University of Evansville women’s soccer head coach Krista McKendree has announced the promotion of Declan Doherty to full-time assistant coach.

Doherty served as graduate assistant coach for the Purple Aces over the past two seasons under McKendree. WIth Doherty as graduate assistant coach, the Aces earned an appearance in the 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship match.

“I am thrilled to be able to have Declan as a full-time assistant now,” said McKendree. “He has done a tremendous job the last 2 years in our graduate assistant role and I could not have scripted a better transition for my staff. Declan has already had a hand in almost everything we do here so his transition should be seamless. He is a tireless worker, who brings an excitement and energy that is unparalleled. He has made a great deal of impact already and I am excited for him to continue that in his new role.”

A native of Belfast, Northern Ireland, Doherty joined Evansville in August of 2016 after a successful stint with Buffalo’s men’s soccer team, helping the Bulls to an appearance in the Mid-American Conference championship match and an 8-7-4 overall record. Doherty has a wealth of experience in coaching, making stops at the New York branch of Global Premier Soccer, during which he also assisted with Lancaster High School’s soccer programs, Queens University Belfast, as well as his alma mater, Ulster University Jordanstown. Doherty graduated from Ulster University Jordanstown in 2013 with a degree in sport and exercise science.

“I am absolutely thrilled to have been given this opportunity to continue my coaching development here at such a great program, with some of the best people in collegiate athletics,” said Doherty. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my last two years here and am extremely grateful to Coach McKendree and Coach Williams for all of their guidance and support during that period. I have loved every minute of working with the exceptional young women that make up our program and am thrilled to be able to continue the work we have started up to this point, and am excited to see the heights this group can reach.”

Eagles have five named All-GLVC East

University of Southern Indiana senior leftfielder Drake McNamara (Mt. Vernon, Indiana) was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year and freshman centerfielder Bryce Krizan (Mt. Vernon, Indiana) was named the GLVC Freshman of the Year at the at the GLVC Awards Barbecue Wednesday night. McNamara leads five Screaming Eagles who were honored by the league with All-GLVC honors.

McNamara, who also was named first-team All-GLVC East Division, becomes only the third Eagle all-time to be named the GLVC Player of the Year, joining Kevin Brown (1993) and Darin Mastroianni (2007). He leads the GLVC in batting average (.400) and slugging percent (.823), while placing second in total bases (144), third in doubles (20) and RBIs (66), and tied for third in home runs (16).

The three-time All-GLVC award winner and reigning GLVC Player of the Week set the USI career record (32) and single-season mark (16) for home runs in last weekend’s four-game series at the University of Indianapolis. McNamara also tied the single-game record with three home runs in the game three 24-7 win.

Krizan becomes the first Eagle to be named the GLVC Freshman of the Year since the award was created in 1996. The freshman centerfielder leads the GLVC and ranks fourth nationally with 37 stolen bases, while batting .293 in the lead-off spot for USI. He also has 50 runs scored, three doubles, and 25 RBIs.

Joining McNamara on the All-GLVC East Division first-team was senior utility player Nick Gobert (Jasper, Indiana) and junior catcher Logan Brown (Mt. Vernon, Indiana). Gobert, who has seen action on the mound, at third base, at first base, in right field, and as the designated hitter, is third on the team with a .357 batting average and ranks second on the squad with 45 RBIs, in addition to two home runs and a team-high 21 doubles.

Brown is having his best season as an Eagle, batting .323 with six doubles, one triple, four home runs, and 31 RBIs. The junior catcher also has thrown out 31 percent of base runners attempting to steal.

The Eagles featured senior rightfielder Buddy Johnson (Shelbyville, Kentucky) and junior second baseman Jacob Fleming (Evansville, Indiana) on the All-GLVC East Division second-team.

Johnson, who set the USI single-game records with 10 RBIs and seven hits the 34-9 win over the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, is second on the team with a career-best .358 batting average, 40 runs scored, 16 doubles, two triples, and one home run. Fleming, who was named All-GLVC East Division for the second-straight year, is batting .298 with 46 runs scored, 10 doubles, a triple, and a home run, while knocking in 29 RBIs.

