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Kunkle named an assistant coach for the AUSL Blaze
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball Head Coach Sue Kunkle has been named an assistant coach for the Blaze, one of four professional teams in the inaugural season of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) this summer.
Kunkle will simultaneously continue her role and responsibilities as head coach of USI Softball while with the AUSL Blaze during June and July.
The AUSL is a professional women’s softball league starting its inaugural season in June. The league features four teams playing a 24-game season in a traditional format with the world’s best professional softball players.
“I am extremely honored and excited to have this opportunity to coach for the Blaze and be a representative for the AUSL,” Kunkle stated. “I am looking forward to an amazing summer full of competitive softball with some of the world’s most elite players.”
“I could not be more appreciative and grateful for the support of my administration and staff at USI in allowing me to take on this unique opportunity this summer.”
The Blaze is under the direction of general manager Dana Sorensen and head coach Alisa Goler. Goler is the softball head coach at Western Illinois University.
Between June 7 and July 23, the AUSL will tour across 10 different locations in 2025, culminating in the AUSL Championship at the University of Alabama’s Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama July 26-28.
The Blaze will venture to Wichita, Kansas; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Rosemont, Illinois; and Salt Lake City, Utah during the regular season.
ESPN will air 33 games exclusively across its platforms, including 30 linear TV telecasts.
USI rallies to win at SLU, 12-5
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball scored seven unanswered runs to defeat Saint Louis University,12-5, Tuesday afternoon at the Billiken Sports Center in St. Louis, Missouri. USI is 18-22 overall, while SLU is 23-17.
USI senior centerfielder Khi Holiday gave the Screaming Eagles the early lead by manufacturing a tally in the first. Holiday walked with one out and stole second before stealing third and scoring on the throw.
SLU would push a tally across in the bottom of the first before USI regained the lead, 2-1, on an RBI single by sophomore third baseman Parker Martin. The score would remain 2-1 until the top of the fifth when USI scored three more times for the 5-1 advantage.
The three-run rally was highlighted by RBI singles by sophomore rightfielder Cameron Boyd and junior leftfielder Hunter Miller that sandwiched junior designated hitter Charlie Marisca scoring on a bases-loaded wild pitch. USI maintained the 5-1 advantage until the Billikens scored four times in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game, 5-5.
USI responded by regaining the lead, 6-5, with a tally in the top of the seventh on an RBI ground out by Miller. The Eagles extended the lead to 7-5 when Martin scored on a wild pitch and 8-5 on an RBI single by junior catcher Micajah Wall in the eighth.
The Eagles sealed the victory with four more runs in the top of the ninth for the 12-5 victory. USI got the four runs on a squeeze bunt, a pair of wild pitches, and a ground out.
On the bump, freshman right-hander Marshall Loch picked up his second win of the season in relief. Loch (2-2) got the Eagles out of a jam in the sixth, going two-thirds of the inning, allowing one run and striking out one.
Senior right-hander Ian Anderson earned his third save of the season, throwing the final two innings. He allowed a pair of hits and struck out two.
McConnell hits first grand slam of 2025 at Western Kentucky
The Purple Aces had a big seventh inning on Tuesday night
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The University of Evansville baseball team had its first bases-clearing home run of the season, but it wasn’t enough to get past the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in a 14-4 game.
Freshman shortstop Drew McConnell (Blue Springs, Mo. / Blue Springs HS) broke a two-game hitless streak in a big way on Tuesday. McConnell recorded the second home run of his young career as an Ace for UE’s first grand slam of the season. But the grand slam scored Evansville’s only four runs of the game as the Aces had just four batters connect on a hit. Along with McConnell, UE had outfielder Charlie Longmeier (Seymour, Ind. / Seymour HS), catcher Matt Flaherty (Lake Zurich, Ill. / Bellarmine), and infielder Jake McGhee (Fenton, Mo. / Christian Brothers Academy) record a hit for Evansville.
“It was another tough midweek matchup that we didn’t play well enough to be in the game,” said Head Coach Wes Carroll following the loss. “We have a big weekend ahead of us on the road in Valley play.”
The Aces got the first hit of the game as Longmeier put a single into left center field in his first at-bat. But he would be left at second as UE’s next two batters went down in order. WKU took the lead in the bottom of the first on a three-run homer after Evansville gave up two free bases with a walk and a hit by pitch in the first three at-bats.
