EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball left the tying and winning runs on base in losing the Ohio Valley Conference opener to Morehead State University, 3-2, Saturday afternoon at the USI Baseball Field. USI watched its record go to 7-15, while Morehead State goes to 11-10.
 
The Morehead State Eagles scored all of the runs they would in a three-run third inning. Morehead State scored the three tallies on two hits and a walk for the 3-0 lead.
 
USI’s bats would remain silent until the fifth when senior centerfielder Evan Kahre (Evansville, Indiana) got the Eagles’ first hit of the game. The Eagles’ offense would remain dormant until the final two frames.
 
The first USI run crossed the plate in the eighth when freshman third baseman Caleb Niehaus (Newburgh, Indiana) drove in junior pinch hitter Drew Taylor (Jeffersonville, Indiana) with a RBI-single to make the score, 3-1. Taylor had moved into scoring position with a lead-off double to right field.
 
In the ninth, the Eagles loaded the bases with nobody out on a single by senior catcher Lucas McNew (Floyds Knobs, Indiana), a single by junior leftfielder Ren Tachioka (Japan), and a walk by junior pinch hitter Jack Ellis (Jeffersonville, Indiana). Following a strikeout by junior rightfielder Steven Molinet (Elberfeld, Indiana), McNew crossed the plate with the second USI run of the day on a ground out by junior pinch hitter Gavin McLarty (Buckner, Kentucky) to cut the deficit to 3-2.
 
Tachioka and Ellis, who moved up to second and third on the McLarty ground out, were stranded to end the game when Kahre struck out looking to end game, 3-2.
 
On the mound, the Eagles got a strong performance from sophomore right-hander Tyler Hutson (Villa Hills, Kentucky) despite getting the loss. Hutson (1-4) allowed the three runs in the third on six hits and two walks, while striking out a career-high tying seven in seven-plus innings of action. The seven innings also was Hutson’s longest outing of the season.
 
USI junior right-hander Carter Stamm (Jasper, Indiana) and junior left-hander Blake Ciuffetelli (Newburgh, Indiana) finished the game on the mound for the Eagles, throwing a scoreless eighth and ninth, respectively.
 
Up Next for the Eagles:  
USI and Morehead State conclude the series Sunday with a noon doubleheader. The second game was rescheduled from Friday evening due to rain.
 
 

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – University of Southern Indiana Softball went deep with three home runs in Saturday’s series opener at Southeast Missouri State University, but the long ball was not enough as the Screaming Eagles’ late comeback effort came up just short against the Redhawks, 8-5.
 
Saturday’s results moved USI’s record to 10-12 overall and 4-2 in the Ohio Valley Conference. Southeast Missouri improved to 12-8 on the season and 5-1 in OVC play.
 
The first inning featured a tough start to the weekend series for Southern Indiana, as Southeast Missouri’s offense came out aggressive against USI sophomore pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana). The Redhawks scored the game’s first run following back-to-back doubles. Then with two outs, SEMO tallied another pair of runs off two RBI singles, taking a 3-0 lead after the first inning.
 
Ahead 4-0 to start the bottom of the third inning, SEMO struck for two more runs on two solo home runs, climbing to a 6-0 advantage. The start would end there for Newman, who went 2.1 innings and allowed six runs – five earned – with three strikeouts. Her season record went to 8-5 with the loss.
 
The Screaming Eagles’ offense found a spark in the top of the fifth inning in the effort to chip away at the Redhawks’ lead. Sophomore outfielder Olivia Howard (Fishers, Indiana) sent a ball over the wall for a pinch-hit home run, her first long ball of the season. SEMO scored the run back in the bottom half of the inning.
 
Heading to the seventh inning, Southeast Missouri led 8-1 after another run in the sixth frame. However, Southern Indiana did not go down quietly, making a late push in the seventh inning. With a runner on, sophomore Hailey Gotshall (Lucerne, Indiana) hit a two-run home run, her first of the season, to make it a five-run game. Four batters later and with Howard on base after her second hit of the contest, senior Allie Goodin (Evansville, Indiana) blasted her second home run of the season to pull USI within three, 8-5, but SEMO closed out the game after that.
 
Offensively, Goodin matched Gotshall with a pair of RBIs in the game, and Goodin and Howard each finished with two-hit games. Howard also had one RBI and two runs scored. Goodin increased her RBI total to a team-high 14 RBIs this season.
 
In the pitching circle, freshman pitcher Raegan Gibson (Louisville, Kentucky) finished out the last three innings, giving up just one hit and two unearned runs.
 
For Southeast Missouri, sophomore pitcher Delaney Kell picked up the win, moving to 7-2 this season after going five innings and surrendering one run with four strikeouts.
 
