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The Daily Rundown
USI professors available to speak on papal conclave
Two USI professors, Dr. Trent Engbers, Director of the Master of Public Administration Program and Professor of Political Science and Public Administration; and Dr. Matt Hanka, Professor of Political Science, are available to provide media insight on the papal conclave.
Following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, preparations are underway for the papal conclave, expected to take place between May 6 and 11. A record 135 cardinal electors under the age of 80—most appointed by Francis—will gather in the Sistine Chapel to elect the next pope. The conclave will follow standard protocols, requiring a two-thirds majority vote. White smoke will signal the successful election of the new pontiff.
- Dr. Engbers can discuss theological aspects and internal church politics.
- Dr. Hanka can speak to the political and international relations implications.
Availability:
- Dr. Engbers:
- Tuesday, April 29 (Virtual only): 1–4 p.m.
- Thursday, May 1 (Virtual only): 12–2 p.m.
- Dr. Hanka:
- Available in person any day this week except Tuesday, April 29.
- Available virtually on Tuesday, April 29: 10–11:15 a.m.
To schedule an interview, please contact Shari Baird, Content Marketing Specialist in the College of Liberal Arts, at snbaird@usi.edu.
Two-time NJCAA All-American Lebron Thomas signs with Green Bay
VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University Men’s Basketball program picked up their fourth NCAA Division I transfer from last year’s team when two-time NJCAA All-American and reigning Region 24 Player of the Year Lebron Thomas (Bishopville, S.C.) announced that he has signed to play next season at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
“I chose Green Bay because of the opportunity they had for me,” Thomas said. “They want me to come in and be there guy and build a team around me. Also the coaching staff there was amazing. They really treated us and talked to us like family. Lastly, they just did stuff that other schools didn’t do, that’s why I chose Green Bay.”
Thomas is coming off an outstanding sophomore season with the Trailblazers, finishing the season averaging 14.3 points, 5.8 assists and four rebounds per game.
Thomas finished the 2024-25 season scoring in double figures 17 times and recorded four double doubles.
Thomas’s best game from this past season came when he scored 39 points in VU’s win over then ranked Triton College. Thomas also finished that game with 10 rebounds and six assists as well.
Thomas finished the season as the Trailblazers leading scorer, coming away with 459 points on the year, while also leading the Blazers with 185 assists.
Thomas closed out his career at Vincennes University with 1,000 career points, becoming the 40th member of VU’s 1,000-point club, while also having 336 assists, 278 rebounds, 83 steals and 46 blocks.
Thomas was named 2025 NJCAA Division I Region 24 Player of the Year and earned first team NJCAA Division I All-American honors, becoming the 60th All-American in VU Men’s Basketball history and the eighth two-time All-American in VU history.
Thomas helped guide the Trailblazers to a combined record of 58-9 in his two seasons playing for the Blazers, winning two Region 24 regular season Championships, including having a perfect 16-0 regular season Region record in 2025, while also guiding the Trailblazers to the 2024 Region 24 tournament Championship.
Thomas helped the Trailblazers reach the NJCAA Division I National Tournament each of the last two years, reaching the National Quarterfinals in 2025 and being named to the National Championship All-Tournament team.
“I will say one of my favorite times at VU was when we went to Hutch and won the first two games this season,” Thomas added. “I just felt like we had good energy there and it was just positive vibes from everybody, even when we fell short in the third game.”
Thomas will look to be a key contributor next season for a Green Bay Phoenix squad coming off a 4-28 season, including having a 2-18 record in Horizon League play under Head Coach Doug Gottlieb.
Thomas is the fourth Trailblazer to sign with an NCAA Division I program, joining Bryan Akanmu (Paris, France) and Michael Cooper (Minneapolis, Minn.) who signed with Wagner College in New York and Travelle Bryson (Anderson, S.C.) who is headed to Howard University in Washington, D.C. next season.
“Vincennes University prepared me a lot over these years,” Thomas said. “Being far from home has prepared me a lot mentally. I’m just grateful that I had great people here at VU that want to see me do better and the people I met along the way.”
“Academically I feel the classes get me more ready to see how these other schools are at the four-year level,” Thomas added. “But overall, I feel great about how Vincennes University prepared me and others these years.”
The Vincennes University Athletic Department would like to congratulate Lebron Thomas on his commitment to the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and wishes him good luck as he continues his athletic and academic careers next season.
