COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball lost a seesaw game with Tennessee Tech University, 8-6, Saturday afternoon in Cookeville, Tennessee. USI is 16-18 overall and 7-4 in the OVC, while TTU goes to 23-13 overall, 8-3 OVC.
USI wasted little time jumping in front of game two, scoring four times on four hits in the opening frame. The Screaming Eagles loaded the bases with the first three hitters before junior leftfielder Patrick McLellan put USI out in front with an RBI single left field for the 1-0 lead.
Junior first baseman Kannon Coakley sent the lead to 3-0 with a two-run single up the middle before junior shortstop Clayton Slack finished the scoring at 4-0 with a sacrifice fly. TTU would respond with three runs of its own in the bottom of the first to close the gap to 4-3 and took the lead, 5-3, with two more in the second.
USI would rebound to retake the lead, 6-5, with a pair of tallies in the top of the fourth. Junior designated hitter Cole Kitchens broke an 0-for-6 string in the series with an RBI single to center field to tie the game, 5-5, while McLellan struck again with an RBI infield single for the 6-5 advantage.
The Screaming Eagles’ lead would last until the bottom of the fifth when TTU scored three times on three hits to take an 8-6 lead and chase USI junior starting right-hander Blake Kimball. Kimball (4-4) would eventually take the loss after allowing eight runs on six hits and two walks in four-plus innings.
TTU would shut the USI offense down for the next four frames, allowing only one hit and two base runners to close out the 8-6 final.
On the mound, USI junior right-hander Andres Gonzalez had a strong appearance in his game out of the bullpen. Gonzalez kept USI close by throwing three scoreless innings and striking out three.
USI comes up short in seesaw game, 8-6
Southern Indiana comes up short in series opener at Eastern Illinois
CHARLESTON, Ill. – University of Southern Indiana Softball tried to climb back from a five-run deficit in the series opener at Eastern Illinois University on Saturday, but the Screaming Eagles came up short to the Panthers by a final score of 5-2.
Eastern Illinois (20-17, 12-3 OVC), who entered the weekend in first place in the Ohio Valley Conference standings, opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning.
Southern Indiana (10-19, 7-7 OVC) got a quality chance to score with two runners in scoring position in the top of the third inning but could not convert on the opportunity. The Panthers went on to increase their lead to 5-0 on a pair of home runs in the bottom of the third.
After a couple of more hits in the fourth for USI did not pan out into runs, the Screaming Eagles cashed in with two runs in the top of the fifth to chip away at the five-run deficit. USI organized some two-out momentum, loading the bases. Freshman third baseman Jordan Mackey singled up the middle to bring two runs home and pull Southern Indiana within three. USI would load the bases again later in the frame, but Eastern Illinois was able to get out of the jam.
Following the five runs through three innings, senior pitcher Josie Newman settled in for Southern Indiana and posted zeroes the rest of the way. However, the Screaming Eagles were unable to close in any further on the Panthers.
Southern Indiana totaled six hits with senior infielder Whitley Hunter and Mackey tallying two hits each. Mackey collected two RBIs on the fifth-inning hit. Newman (6-12) went all six innings pitched with nine strikeouts and allowed five runs off four hits.
Eastern Illinois’ sophomore pitcher McKenzie Oslanzi (11-10) recorded the win after 4.2 innings of work with two runs surrendered and five strikeouts. Junior pitcher Karlie McKenzie was credited with her fourth save of the season after pitching the final 2.1 innings.
Southern Indiana and Eastern Illinois will clash again on Sunday in a doubleheader to wrap up the weekend series. Sunday’s action starts at Noon, which can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM. Additional coverage can be found at usiscreamingeagles.com.
Aces baseball falls in second game to Illinois State
Livingston, Pickett pace Eagles at SIUE
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.—Sophomores Sara Livingston and Ahmira Pickett posted top-six finishes in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to lead University of Southern Indiana Women’s Track & Field to a ninth-place finish at the Cougar Classic Saturday.
Livingston raced to a fifth-place placement, crossing the finish line in 12 minutes, 3.16 seconds, while Pickett was sixth with a time of 12:09.77.
As a team, the Screaming Eagles finished with eight points. Senior Katie Winkler aided USI’s scoring efforts with an eighth-place finish in the 3,000-meters.
USI returns to action Wednesday, Thursday and Friday when it competes at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California.
USI Track Recap: Record performances for USI men
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.—University of Southern Indiana Men’s Track & Field used a strong effort in the 3,000 meters to earn a seventh-place finish at the Cougar Classic Saturday.