The weekend series continues Sunday with a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. Both games can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM. Additional coverage links can be found on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.

MINNEAPOLIS – Indiana men’s swimming and diving won two national championships and earned six medal finishes on Friday (March 24) night at the 2023 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships inside the Jane K. Freeman Aquatic Center.

The No. 6-ranked Hoosiers were the top-scoring team on the third day of the national meet, earning 160 points, moving from sixth to fourth in the standings and showing quality in all three disciplines – swimming, diving and relay. Complementing the NCAA titles, IU had two silver medalists and two bronze medalists. Four program records were broken on Friday.

“I’m just so proud of everyone tonight,” IU head swimming coach Ray Looze said. “What a fantastic night of, not only swimming, but diving too, and then just a scintillating relay to end it.”

In his final NCAA 3-meter diving final, Andrew Capobianco gave a dominant performance to win his third national championship in the event. The senior’s lowest-scoring dive earned him 81.00 points as he tallied a program record 522.60 and outscored the field by 74.3 points. He ended the performance with an exclamation mark, earning 91.20 points on a forward 4 ½ somersault tuck.

“What a day for IU swimming and diving,” IU head diving coach Drew Johansen said. “Andrew put together the best list of his life in a moment that had so much meaning. That rarely happens in sport. He was amazing.”

Capobianco led what became a dominant team finish on the 3-meter board. Three Hoosiers were top-four finishers, as sophomores Quinn Henninger (425.40) and Carson Tyler (415.50) placed third and fourth, respectively. IU earned 51 points from the diving event.

“Quinn and Carson pushed the field today the same way that they push Andrew every day in practice,” Johansen said. “It was a great day to be a Hoosier. One more day!”

“The divers, oh my!” Looze said. “Andrew, what’s he going to do, score 600 points next? He could have almost been done after five rounds and still won!”

Capobianco is now a three-time NCAA Champion, six-time NCAA medalist and 12-time All-American. He’ll compete for the final time collegiately on Saturday in the platform diving event.

Senior Brendan Burns captured his second-career national title, this time in the 100-yard backstroke. Burns set the program record at 44.15 while finishing as the runner-up a year ago. A year later, he’s the national champion with a 43.61 – the nation’s third-fastest time ever. Burns is IU’s seventh different swimmer to win the 100 back and first since Ben Hesen in 2008.

“Brendan Burns was honest in his ESPN interview. He told (assistant coach Luke Ryan), ‘I don’t think I can be competitive in the 100 back,’” Looze said. “We both got on him for that and told him, hey, this is what you need to do. You have speed, go out with these guys, and good things will happen. He trusted us, and we’re humbled that he would do that in a moment where you’re not sure or believing in yourself.”

Burns’ 100 back performance came after he had earned maximum points in the 100-yard butterfly consolation final. He’ll look to defend his first title in the 200 fly on Saturday, the last individual swimming event of the meet.

Indiana has totaled 12 individual national titles over the last five championships.

Coming into the day, program record holder Ian Finnerty was the only Hoosier to swim the 100-yard breaststroke under 51 seconds. He’s not so lonely anymore. Senior Van Mathias, whose personal best at the start of the season was 54.74, dropped a 50.57 in the prelim and then won silver in the event Friday night with a 50.60. In the consolation final, sophomore Josh Matheny earned maximum points for his first time under 51.00 as he posted a career-best 50.99.

“In the 100 breast, Josh Matheny going 50.99 was a big barrier for him that he wanted to accomplish, and then Van, getting second place as a new breaststroker,” Looze said, “people are really shocked around the country at Van and what he’s swimming here and how well he’s doing, but he’s a special kid.”

Junior Tomer Frankel broke the program record in the 100-yard butterfly twice on Friday. He came into the meet a hundredth of a second short of the mark but quickly took put himself in front. The No. 7 seed in the event, Frankel swam a 44.26 to earn the No. 4 spot in the final where he trimmed his time down to 44.04 and dropped into bronze medal position. The performance was Frankel’s first individual medal.

“Brendan was really upset about being in the consolation again and took care of business and won that,” Looze said. “Tomer stepped up and moved all the way to third with a school record, again.

Sophomore Rafael Miroslaw ended up racing the 200-yard freestyle three times on Friday between his prelim, swim-off and consolation final and came out of it 13th in the country.

“I was really pleased with Rafa’s performance,” Looze said. “I know he fell back, but he had just an exhausting, heartbreaking morning, so we really praised him for getting 13th and just fighting. I think it really helped him turn the corner for what he would later do in the relay.”

