EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Softball Head Coach Sue Kunkle is just three wins shy of career victory No. 600 as the Screaming Eagles get set to visit Truman State University for a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader Saturday at noon in Kirksville, Missouri.

USI (18-8, 4-0 GLVC) also visits Quincy University for a conference twinbill Sunday at noon in Quincy, Illinois. All four of USI’s games will be aired on the GLVC Sports Network, while live stat and video links can be accessed at GoUSIEagles.com.

Kunkle, whose staffs have twice been named the NFCA Division II Midwest Region Coaching Staff of the Year in addition to the 2018 NFCA Division II National Coaching Staff of the Year, enters the weekend with a 597-415-1 overall record during her 21-year career at USI. She was the GLVC Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2017.

The Eagles enter the weekend after opening league play with four straight wins to raise their season-high tying win streak to six games.

USI began last weekend with a doubleheader sweep of Lewis University, winning game one, 1-0, before besting the Flyers, 2-1, in nine innings. The Eagles returned to the field the following day to score 14 unanswered runs in a doubleheader sweep of the University of Illinois Springfield. They rallied from a 5-0 deficit to defeat the Prairie Stars, 6-5, in the opener before run-ruling the Stars, 8-0, in game two.

Senior designated player/pitcher Katie Back (Indianapolis, Indiana) hit .615 with a double, home run and four RBI to lead the Eagles at the plate, while sophomore first baseman Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana) hit .462 with a double, triple and two RBI. Sophomore catcher Sammie Kihega (Greenfield, Indiana) aided the Eagles with a .444 batting average, three doubles and four RBI.

In the circle, four different pitchers picked up wins for the Eagles, with freshman pitchers Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) and Hailey Gotshall(Lucerne, Indiana) both picking up complete-game wins. Newman and junior pitcher Allie Goodin (Evansville, Indiana) each had complete-game shutouts, while Back picked up a win in USI’s comeback against Illinois Springfield.

On the year, Back and Fair are respectively hitting .464 and .423 to lead a potent USI lineup that ranks second in the GLVC in batting average (.338), slugging percentage (.499), on-base percentage (.413) and extra base hits (70).

Freshman outfielder Kennedy Nalley (Huntingburg, Indiana) is hitting .341 with a team-high tying three home runs to go along with a team-best 22 RBI, while Fair has three home runs and 22 RBI.

In the circle, senior pitcher Maddie Duncan (Lynnville, Indiana) continues to pace the Eagles with a 1.42 ERA and .207 opponent batting average, while Gotshall is 5-0 with a 2.66 ERA. Goodin and Back are 3-0 and 4-1, respectively, while Newman is 4-3 with a team-high 48 strikeouts.