Sophomore Landen Swiney set an outdoor school record in the 3,000 meters, crossing the finish line in second place with a time of eight minutes, 40.96 seconds.
The Screaming Eagles had six of the top eight finishes in the 3,000 meters to account for 27 of their 28 points.
Freshmen James Haggerty and Kyle Kern respectively placed third and fourth in the event. The duo also surpassed the former outdoor record of 8:47.32, which was set by Will Hogston at the 2012 WKU Hilltopper Relays. Haggerty’s time of 8:41.95 is a new USI outdoor freshman record in the 3,000 meters.
Junior Mukal Verma finished fifth, while sophomore Joe Schwartz and freshman Blake Smith rounded out the scoring for the Eagles in the 3,000 meters with respective finishes of sixth and eighth.
Freshman Alan Marshall also scored for USI with an eighth-place finish in the 1,500 meters.
USI returns to action Wednesday, Thursday and Friday when it competes at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California.
Trailblazer Michael Cooper to play for Wagner College
VINCENNES, Ind. – Vincennes University Men’s Basketball sophomore and 2025 NJCAA Division I All-Region 24 honoree Michael Cooper (Minneapolis, Minn.) announced his commitment to play next season at NCAA Division I Wagner College in Staten Island, N.Y. Friday afternoon.
“I chose Wagner because the coaches expressed a need for me, not just a want, which fits perfectly into what I’m looking for next year,” Cooper said. “To go in and build with the program and just win. The coach also relates to me and how I felt that I’ve been overlooked and underrated throughout most of my career and that’s put a chip on my shoulder. Those are the types of players he loves and looks for. He wants to just bring the best out of me and help me embrace my potential.”
Cooper joined the Trailblazers this past season after playing his freshman season at North Platte Community College in Nebraska.
Cooper averaged 12.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game this past season for the Trailblazers.
Cooper scored in double figures 20 times this past season at VU, while recording a team-high five double-doubles.
Cooper’s best stretch of games with the Trailblazers came when he scored in double figures over six straight games, including recording three double-doubles in those games, including scoring 26 points and grabbing 10 rebounds against Wabash Valley College.
Cooper closed out his Trailblazer career by scoring 14 points in the first round of the 2025 NJCAA Division I National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan. and followed that with 11 points against Indian Hills Community College to send the Blazers to the National Quarterfinals.
Cooper helped Vincennes to a 28-5 record this past season, including a perfect 16-0 regular season record in Region 24 play and securing VU’s 12th National tournament appearance in the last 13 seasons.
“My favorite part from this past season was beating Kaskaskia at home to go undefeated 16-0 in the Region,” Cooper added. “Also making the All-Region team with Bryan and Lebron was pretty special.”
Cooper will be joining a Wagner College program coming off of a 14-16 season, including a 6-10 record in Northeast Conference (NEC) play.
Cooper is the second Trailblazer to announce their plans for the upcoming season as Cooper will be joining VU teammate Bryan Akanmu (Paris, France) who also announced his commitment to Wagner College last week.
Trailblazer Track and Field back in action with strong showing at Little State Championships
MARION, Ind. – The Vincennes University Men’s and Women’s Track and Field teams were back in action after most of last weekend’s meet was canceled due to weather.
The Trailblazers looked impressive over the weekend at the 120th annual Indiana Little State Championships hosted by Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, coming away with three event victories on the weekend.
The VU Men’s results were led off by freshman Anis Abdaoui (Kairouan, Tunisia) who came away with the top spot in the 800 meters with a time of 1:52.78.
Abdaoui was joined in this event by teammates freshman Kelvin Kipsang (Kapsabet, Kenya) and freshman Dakoda Greci (Danville, Ind.), with Kipsang placing 31st overall at 1:59.54 and Greci taking 64th overall at 2:09.89.
The second VU Men’s event winner on the weekend was freshman Tremayne Brown (Anderson, Ind.) who came away with the top spot in the high jump, clearing a height of 2.10 meters.
The Trailblazer sprinters were led by a second place finish in the 400 meter dash by sophomore Malik Ferdinand (Kingstown, S. Vincent and the Grenadines) with a time of 48.59 seconds.
Ferdinand was joined by freshmen teammates Isaiah Ervin (French Lick, Ind.) and ArTezz Butler-Sanders (Indianapolis, Ind.) with Ervin taking 12th at 50.46 seconds and Butler-Sanders posting a time of 51.59 seconds to take 24th overall.