It was a similar result in the top of the second for the Aces as they left a runner stranded at second. UE’s defense kept the Hilltoppers from hitting another home run, but Western Kentucky did add a run to make it 4-0 after two innings. It became a 5-0 game in the third as WKU scored without recording a hit. Flaherty hit one of Evansville’s only multi-base hits to begin the fourth with a stand-up double down the left field line. But he was stranded as the next three Aces batters all went down swinging.
The Hilltoppers almost doubled their lead in the bottom of the fourth after loading the bases on a single and two free bases. Western Kentucky’s right fielder put a triple into right past Harrison Taubert (Casper, Wyo. / Northeast CC) to clear the bases. The Hilltoppers took a 9-0 lead with four runs in the inning. It became a double-digit game in the bottom of the fifth as a double play review went WKU’s way, leading to a long single that scored two more runs.
With the run rule not in effect until after the seventh inning, UE headed into the sixth staring down an 11-run deficit. Evansville had only its second inning on offense, going down in order for the first frame of the sixth. While the Hilltoppers added their 12th run on a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded.
Facing a potential run-rule loss, the Aces’ offense fought back to keep the game going. UE began the seventh with a hit by pitch, a single from McGhee, and a walk to Taubert that loaded the bases with no outs on the board.
McConnell came to the plate with the bases full and fought through a seven-pitch at-bat with three foul balls. He made it count on the seventh, though, as McConnell put the ball just past the right field bullpen for Evansville’s first grand slam of 2025. With four runs on the board, the Aces kept Tuesday’s game going into the eighth
.
UE’s defense had its first three-up and three-down inning of the night in the bottom frame of the seventh. Evansville got a base runner in the top of the eighth as pinch hitter Mason McCue (Bourbonnais, Ill. / Bishop McNamara HS) took a sixth pitch walk. But with two outs already on the board before McCue’s walk, he would be stranded at first with a strikeout.
The Aces didn’t get another chance at the plate as Western Kentucky scored two more runs in the bottom of the eighth, ending the game an inning early. UE came out of Tuesday’s contest on the losing side of the 14-4 final score with starting pitcher Kellen Roberts (Monroe, Mich. / Monroe HS) being tabbed with the loss.
Evansville returns to conference action this weekend on the road. The Aces make their final MVC trip to Springfield and Hammons Field to take on the league-leading Missouri State Bears. The three-game series will begin with a night game on Friday, April 25, set for a 6 p.m. first pitch.
USI Men’s Golf wraps up season finishing sixth at the OVC Championship
Seniors Jason Bannister and Sam Vertanen named to OVC All-Tournament Team
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Golf finished sixth at the Ohio Valley Conference Championship at Dalhousie Golf Club in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The Screaming Eagles shot an 875 (299, 283, 293) and were just five strokes shy of advancing to the match-play round on Wednesday.
Out of an 11-team field, USI entered Tuesday’s final round of stroke play tied for fifth but needing to make up at least 10 strokes to potentially move into the top four to go on to the match-play round. By the end of Tuesday’s last 18 holes, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, which had the best team score in stroke play with a 17-under 847, Lindenwood University, the University of Tennessee at Martin, and Morehead State University were the top four programs to advance into Wednesday’s match-play bracket.
Senior Jason Bannister topped USI with a five-under 211 (69, 70, 72) to finish third on the player leaderboard and one stroke behind the two leaders from UT Martin and Little Rock. Fellow senior Sam Vertanen made a big move up the leaderboard on Tuesday to finish tied for fourth with four-under 212 (73, 71, 68). Bannister and Vertanen, who were respectively named All-OVC First Team and All-OVC Second Team last week, earned OVC All-Tournament Team honors on Tuesday. Junior Carter Goebel recorded a top-25 finish after posting a three-over 219 (75, 67, 77).
The first round saw Southern Indiana position itself in sixth with an 11-over 299, while Little Rock was the pace-setter with a six-under 282 at the top of the team leaderboard. Bannister led the first-round scoring for USI with a three-under 69, which put Bannister into a tie for second on the player leaderboard after 18 holes. The senior carded five birdies in round one. Goebel also notched five birdies in the first round, all coming on the first nine, but ran into some adversity on the second nine.