The night ended with a thrilling 400-yard medley relay in which IU earned its second straight national runner-up finish. The same quartet of Burns, Matheny, Frankel and Miroslaw – who all had busy evenings – was one of three teams that swam better than the NCAA record. Florida set the new standard at 2:58.32, but the Hoosiers got a brand-new program record in 2:59.09 with splits of 43.82, 50.32, 43.70 and 41.26. Despite having swam that 100 fly, 100 back double, Burns posted the field’s top backstroke leg.

“It’s not often that you get second and break the NCAA record,” Looze said. “I’m happy with what they did. I don’t think we could have gone any faster. Overall, I’m just super proud of the program. The coaches, trainers, massage therapists, everybody’s pulling in the same direction, and that makes me happiest.”

RESULTS
100 BUTTERFLY
3. Tomer Frankel – 44.04 (NCAA Bronze, Program Record, All-America)

9. Brendan Burns – 44.60 (Honorable Mention All-America)

200 FREESTYLE

13. Rafael Miroslaw – 1:32.65 (Honorable Mention All-America)

100 BREASTSTROKE

2. Van Mathias – 50.60 (NCAA Silver, All-America)
3. Josh Matheny – 50.99 (Honorable Mention All-America)

100 BACKSTROKE

1. Brendan Burns – 43.61 (NCAA Champion, Program Record, Pool Record, All-America)

3-METER

1. Andrew Capobianco – 522.50 (NCAA Champion, Program Record, All-America)
2. Quinn Henninger – 425.40 (NCAA Bronze, All-America)
3. Carson Tyler – 415.50 (All-America)

400 MEDLEY RELAY

2. Brendan Burns, Josh Matheny, Tomer Frankel, Rafael Miroslaw – 2:59.09 (NCAA Silver, Program Record, All-America)

HOOSIER ALL-AMERICANS

Finn Brooks (200 Freestyle Relay*)
Brendan Burns (200 Medley Relay, 800 Freestyle Relay, 100 Butterfly*, 100 Backstroke, 400 Medley Relay)

Andrew Capobianco (1-meter, 3-meter)

Tomer Frankel (200 Medley Relay, 800 Freestyle Relay, 100 Butterfly, 400 Medley Relay)

Quinn Henninger (3-meter)

Josh Matheny (100 Breaststroke*, 400 Medley Relay)

Van Mathias (200 Medley Relay, 800 Freestyle Relay, 50 Freestyle*, 200 Freestyle Relay*, 100 Breaststroke)

Rafael Miroslaw (800 Freestyle Relay, 200 Freestyle Relay*, 200 Freestyle*, 400 Medley Relay)

Carson Tyler (3-meter)

Gavin Wight (200 Medley Relay, 200 Freestyle Relay*)

* – Denotes Honorable Mention

UP NEXT
Saturday is the last day of competition at the NCAA Championships. Prelims will kick off at 11 a.m. ET in preparation for the final session on the meet, set to begin at 6 p.m.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The University of Evansville baseball team launched eight home runs on Saturday, and the Purple Aces’ pitching staff combined to strike out 25 men, as UE opened Missouri Valley Conference play with a doubleheader sweep of Missouri State at Hammons Field in Springfield, Missouri.  With the two wins, Evansville has now won eight games in a row and 15 out of the last 17 overall.

“What a great day at the ballpark today!” said UE head coach Wes Carroll.  “We had different guys up and down our lineup really step up offensively, and I thought that our pitchers did an outstanding job of keeping a very good Missouri State lineup off-balance today.

“Today was a great start to Valley play, but the job isn’t done yet this weekend.  We need to come to the park ready for a battle tomorrow.”

Missouri State jumped out quickly in both games, scoring in the first inning of both contests.  But, UE would take control of both contests with big innings in the second and third trips through the batting order to post 12-7 and 7-3 wins.

In the opener, Missouri State took a 3-0 lead into the fifth inning, before UE exploded for six runs in the fifth to grab a 6-3 lead.  An RBI double by sophomore center-fielder Ty Rumsey and a bunt RBI single by fifth-year right-fielder Eric Roberts started the scoring and cut the MSU lead to 3-2.  A sacrifice fly by junior catcher Brendan Hord would tie the game, before junior shortstop Simon Scherry launched a three-run home run into the Missouri State bullpen in left field to give UE a 6-3 lead.

Missouri State would quickly answer back with two runs to get within a run at 6-5, before fifth-year reliever Michael Parks (1-0) would get out of a two-on, one-out jam to keep UE in the lead.  Roberts then delivered a three-run home run of his own to right-center field in the sixth inning to push the lead to 9-5.