Sophomore Olamipo Ladipo (Sao Paulo, Brazil) led the Blazers in the 200 meters with a time of 21.44 seconds, with Ferdinand placing 13th at 22.06 seconds, freshman Marshawn Bradley (Dyer, Ind.) taking 82nd overall at 24.54 and freshman Aaden Mapp (Indianapolis, Ind.) placing 85th overall with a time of 24.55 seconds.
The VU men’s sprinter results were rounded out in the 100 meter sprint with freshman Devin Wilson (Indianapolis, Ind.) taking 37th overall with a time of 11.39 seconds.
Freshman Karmiel Williams (Jasper, Ind.) placed 44th overall at 11.57 seconds, Marshawn Bradley placed 55th at 11.84 seconds, Mapp placed 58th at 11.88 seconds and freshman Bryce Peak (Brownstown, Ind.) placed 60th with a time of 12.07 seconds.
The Trailblazer men’s distance results continued over the weekend with sophomore Tanner Spence (Carmi, Ill.) placing 17th in the 1500 meters with a time of 4:06.91, with Dakoda Greci placing 40th at 4:30.79.
Freshman Jeremy Mendez (Velpen, Ind.) took home 27th place overall in the 5000 meters with a time of 16:26.46 and sophomore Nathan Whitehead (Vincennes, Ind.) taking 31st overall with a time of 16:38.24.
The Vincennes distance results were rounded out by an impressive showing Friday in the 10,000 meters with sophomore Cody Noel (Hebron, Ind.) leading the charge to take sixth overall with a time of 32:40.62.
Jeremy Mendez would place 14th in the 10,000 meters as well with a time of 33:35.19 and Freshman Lane Connaway (Carmi, Ill.) placed 21st with a time of 34:21.63.
Sophomore Caden Hostetler (LaGrange, Ind.) would place seventh in the 3000 meter steeplechase by posting a time of 10:00.96.
Freshman Anthony Keene (Harrisburg, Ill.) placed 10th in the 110 hurdles with a time of 15.93 seconds and sophomore Zion Pruitt (Avon, Ind.) placed 14th in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 57.57 seconds.
The VU Track results were rounded out with the Men’s relay results, with the Trailblazers taking seventh in the 4×100 relay at 42.86 seconds, fourth in the 4×400 relay at 3:23.28 and sixth in the 4×800 relay at 8:03.77.
Anthony Keene kept his busy weekend going in the field events by taking third in the triple jump with a distance of 13.64 meters, while freshman Chase Guthrie (Indianapolis, Ind.) placed 17th at 11.70 meters.
Guthrie would go on to take fifth in the long jump with a best jump of 6.64 meters.
Sophomore Maliek Bush (Jeffersonville, Ind.) placed 11th in the javelin with a best throw of 42.51 meters.
The VU Men’s results were rounded out by a busy throwing weekend by freshman Cayden Gasser (Delphi, Ind.).
Gasser would compete in four events over the weekend, taking 15th in the javelin with a throw of 40.34 meters, 33rd in the discus at 35.54 meters, 38th in the shot put at 10.62 meters and 48th in the hammer throw with a best throw of 25.95 meters.
The VU Men’s Team overall came away with 58 points on the weekend, good for sixth place as a team out of 18 scoring teams.
THUNDERBOLTS COMPLETE SERIES COMEBACK WITH 4-3 WIN IN GAME THREE OVER HAVOC
His Word Is Beautiful
His Word Is Beautiful 
The beauty of God’s word is in knowing He loves us! We know there are problems in this world. But the beauty of God’s word reminds us of the solutions over and over again. There are many examples, of what will lead to success as well as the causes of failure. The biggest blessing bestowed upon mankind was when God sent Jesus into the world to be the sacrificial Lamb for the sins of all mankind. In Romans chapter 11 vs. 36 the brethren were reminded of the power which comes from knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior. The Bible says; “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever.” The Apostle Paul said in chapter 12 vss. 1 and 2; “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable to God which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” To be a conformist to the ways of this world is a recipe for disaster. There must be a willingness to study God’s word and pray for understanding. There is great wisdom in having a desire to do the right thing. The Lord loves obedience. For those unwilling to behave in such a manner, that individual has a heart problem, that can only be repaired by coming to the salvation of Jesus Christ. When there is obedience to the gospel, a change will come in how an individual will think and act. The gospel is the greatest behavior modifier of all time. Vs. 3 Paul says; “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” How we treat others is just as important, for those who know Jesus as Lord and Savior. We cannot spew hateful words, because we must show others some love!
Philippians 2 vss. 3 and 4, Paul says; “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interest of others.” Jesus says in Mark 12 vs. 31; “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”