On day two, Goebel bounced back from Sunday’s back nine to log a bogey-free round on Monday with a five-under 67, one stroke shy of his career-best low round that he scored earlier this year. After registering a pair of birdies on the front side, Goebel went on a stretch of eight consecutive pars before birdieing three of the last four holes. After an early blemish, Bannister recovered to grab five birdies in the second round and also birdied three of the final four holes to post in red numbers for the second day in a row. Vertanen remained steady on the first eight holes and even eagled the sixth hole. Vertanen parred or better in eight of the back nine holes to also shoot below par in round two. With the utilization of the substitution rule, senior Wade Worthington stepped into the lineup on Monday to shoot a 75 to round out USI’s best team round of the tournament.
The third round featured a hot start by Vertanen, who started with a par before birdieing three holes in a row. Vertanen kept the scorecard clean, including two more birdies on the back side, before his only setback on the 17th hole. Regardless, Vertanen carded a four-under 68, matching his lowest round of 2024-25. Bannister had a solid start Tuesday with four pars and two birdies in the first six holes, but he shot even par for the round. Worthington gave USI another solid effort with 76 in round three. Goebel had a slow start with some more adversity on the front nine, but he managed to level out the rest of the third round. Low scoring seemed hard to come by on the back nine as it did in round one and in contrast to round two for the Screaming Eagles. However, USI could not gain enough scoring strokes after 54 holes to advance past the stroke-play portion of the OVC Championship.
For Worthington, Vertanen, and Bannister, the three seniors had their USI careers come to a close on Tuesday.
Worthington started his collegiate career at John A. Logan College, where he was a NJCAA national qualifier in 2023, and came back home to Evansville, Indiana, to USI in 2023-24. Worthington played in six events in 2024-25, totaling 16 rounds, and averaged a 77.50 per round.
Vertanen also started his college career elsewhere at Des Moines Area Community College before transferring to USI ahead of 2023-24. Vertanen made his way onto the USI record charts last year but was even better in 2024-25. Vertanen shot a career-best 208 this year to place himself among the top two for best 54-hole score in Screaming Eagles history. Vertanen averaged 72.39 strokes per round, which is nearly a two-stroke improvement from last year, to rank third in USI’s single-season history with a minimum of 10 total rounds played. Vertanen’s career average of 73.15 per round is second in Southern Indiana’s all-time history with a minimum of 40 rounds played. Vertanen ended the 2024-25 season with an OVC Male Golfer of the Week honor before receiving his All-OVC Second Team and OVC All-Tournament Team accolades.
Bannister concludes his four-year career at USI as arguably the best male golfer in school history to date. Bannister began his career with Great Lakes Valley Conference all-conference laurels in 2021-22. Then he quickly transitioned to the OVC as an all-tournament team recipient as well as a two-time OVC Golfer of the Week in 2022-23. He was named OVC Golfer of the Month in 2022-23, 2023-24, and again this year in 2024-25. Bannister was named to the All-OVC team last year and picked up all-conference honors again this year. Bannister is tied for second in USI history with a career-low round of 65, owns the best 36-hole mark of 138 that he scored this year, and is tied for second with a 54-hole best 208. Bannister possesses the top two best single-season round averages in the USI record books with a 70.90 in 2024-25 and a 71.96 in 2023-24. Plus, Bannister set a new Southern Indiana all-time mark with a career average of 72.50 strokes per round after competing in 43 total events and playing 115 total rounds.
Next, the Screaming Eagles will look ahead to 2025-26 and continue to work and build on their forward momentum within the program.
CCO TO REINSTATE “LEFT JAB AND RIGHT JAB”
CCO TO REINSTATE “LEFT JAB AND RIGHT JAB”
by CCO Staff
APRIL 23, 2025
“LEFT JAB AND RIGHT JAB” was created several years ago because we had many commenters who posted daily that overwhelmed our COMMUNITY COMMENT SECTION.
Comments posted in our “LEFT JABS AND RIGHT JABS” are mostly about local and State news so our readers can discuss what they feel passionate about.
We shall be posting the LEFT JAB AND RIGHT JAB once a week. Left JAB allows liberal views and the RIGHT JAB is representative of the more conservative views.
Also, any of our readers who would like to react to the written comments of the two commentators are welcome to give their views.
Looking forward to hearing your comments in our revised column.