Boyd named OVC co-Player of the Week
EVANSVILLE, Ind.- University of Southern Indiana sophomore outfielder Cameron Boyd was named the Ohio Valley Conference co-Player of the Week after leading the Screaming Eagles to a 3-2 week. The honor marks the second of the season after sophomore Parker Martin captured the award three weeks ago.
In five games this past week, Boyd mashed at the plate going 14 for 24 (.583). The sophomore moved his season batting averaged from .245 to .306. The week also included three home runs, four stolen bases, and a monstrous 12 runs batted in.
Boyd started the hot stretch with a two-hit performance as the Eagles completed the midweek sweep of Saint Louis University on Tuesday. Fast forward to Wednesday against Bellarmine University, Boyd swatted a liner out of the park, tying the contest at two. The sophomore stepped into the box in the fifth and deposited another inside pitch over the party deck in left field. Both were smashed over 100 mph off the bat, leading USI to a 10-9 victory with single-game career highs in home runs (2) and hits (4).
The native of Villa Hills, Kentucky rolled his momentum into the home conference weekend against Eastern Illinois University, going eight for 14. Boyd helped the Eagles earn the win Friday night with three hits and two runs batted in, along with another three-hit performance in Saturday’s loss. Finally, the sophomore finished the weekend with an opposite field three-run home run in another multi-hit performance in Sunday’s loss.
Boyd and the Eagles return to action on Wednesday with a road trip to Missouri Valley Conference opponent Illinois State University. USI looks to regain form in conference play with a trip to University of Tennessee at Martin on the weekend. This weekend is pivotal for the Eagles who sit in sixth place at 9-9, while the Skyhawks lurk behind at 7-10.
USI Chamber Choir and Irish Traditional Ensemble to perform concert ahead of Ireland tour May 4
The University of Southern Indiana Chamber Choir and members of the USI Irish Traditional Ensemble will perform a concert of music from their upcoming tour to Ireland at 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 4 at Old North United Methodist Church in Evansville, Indiana. The concert is free and open to the public.
This concert will feature several of the selections that will be featured on their 2025 Emerald Isle Tour, including pieces from composers Michael McGlynn, René Clausen, Randall Thompson, Anton Bruckner, Jósef Świder, Houston Bright and Daniel Craig, Associate Professor of Music.
The tour will include concerts at the Pavilion Theatre, Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare, Bunratty Castle, Co. Clare, The Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare, St. Joseph’s Church, Clifden Co. Galway, Kylemore Abbey, Co. Connemara, Ballintubber Abbe, Co. Mayo and Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland.
“This concert tour will be the tenth tour to Ireland,” says Craig. “The music for this tour ranges from Chant, Romantic Sacred, Modern Sacred, Negro Spiritual and Irish Traditional songs in the Irish and English languages. It will feature several soloists from the choir and accompaniment at the organ, piano, fiddle, Irish whistles and Bodhran by Thomas Drury, myself and students.”
Gov. Mike Braun to highlight Freedom and Opportunity Agenda success, progress made in first 100 days
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Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com or the Old National Events Plaza Box Office.
Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com or the Old National Events Plaza Box Office.
About World Ballet Company
APRIL 29 2025
The World Ballet Company is driven by the belief that ballet is for everyone. Based in Los Angeles, and led by Sasha Gorskaya and Gulya Hartwick, World Ballet Company expands audiences for ballet and creates a new structure for world-class ballet productions. With no corporate or donor backing, it leverages decades of combined entertainment expertise to create, produce, and tour original productions that appeal to newcomers and seasoned ballet goers alike. By presenting in cities with less access to ballet, the company introduces the art form to new audiences while offering established ballet fans an annual occasion to look forward to. The company is composed of renowned professional dancers representing over ten countries. The family-friendly productions feature timeless scores, rich storytelling, vivid hand-painted sets, and stunning hand-crafted costumes. To date, World Ballet Company has travelled to more than 280 cities reaching an audience of more than 500,000, many of whom are first-time attendees to a ballet.
About Old National Events Plaza
Old National Events Plaza, managed by ASM Global, is Evansville, Indiana’s premier convention center and largest live entertainment theatre. Housing a spacious 2,500-seat theatre, 38,000 square- feet of column free exhibit space, a beautiful 14,000 square-foot ballroom, and 12,00 square-feet of meeting space, Old National Events Plaza hosts a variety of events. The venue offers easy scheduling, one-stop-shop services, and in-house catering and audio-visual services. For more information and a complete schedule of events, please visit www.oldnationaleventsplaza.com.
