EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball sophomore pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) has been named Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week for the second straight week.
 
Southern Indiana swept an OVC doubleheader on Sunday against Lindenwood University, placing the Screaming Eagles at 4-1 in conference play.
 
Newman continued her winning streak with another brilliant start in USI’s 8-0 game 1 win against Lindenwood. Newman held the Lions to only three hits with seven strikeouts. The sophomore tallied her fourth shutout of the season and seventh complete game. Newman was rewarded with her eighth win of the season.
 
In Southern Indiana’s 7-4 game 2 victory on Sunday, Newman was called upon in the seventh inning to close out the game, picking up the last two outs. She struck out one en route to her first save of the season.
 
In her last five starts, Newman has won five straight decisions. The right-handed pitcher has struck out 38 batters in 34 innings of work in the last five starts.
 
This season, Newman is 8-4 with a team-best 2.18 ERA and team-high 79 strikeouts. The sophomore has pitched in 67.1 innings, making 10 starts in 13 appearances.
 
Newman and the Screaming Eagles (10-11) will host a midweek, nonconference matchup Wednesday at 3 p.m. against Austin Peay State University from USI Softball Field. Admission to all 2023 USI Softball home spring games is free, courtesy of The Women’s Hospital Deaconess.
 
This weekend, USI will resume conference play in the OVC with a trip to Southeast Missouri State University Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s contest is slated for 2 p.m., and Sunday’s doubleheader is scheduled for a 12 p.m. start. All three games can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville junior pitcher Donovan Schultz (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly) has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week after a dominating performance in UE’s 6-4 victory over Big Ten member Purdue on Sunday afternoon.

Schultz tossed six shutout innings on Sunday to earn his third victory in a row on the mound.  He held a Purdue offense, which entered the weekend series ranked 31st in the country in scoring at 8.9 runs per game, to just four singles and five total base runners in the six-inning outing.  Schultz did not allow a runner past second base on the afternoon, and allowed only three men to reach scoring position overall.  He equaled a career-high with eight strikeouts, while only six balls left the infield against him on the afternoon.

Schultz also did not allow an earned run for his third-straight start, and he extended his scoreless inning streak to 14.1 IP overall.  With the victory on Sunday, Schultz improved to 3-1 with a 2.67 ERA on the year for UE.  He has held opposing teams to a .159 batting average against this year, and he ranks 29th nationally in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (4.67).

With Sunday’s victory over Purdue, Evansville improved to 12-7 overall and the Purple Aces have won five games in a row and 12 out of 14 overall.  UE will now hit the road this week for four games, starting on Wednesday at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.  First-pitch is set for 5 p.m.

Aces in second place in event

 PROSPECT, Ky. – Allison Enchelmayer and Mallory Russell carded even rounds of 72 to pace the University of Evansville women’s golf team in Monday’s opening round of the Nevel Meade Collegiate at Nevel Meade Golf Course.

Both Enchelmayer and Russell’s rounds put them in a tie for second place heading into Tuesday’s final round of 18.  Originally scheduled for a 54-hole tournament, weather forced the event to be shortened to a total of 36 holes.  Evansville’s duo is two strokes behind tournament leader Casilda Allendesalazar of Central Michigan.

Third for the Purple Aces and tied for 10^th overall is Kate Petrova.  Her score on Monday finished at a 4-over 76.  Alyssa McMinn carded an 81 in the opening round to rank in a tie for 34^th while Magdalena Borisova posted an 83.  She is tied for 46^th.  Caitlin O’Donnell matched Borisova’s score as an individual.

As a team, the Aces are in second place with a score of 301.  They are just four strokes off the lead, which is currently held by Central Michigan with a 297.  Bowling Green is two behind UE with a 303.

Tuesday’s final 18 holes is set for an 11 a.m. ET start time.

VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University baseball team began their Mid-West Athletic Conference (MWAC) season Monday afternoon at Jerry Blemker Field and it could not have started better for VU, winning game one over Danville Area 12-2 and taking game two 7-4.