The Bears would scratch across single runs in the sixth and seventh innings to cut UE’s lead to 9-7, before Evansville unleashed three solo home runs to put the game out of reach.  Rumsey launched his third home run of the year to right field in the eighth inning to push the lead to 10-7.  Fifth-year left-fielder Danny Borgstrom and senior third baseman Brent Widder then hit back-to-back home runs in the ninth inning to provide the final margin of victory, 12-7.  Scherry went 3-for-5 in the opener, finishing a triple shy of the cycle to lead UE’s offense, while Parks earned his first win of the year with 4.2 innings of six-hit, two-run relief.

In the nightcap, Missouri State took a 1-0 lead into the third inning, when Evansville would get two-run home runs from fifth-year first baseman Chase Hug and Scherry to take control of the contest.  Rumsey would launch another solo home run in the fourth inning, and Scherry added an RBI triple and scored on a wild pitch in the fifth inning to give UE a 7-1 lead.  Scherry would finish a single shy of the cycle in game two, as he went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBI.  Hug, Widder, and junior second baseman Kip Fougerousse also had two-hit days in game two.

On the mound, senior starter Tyler Denu (3-0) went a career-high 7.0 innings, striking out a career-best 10 men while scattering three runs (two earned) on seven hits to earn the win.  After giving up four hits through the first inning-plus, Denu allowed just three men to reach base the rest of the outing.  Freshman reliever Max Hansmann also struck out five men in 2.0 scoreless innings of relief work.

“I thought our pitching, especially Michael Parks in game one and both Tyler Denu and Max Hansmann in game two, was outstanding today,” said Carroll.  “Parks really helped turn the tide of game one today with the way that he pitched, and it was great to see Denu pitch the way he did today.  That’s how he looked in the fall and in preseason, and for him to go out and strike out 10 men without a walk in seven innings against a lineup like Missouri State was great to see.”

With the doubleheader sweep, Evansville improves to 15-7 overall and 2-0 in the MVC.  Missouri State, meanwhile, falls to 11-10 and 0-2 in the Valley.  The two teams will conclude the series on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m., with UE expected to send junior LHP Donovan Schultz (3-1, 2.67 ERA) to the mound.  Sunday’s series finale can be seen live on ESPN+ and heard live in the Tri-State area and online through 107.1 FM-WJPS.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The red-hot University of Evansville baseball team will open up Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend in Springfield, Missouri with a key conference series against defending MVC Tournament champion Missouri State at Hammons Field.  Due to heavy rain in the Springfield area on Friday, the series will be a two-day set, beginning on Saturday with a noon doubleheader and concluding on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Evansville will enter Saturday’s series-opener having won six games in a row and 13 out of 15 overall.  The Purple Aces will bring a 13-7 overall record into conference play.  UE was predicted to finish third in the league’s preseason poll, right behind Missouri State, which currently stands at 11-8 overall.  RPI-wise, Evansville and Missouri State rank second and third in the league entering conference play, with UE ranking 47th and Missouri State 75th, respectively.

The Purple Aces won their sixth-straight game on Wednesday with an 11-7 win at SIU-Edwardsville.  Junior catcher Brendan Hord hit home runs in back-to-back at-bats to spur four-run frames in both the third and fourth innings to help lead the way for UE.  Fifth-year outfielder Eric Roberts and senior third baseman Brent Widder also homered in the game, as UE has launched 25 home runs already this year.

Offensively, Evansville is led by fifth-year first baseman Chase Hug, who will bring a .420 batting average into the weekend.  Hug ranks third nationally with a .596 on-base percentage, and he loved hitting at Hammons Field last year, as he hit four of his 11 home runs in seven games at the park during both UE’s regular-season series at Missouri State and in the MVC Tournament.  In fact, he has homered in four of his last five games at Hammons Field.

Pitching-wise, UE will send traditional weekend starters Nick Smith (2-3, 5.16 ERA), Tyler Denu (1-0, 3.66 ERA) and Donovan Schultz (3-1, 2.67 ERA) to the mound in the three games.  Schultz is the current MVC Pitcher of the Week, and UE’s pitching staff has been a big part of UE’s success of late.  Wednesday night was the first time that UE had allowed more than four runs in a game since March 1, and overall, the Purple Aces have posted a 3.19 ERA in the month of March.

Missouri State will enter this weekend’s series trying to bounce back from a three-game sweep at #10 East Carolina last weekend.  The Bears once again boast one of the more potent lineups in the MVC entering league play, as Missouri State leads the Valley and ranks in the nation’s top 35 in both doubles (47) and home runs (30).  The Bears’ pitching staff also ranks second in the league in ERA (behind Evansville) with a 4.62 staff ERA.

Saturday’s doubleheader can be seen live on ESPN3 and can be heard in the Tri-State area and on-line through 107.1 FM-WJPS and the Old National Bank/Purple Aces Sports Properties Radio Network.  Sunday’s game can be seen live on ESPN+, with radio coverage once again available on 107.1 FM-WJPS.