About ASM Global
ASM Global is the world’s leading producer of entertainment experiences. It is the global leader in venue and event strategy and management – delivering locally tailored solutions and cutting-edge technologies to achieve maximum results for venue owners. The company’s elite venue network spans five continents, with a portfolio of more than 325 of the world’s most prestigious arenas, stadiums, convention and exhibition centers, and performing arts venues. For more information, please visit www.asmglobal.com.
Aces baseball back at home for an in-state midweek showdown
The Purple Aces will play their next five games in Evansville
EVANSVILLE, Ind. —Â After a week on the road, the University of Evansville baseball team returns home to German American Bank Field for another big in-state non-conference game.
The Purple Aces left Springfield with a big win over the Missouri State Bears on Sunday afternoon. In UE’s final MVC series at Hammons Field, Evansville had a big offensive showing in the series finale. The Aces outlasted an almost four-hour slugfest against the Bears, picking up a 16-11 win.  UE had a season-high 17 hits against Missouri State in the win. Prior to Sunday’s game, Evansville had three 16-hit games earlier in the season, with the most recent coming back in March during the Aces’ first weekend of conference play at Murray State. UE had three batters combine for nine of the team’s 17 hits, while nine of the 10 batters in the lineup recorded at least a hit.
Evansville returns home for the next week, starting with a return visit from Indiana in the team’s home-and-home series. In their first meeting of the year, IU came out on top in a 7-4 midweek battle back on March 18. The Aces kept things close in the first game but weren’t able to come back from an early 2-0 deficit that began in the third inning. UE will come close to evening the series with the Hoosiers at home with a win on Tuesday night, as IU currently holds a 14-12 advantage in Evansville.
Indiana comes into Tuesday night’s game with a 23-21 overall average and an even 10-10 Big Ten Conference record. The Hoosiers were swept over the weekend by the Iowa Hawkeyes and will be looking to break their losing streak behind offensive leader outfielder Devin Taylor with a .366 batting average, a team-high 38 walks, and 50 RBIs.
Evansville added four home runs over the weekend at Hammons Field for its best slugging week of the season with five total long balls and 15 multi-base hits in four games. UE had its first back-to-back games with multiple home runs this season in Springfield, while sophomore Charlie Longmeier (Seymour, Ind. / Seymour HS) had a home run in each game. Longmeier had a big weekend for Evansville as he along with senior infielder Cal McGinnis (Kimberly, Wis. / Bradley) batted .429 in 14 at-bats in Hammons Field. Longmeier was one of three players with six hits against Missouri State on the weekend, and he was also the only Ace to record multiple home runs with his fourth and fifth career homers on Saturday and Sunday.
Also stepping up for UE was freshman first baseman Jake McGhee (Fenton, Mo. / Christian Brothers Academy) as he led the team’s starters in batting average over the weekend, slashing .462/.533/.538 as he was six of 13 at the plate. McGhee also added an RBI, and two runs scored over three games in Springfield. But it wasn’t just Evansville’s younger players showing up at the plate at Hammons Field. Despite dropping the series to the Bears, over half the Aces’Â lineup batted over .300 on the weekend. In only three at-bats this weekend, senior catcher/pinch hitter Evan Waggoner was a perfect three-of-three from the plate with two doubles. While McGhee, McGinnis, Longmeier, infielder Drew Howard (Ferdinand, Ind. / Forest Park HS), and outfielder Harrison Taubert (Casper, Wyo. / Northeast CC) all had batting averages over .300.
HOT JOBS
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THUNDERBOLTS TO HOST CHAMPIONSHIP RALLY INSIDE FORD CENTER THIS TUESDAY
 Evansville, In.:  As the Thunderbolts celebrate winning the franchise’s first-ever President’s Cup title with their sweep of the Knoxville Ice Bears in the Final, the team will be hosting a special Championship Rally inside Ford Center this Tuesday the 29th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, moved indoors from the Plaza due to the possibility of inclement weather.
               Fans will be able to enter Ford Center through the main entrance at 6:00pm and make their way through the event level hallways, where they will be directed to the Ford Center floor. The celebration will begin shortly after doors open, as the Thunderbolts players and staff will appear on stage with the President’s Cup, and selected players and staff will speak from the stage. After speaking is finished, the President’s Cup will be available for photo opportunities, and players will be present to meet and greet with throughout the remainder of the celebration. Fans will have the opportunity to purchase general merchandise, and there will be snacks and drinks for sale. There will also be a table where fans can inquire about or sign up for season tickets for the 2025-26 season.