The University of Southern Indiana will hold a celebration to honor and welcome home its 2018 NCAA Division II National Champion Softball team at 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 30 on the USI campus.
At around 1 p.m. Wednesday, the team will gather at the old Walmart parking lot in the University Shopping Center off University Drive on Evansville’s west side to sign autographed items and prepare for the escort to campus. Weather permitting, the team will ride atop a fire truck and will receive a police escort to the USI campus. (NOTE TO MEDIA: This portion is open to media but not to be publicized to the general public.)
The procession will enter campus from the overpass and continue through the parking lots before arriving in front of the Physical Activities Center (PAC). Fans are encouraged to line up in front of the PAC at around 1:45 p.m. to greet the team as they enter campus. In the case of rain, fans are welcome to gather inside the PAC to welcome the team.
A welcome rally and brief ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. inside the PAC, including a presentation of the National Championship Trophy to the team. Players and coaches will be available for comment and autographs following the celebration, which will include the team, coach Sue Kunkle and assistants, Athletic Director Jon Mark Hall, students, fans, USI President Linda L. M. Bennett, University officials and local dignitaries.
Official 2018 National Championship T-shirts and hats are currently available for order online at the USI Campus Store. Additional order forms will be available at the event.
USI captured its first softball national championship, and the first women’s team national championship in school history, when it defeated Saint Anselm in two straight games on Monday, May 28 in the NCAA Division II National Championship Series Finals in Salem, Virginia. USI is the first collegiate team in Indiana to ever win a national softball championship. Read more at GoUSIEagles.com.