Governor Braun Positions Indiana as a Leader on Rare Earth Elements, Manage Water Resources Responsibly
Ahead of Earth Day, Governor Mike Braun signed executive orders to position Indiana as a national leader in rare earth element recovery and launch a statewide plan for responsible and transparent water resource management.
Executive Order 25-62: Supporting Environmental Health and Economic Leadership Through Recovery of Rare Earth Metals and Critical Materials from Indiana Coal Sites
“American advanced manufacturing can’t be dependent on China for rare earth elements. Indiana is stepping up with our new Rare Earth Recovery Council to leverage our coal sites to build an American domestic supply chain for these critical materials that power the modern economy.” – Governor Mike Braun
Rare earth elements and critical minerals are the foundation of modern technology. China dominates production of these rare earth minerals. The US is fully dependent on foreign imports for 12 of the 50 minerals classified as critical.
It’s possible to recover rare earth elements and critical minerals from coal and coal byproducts. Indiana, as a national leader in coal production and in restoring abandoned mine lands, is in a great position to lead exploration for an American domestic supply of rare earth minerals and critical materials.
Indiana has vast, underutilized reserves of legacy coal byproducts which could serve as a valuable domestic source for producing critical materials.
With this executive order, Indiana will create the Indiana Rare Earth Recovery Council to spearhead efforts to reclaim rare earth elements and critical materials from legacy coal byproducts.
The Council will work with industry partners and educational institutions to deploy innovative technologies, evaluate opportunities for localized refining, and build a new supply chain.
Indiana will not only lead in cleaning up abandoned mine lands but will also position itself as a strategic source of rare earth elements, making American advanced manufacturing less dependent on the Chinese Communist Party.
Executive Order 25-63: Ensuring Future Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Hoosiers by the Development of a Statewide Water Inventory and Management Plan
“Proper water management is essential to growing our economy without compromising on Hoosiers’ resource needs in their communities. This new thorough inventory and water planning framework will ensure Indiana is ready to support new jobs and growing communities, with full transparency for the public built into the new system.” — Governor Braun
Indiana is blessed with an abundant water supply, but it’s not spread evenly across the state. We need a tailored approach to water resource planning and management to make sure we can meet water demands for future economic development.
Under this executive order, the Secretary of Energy and Natural Resources will lead the first statewide inventory of Indiana’s water resources. This thorough inventory will assess current usage, availability, and future demand, paying close attention to regional disparities.
A statewide water planning framework will be developed to align utilities, industries, municipalities, and other users to ensure transparent regional cooperation.
This process will also include recommendations to enhance Indiana’s water monitoring networks.
The Secretary will create a centralized, publicly accessible online platform to consolidate and share real-time data on water resources, like water availability, usage trends, and infrastructure status for maximum transparency.
AJ Casey joins UE men’s basketball program
Casey spent last season at Saint Louise
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville head men’s basketball coach David Ragland has announced the addition of AJ Casey to the Purple Aces squad for the 2025-26 campaign.
Casey brings a wealth of experience to the UE program after spending his first two seasons at the University of Miami before joining Saint Louis last season. He was part of the Hurricanes team that advanced to the Final Four in 2023.
“We welcome AJ and his family to our Evansville family with extreme enthusiasm. AJ is a versatile wing/forward that has yet to display his full potential at the collegiate level,” Ragland exclaimed. “He is skilled with the ability to dribble, pass and shoot. Along with strength and athleticism to finish plays above the rim.”
Last season, Casey was limited to three games with the Billikens due to injury. His top performance came against Avila where he went 2-for-2 from the field while adding a pair of blocks. In two seasons at Miami, Casey appeared in 53 games. As a freshman in the 2022-23 campaign, Casey led all freshmen on the squad with floor time in 29 games.
He appeared in the NCAA Tournament wins over Indiana and Texas while also seeing the floor in the Final Four contest against UConn. His sophomore year at Miami saw him play in 24 games while averaging 1.9 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.
A consensus four-star recruit out of Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago, Casey was ranked as the No. 60 recruit in ESPN’s Top 100 rankings in 2022. He was nominated to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game following a senior season that saw him finish with 19.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 3.0 steals, and 3.0 blocks per game.
Casey led his high school team to a city title along with a berth in the state finals as a senior.
“I chose UE because it offers the opportunity for me to grow personally and professionally,” Casey said. “It is ap lace where I can challenge myself and build lasting connections that will shape my future.”