The Blazers took control of the day early in game one on their home field, scoring three runs in the first inning on three straight RBI singles started by sophomore Colton Evans (Henderson, Ky.) and followed by freshman Carter Whitehead (Huntingburg, Ind.) and sophomore Kobe Bartlett (Rockport, Ind.).

VU would add to their lead in the second after a leadoff walk by sophomore Mahkai Pelzer (Douglasville, Ga.). Pelzer would come around to score on an RBI single by sophomore Ethan Burdette (Linton, Ind.).

Vincennes continued to pile on and extend their lead in the third with five straight singles by Whitehead, Bartlett, sophomores Colin Long, a two-RBI single by sophomore Dale Coy and a single by Pelzer.

This string of hits was followed by a two-RBI double by freshman Kade Hinton (Fort Wayne, Ind.) to give the Blazers an 8-0 lead.

The Jaguars would get on the board with a pair of runs in the fourth but VU would answer back with a two-RBI double by Colin Long and an RBI single by Dale Coy, giving Coy three RBIs on the game.

After a scoreless fifth inning by Danville, VU looked to extend their lead to double-digits and enforce the MWAC 10-run rule in the fifth.

VU got a leadoff single by Hinton, followed by a single by Burdette and walked it off with an RBI double by sophomore Kaden Elliott (New Albany, Ind.) to give the Blazers the 12-2 win in game one.

Freshman Gavin Craggs (Taylorville, Ill.) got the start on the mound in game one and threw four innings, allowing two runs on three hits and striking out five.

Freshman Aaron Fenn (Fort Wayne, Ind.) entered to pitch the fifth and allowed one hit and struck out one.

The Blazers looked to continue this momentum into the second game of this conference doubleheader and got off to another great start, beginning the home half of the first with four straight hits, including RBI doubles by Kaden Elliott and Colton Evans and an RBI single by Carter Whitehead.

VU would add a run in the second after Ethan Burdette walked and came around to score his second run of the day on an RBI single by Colton Evans to give the Blazers an early 4-0 lead.

Danville Area would rally back in the fourth to even the game at 4-4 before VU broke the tie with a big solo home run by sophomore Will Egger (Terre Haute, Ind.).

Vincennes would then tack on a pair of insurance runs on a two-run home run blast by Colton Evans, his fourth of the season, to give the Blazers a 7-4 lead.

Sophomore closer Xavier Hart (Jeffersonville, Ind.) entered to close the door in the seventh as VU picked up their sixth straight victory by the final score of 7-4.

Freshman Josh McCormick (Indianapolis, Ind.) got the start in game two, throwing five-plus innings, allowing four runs on six hits and striking out three.

Freshman Jace Parnin (Fort Wayne, Ind.) threw the rest of the sixth inning without allowing a run or a hit before turning the game over to Xavier Hart who allowed one hit and struck out the final batter of the game.

The MWAC Conference series now shifts to Danville, Ill. for games three and four tomorrow, Tuesday, March 21 at Danville Area Community College. First pitch for game three tomorrow has been moved up to 1 p.m. eastern due to a threat of rain Tuesday night.

BOX SCORE

GAME ONE

Danville Area – 000   20 – 2

VU (11-11, 1-0) – 314   31 – 12

VINCENNES HITTING

2B – Hinton, Elliott, Long. RBI – Coy 3, Long 2, Hinton 2, Burdette, Elliott, Evans, Whitehead, Bartlett. SB – Whitehead.

GAME TWO

Danville Area – 000   400   0 – 4

VU (12-11, 2-0) – 310   012   x – 7

VINCENNES HITTING

2B – Elliott, Evans. HR – Egger, Evans. RBI – Evans 4, Elliott, Whitehead, Egger. SB – Egger, Coy. HBP – Egger, Hinton, Evans.

-30-

The Vincennes University baseball team improves to 12-11 on the season, with a 2-0 record in MWAC Conference play.