bottom of the sixth inning. The junior hurler earned win number 14 of the season after striking out 14 batters in the complete-game effort, giving up only one hit.
The pair of stellar starts by Newman helped the Screaming Eagles win their fourth consecutive OVC series and maintain a second-place spot in the conference standings, one game back of first place.
Overall, Newman is 14-5 with a 1.79 ERA in 133 innings pitched this season. Additionally, the Indianapolis, Indiana native has 19 complete games, four shutouts, and 166 strikeouts. Within the Ohio Valley Conference, Newman is second in wins, first in innings, first in strikeouts, first in complete games, and second in shutouts. Newman has also held opposing batters to a .195 average, the best in the OVC. Newman’s 133 innings and 166 strikeouts would rank second in the nation, but USI does not officially qualify for NCAA statistical rankings as a reclassifying program. Newman also sits at 496 career strikeouts, approaching a milestone mark of 500.
Newman and the Screaming Eagles are back home at USI Softball Field this Sunday and Monday for three games against first-place Eastern Illinois University. The series was shifted back a day from the original Saturday-Sunday schedule. Coverage links can be found on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.
