UE set for MVC Championship this week

 

VALPARAISO, Ind. – Valparaiso scored five times in the first inning and would add to its lead to finish the regular season with a 10-0 win over the University of Evansville softball team on Sunday afternoon.

Evansville looked to be in business in the first inning when Jessica Fehr walked and Mackenzie McFeron singled to open the game.  With two outs, Alex Barnaby was hit by a pitch to load the bases before a line out ended the threat.  The Beacons wasted little time cashing in, scoring five times in the bottom of the first.  Kate Beckemeyer had the big hit, bringing in two on a single.

UE threatened again in the second and third frames, stranding a pair of runners in each inning including hits by Fehr and Alexa Davis.  In the bottom half of the third, Valpo broke the game open with five more runs, including a 2-run home run by Ryan Milkowski.  The Purple Aces went hitless in the final two innings with the Beacons clinching the 10-0 win.

Easton Sieb registered her second win of the weekend, giving up three hits in five innings while striking out three.  Paige McAllister made the start for UE and allowed 10 runs, seven of which were earned.  Next up is the Missouri Valley Conference Championship, which opens on Wednesday in Springfield, Mo.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball completed its best weekend in the 2022 GLVC schedule by completing a four-game sweep of the University of Indianapolis, 9-7 and 11-6, Sunday afternoon in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Screaming Eagles finish the 2022 campaign 21-28 overall and 10-14 GLVC, while the Greyhounds are 20-29, 11-13 GLVC.
 
Game 1:
USI scored in each of the last four innings to outlast UIndy, 9-7, in the opener. The Eagles scored four in the second, one in the fourth, two in the fifth, and one more in each of the sixth and the seventh for the win.
 
The Eagles jumped out in front early, scoring four times in the top of the second inning on four hits and two walks. Junior rightfielder Ren Tachioka (Japan) drove in the first run with an RBI-single, while senior shortstop Ethan Hunter (Terre Haute, Indiana) knocked in a pair of runs and junior catcher Lucas McNew (Floyds Knobs, Indiana) pushed in the fourth with back-to-back doubles.
 
After the Greyhounds put a tally on the board in the third, USI regained the four run advantage, 5-1, when Hunter knocked in his third RBI of the game on an infield single. The four-run advantage did not last past the bottom of the fourth as UIndy tied the game at 5-5 with a four tally explosion.
 
USI junior centerfielder Evan Kahre (Evansville, Indiana) gave the Eagles back the lead, 6-5, with a RBI triple before extending the margin to 7-5 by scoring on a single by sophomore second baseman Alex Archuleta (Evansville, Indiana). The Eagles got the margin back to three, 8-5, in the top of the sixth when sophomore third baseman Daniel Lopez (Dominican Republic) drove in Hunter with a sacrifice fly.
 
The Greyhounds narrowed the gap once again in the bottom of the sixth, 8-6, before the Eagles scored for the fourth-straight inning. USI reacquired a three-run advantage, 9-6, when senior pinch runner Brice Stuteville (Rockport, Indiana) scored on the aid of a Greyhound error.
 
Following a UIndy home run to narrow the gap to 9-7, USI sophomore right-handed reliever Carter Stamm (Jasper, Indiana) closed the door on the victory in the seventh and recorded his second save of the season and the weekend by getting the final two outs.
 
The USI win on the mound went to freshman right-hander Gavin Morris (Brazil, Indiana), who relieved sophomore starting right-hander Trent Robinson (Louisville, Kentucky). Morris allowed one hit and struck out one in 1.1 innings of work.
 
 
Game 2:
USI senior shortstop Ethan Hunter and junior catcher Lucas McNew each hit two-run blasts to lead the Eagles to an 11-8 victory in the nightcap. The Eagles scored 10 of the 11 runs in the first four innings before holding on for the victory.  
 
Hunter got the Eagles going in game two with a two-run homer for two of the three runs in the opening frame. The home run was Hunter’s fourth of the season and the 18^th of his career.
 
The third tally of the opening inning crossed the plate six batters later when sophomore third baseman Daniel Lopez crossed the plate for a 3-0 lead on a bases-load walk by junior centerfielder Evan Kahre.
 
UIndy did not let that lead last very long, scoring a trio of runs of its own in the bottom half of the first.
 
The Eagles responded by taking a commanding 8-3 advantage with three more in the second and two more in the third. McNew kicked off the scoring in the three-run second with a RBI single, while Hunter crossed the plate for the second time on a wild pitch and Kahre drew his second bases-loaded walk in as many innings.
 
USI extended the 6-3 lead to 8-3 in the third with two more. Hunter struck again with a RBI-single before UIndy aided the Eagles again by giving Lopez a bases-loaded RBI walk for the five-run lead.
 
McNew gave USI its largest lead of the game in the fourth, 10-3, with his own two-run blast. The home run was McNew’s team-best eighth of the season and the 20^th of his career.
 
The 10-3 advantage shrank to 10-6 after the Greyhounds posted a pair of runs in the fourth and a tally in the fifth. The Eagles would get one of those runs back in the top of the seventh when sophomore leftfielder Gavin McLarty (Buckner, Kentucky) scored on a wild pitch for an 11-6 margin.
 
The Greyhounds would add two runs in the ninth, stranding the bases loaded, before the Eagles closed the door on the sweep, 11-8.
 
On the mound, sophomore left-hander Blake Ciuffetelli (Newburgh, Indiana) picked up the win in relief. Ciuffetelli (2-3) threw four innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits and struck out two.
 
Freshman right-hander Tyler Hutson (Villa Hills, Kentucky) picked up his third save of the season by limiting the Greyhound to two runs after inheriting a bases-loaded no-one out jam in the ninth. Hutson posted a pair of strikeouts to get the final two outs after allowing a hit and a walk.
 
