EVANSVILLE, Ind. — University of Southern Indiana Baseball comes home to host Southeast Missouri State University in Ohio Valley Conference action this weekend at the USI Baseball Field. The three-game series starts Thursday at 6 p.m. before continuing Friday at 6 p.m. and concluding Saturday at noon.
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The Screaming Eagles (8-20) are fresh off their first OVC victory after salvaging the series finale at Lindenwood University. Links to follow USI versus SEMO this weekend can be found on the Eagles’ baseball schedule at USIScreamingEagles.com.
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USI Baseball Notes:
Eagles snap losing streak:Â The USI Screaming Eagles snapped an 11-game losing streak to salvage a game out of the three-game set at Lindenwood University. USI lost the first two games of the series by the same score, 6-3.
Leading at the plate last week: Senior catcher/infielder Lucas McNew (Floyds Knobs, Indiana) led USI last week at the plate, hitting .471 (8-17) with five runs scored, a double, a triple, and four RBIs. Junior infielder Jack Ellis (Jeffersonville, Indiana) drove in a team-high five RBIs in the four games. Â
Leading hitters: Sophomore outfielder Drew Taylor (Jefferson, Indiana) leads USI this season with a .349 batting average (15-43). Sophomore shortstop Ricardo Van Grieken (Venezuela) (16-46) follows with a .345 batting average (20-58), while junior first baseman Tucker Ebest (Austin, Texas) has a team-best 25 RBIs and four home runs. Â
Taylor has the hottest bat: Sophomore outfielder Drew Taylor has the hottest bat for the Eagles over the last 10 games. Taylor is hitting .412 over the last 10 games (7-17) with a double and two RBIs.
McNew climbing the USI All-Time charts: Senior catcher/infielder Lucas McNew is sixth all-time at USI in home runs (21); tied for eighth in RBIs (145) and 10th in doubles (45).
In OVC Play: In the first six games of OVC action, senior catcher/infielder Lucas McNew is leading USI by batting .375 with five runs scored, one double, one triple, and four RBIs. Sophomore shortstop Ricardo Van Grieken, junior outfielder Drew Taylor, and junior infielder Jack Ellis follow McNew with .333 batting averages. Junior left-hander Blake Ciuffetelli (Newburgh, Indiana) leads the Eagles on the mound during OVC play with a 3.52 ERA in 7.2 innings of work out of the bullpen.
Eagles among the OVC leaders:Â USI has several players among the OVC leaders.
   Sophomore infielder Ricardo Van Grieken: fifth in batting average (.345)Â
   Senior outfielder Evan Kahre (Evansville, Indiana): third in triples (3); third in stolen Bases (10)
   Freshman infielder Caleb Niehaus (Newburgh, Indiana): tied eighth in hits (33); seventh in triples (2)
   Junior outfielder Ren Tachioka (Japan): tied seventh in triples (2)
   Junior designated hitter/infielder Tucker Ebest: fifth in RBIs (25)
SEMO in 2023:Â Southeast Missouri State University enters the week with a 16-14 overall and a front-running 5-1 in the OVC after completing a series sweep of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock last weekend. SEMO, who has won four-straight and eight of their last 10 games, is scheduled to play Murray State Tuesday before visiting USI.
USI vs. SEMO:Â USI leads the all-time series with SEMO, 26-23, and will be playing the Redhawks for the first time since 1994. SEMO swept the last doubleheader in 1994, but USI has won eight of the last 10 games between 1990 and 1994.
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