Up Next for the Eagles:
USI moves to the NCAA Division I and Ohio Valley Conference beginning in the 2023 season.
 

VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University Trailblazer baseball team opened their four-game Mid-West Athletic Conference (MWAC) series Sunday afternoon by splitting the first two games with Parkland College at Jerry Blemker Field.

The Trailblazers took game one over the Cobras 7-4 behind yet another really great pitching performance behind sophomore Connor VanLannen (Clinton, Ind.).

Parkland battled back to take game two in comeback fashion, winning 7-5 over Vincennes.

Vincennes broke an early scoreless tie in the third with freshman Ethan Burdette scoring on an RBI double by sophomore Colin Long (Evansville, Ind.) to give the Blazers an early 1-0 lead.

VU would tack on another run in the fourth on an RBI single by sophomore Josiah Sizemore (Cambridge City, Ind.).

The Trailblazers blew the game open in the fifth with a big four-run inning started by a walk by sophomore Peyton Lane (New Paris, Ohio) and a double by freshman Colton Evans (Henderson, Ky.).

Connor VanLannen got in on the action helping himself out at the plate with an RBI single, followed by a two RBI triple by freshman Jordan Roth (Delphi, Ind.) and an RBI single by Josiah Sizemore to give VU a 6-0 lead.

Parkland would get on the board in the seventh with three runs to cut the deficit to 6-3.

Vincennes answered back to add an insurance run in the eighth with a walk by freshman Will Egger (Terre Haute, Ind.), who would later score on a wild pitch.

Parkland would try to complete the comeback in the ninth but ultimately came up short as the Trailblazers took game one 7-4.

Connor VanLannen had another impressive game on the mound for Vincennes, throwing into the eighth and allowing three runs on six hits and striking out seven.

Sophomore Braedon Nichols (Sullivan, Ind.) entered out of the bullpen and retired the only batter he faced on four pitches.

Sophomore Luke Osborn (Perrysville, Ind.) came in and close out the remaining one and two-thirds innings, allowing one run on two hits and striking out one.

“Connor VanLannen came out and gave us a great outing,” VU Head Baseball Coach Chris Barney said. “He gave us seven innings and then Nichols and Osborn finished it out and did what they have done all year for us. We got some clutch hitting in game one, the hits continued to pile up and we were able to put up a four-spot in game one and also played good defense.”

“This was as good as Connor has thrown all year,” Barney added. “For him to be able to do it with one more conference weekend to go before the tournament, it should make him feel pretty good. We were able to keep him under 100 pitches and he should be ready to go this coming Friday when we take on John Wood.”

Siegfried joins the Purple Aces program from CSU Bakersfield

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Turning the page into a new era of Purple Aces athletics, University of Evansville President Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz announced the hiring of Dr. Kenneth “Ziggy” Siegfried as the new Director of Athletics. Siegfried will officially be introduced today at a 2:00 p.m. press conference inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse.

“I have been delighted with our partnership with Turnkey. They listened to our campus community and especially our student athletes, attracting a world class pool of candidates,” said Pietruszkiewicz. “We hired a leader with a proven track record of success for our athletic department, our University, and our community. We said we would hire the right person for UE — and we did.”

Siegfried joins the University of Evansville from California State University Bakersfield (CSUB) where he has served as the Director of Athletics and Associate Vice President for Student Affairs since August of 2015. In his role at CSUB, Siegfried has successfully led an athletic program that is comprised of 16 varsity sports programs with over 300 student-athletes and 90 employees. One of the highlights of his tenure at CSUB was when he succeeded in securing an invitation for CSUB to join the Big West Conference.

“It is an honor to join the University of Evansville, the athletic department, and the Evansville community. This is a special place with a great deal of potential,” Siegfried said. “I would like to thank President Pietruszkiewicz for presenting me with this opportunity. My appreciation also goes out to the advisory committee and TurnkeyZRG.”

Siegfried transformed the athletic department during his tenure at CSUB through the development of a new strategic plan, the creation of a comprehensive master facilities plan, and the commencement of a variety of major construction projects. Under his direction, CSUB generated the largest amount of revenue in the history of the department while achieving high ticket sales and securing significant donations and corporate sponsorships.

Putting an emphasis on academics is a pivotal part of Siegfried’s blueprint. During his tenure, CSUB set records in Graduation Success Rates (GSR), departmental GPAs, and Academic Progress Rates (APR). Siegfried has also been active at the university, conference, and national level throughout his career. On a national level, he serves on the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA) Board and is in his third year serving on the NCAA Accelerating Academic Success Program Committee.

At the conference level, he serves on the Big West Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, the D1-AAA Athletics Directors Association Scholar-Athlete Team Committee and has served on the conference championships committee for both the Western Athletic Conference and the Big West Conference.

“I am excited to lead a talented group of student-athletes, coaches, and staff members as we strive to be the best at what we do in the classroom, in competition, and in the community. Together, we will strive to give our student-athletes an experience that is second to none,” Siegfried added. “The Purple Aces are Evansville’s team, and we are going to actively engage our community from day one. My wife, my children, and I are excited to call Evansville home.”

Prior to his arrival in Bakersfield, Siegfried worked at the University of Memphis for eight years on the Senior Staff within the Athletics Department while serving on the University fundraising leadership team during a successful $250 million campaign. During his time at U of M, Siegfried helped to raise $16 million that went into the transformation of the athletic facilities.

Siegfried attended the University of Memphis where he earned a bachelor’s degree in education and sports management in 2003. He earned his Master of Science in sports administration from Middle Tennessee State University in 2004 and completed his Doctor of Education from the University of Memphis in 2019. A native of Memphis, Siegfried and his wife, Karen, have five children: William, Samuel, Caroline, Miriam, and their late sister Delilah.