The Eagles start GLVC Tournament action on Thursday at 9 a.m. when they play Quincy University in the first round. The GLVC Tournament, which is being played at U.S. Ball Park in Ozark, Missouri, runs through Sunday. USI is the third seed from the GLVC East, while Quincy is the second seed from the West.

Trio receives postseason accolades

University of Evansville softball players Eryn Gould, Morgan Florey and Brittany Hay were each recognized by the Missouri Valley Conference on Wednesday for their efforts during the 2018 softball season.

Leading the way for the Purple Aces was Eryn Gould, who was named the 2018 MVC Freshman of the Year.  She is just the second in program history to receive the accolade, joining Morgan Florey on the list.  Florey was the 2016 Freshman of the Year.  Gould was also named a First Team All-Conference player.

The Mt. Carmel, Ill. product burst onto the scene in 2018, pacing the conference with 13 doubles.  She completed the season with a .377 batting average, tied for 5^th in the league.  Gould had an extraordinary week at the plate against UNI in March on her way to being named the Newcomer and Player of the Week in the Valley.

She registered 6 hits in 7 at-bats, hitting .857 versus the Panthers.  She also notched five runs, two doubles, a home run and a walk in that series.

“This is a tremendous honor for Eryn.  She has really worked hard to earn this honor,” Aces head coach Mat Mundell said.  “It was amazing to see what she was able to do this season for us offensively.  We are excited to see where she will take her game from here.”

Joining Gould on the All-Conference First Team was junior Morgan Florey.  One of the top pitchers in the nation, Florey finished the season with 303 strikeouts, the first player in UE history to do so.  She is also one of just six players in MVC history to record 300 or more K’s in a single season.

Florey’s top outing came in a 16-inning game against Southern Illinois where she struck out 26 Saluki batters.  That tally was the most in the NCAA this season and was the third-highest single game total in NCAA history.

“Morgan had a season for the record books in the circle this year,” Mundell added.  “Each year she continues to elevate her pitching and a something new.  To strike out over 300 batters in a season in today’s game is unreal.”

Rounding out the accolades for the Aces was Brittany Hay, who earned a spot on the All-Defensive Team.  The senior had a strong season in the outfield after moving to that position from shortstop.  The 2017 MVC Newcomer of the Year paced the squad with 27 RBI.

“Brittany made a big position switch for us this season to center field.  It is unbelievable how fast she took to the move,” Mundell explained.  “She was the best defensive centerfielder in our conference.”

The Big Ten Conference announced its annual postgraduate scholarship recipients on Thursday, with Jack Griffith (men’s soccer) and Sam Lisy (women’s swimming and diving) being named Indiana’s two recipients.

Two students competing in intercollegiate athletics from each of the 14 Big Ten institutions who plan to continue their education at a graduate degree program were each awarded a $7,500 scholarship, based on primarily academic achievements.

Griffith earned numerous honors during his four seasons at Indiana, winning the NCAA College Cup Elite 90 award and the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award during his senior campaign. The Danville, Ind. product was a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and also won the prestigious Jack D. Tichenor Award in 2016, given to the male and female student-athlete that holds the highest individual cumulative GPA among the entire Department of Athletics.

During her four years at Indiana, Lisy was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree for Hoosier swimming and diving team. The Euclid, Ohio native was also the recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award her freshman season in 2014-15. Lisy competed in the Big Ten Championships for IU all four years, swimming in breaststroke, butterfly and IM events.

Each Big Ten institution developed its own on-campus selection process when awarding the scholarship. Students must have maintained at least a 3.2 grade-point-average, demonstrated leadership qualities, served as an excellent role model and intended to continue their academic work beyond their baccalaureate degree at a graduate degree program.

The scholarship will be used to pay expenses of the student’s postgraduate education to include such related activities as research and teaching, as well as other expenses such as tuition, fees, room and board, required course-related supplies and books. In order to retain the scholarship, the recipient must be accepted into a full-time graduate degree program within three years from the fall semester after selection.

The University of Southern Indiana baseball team lost a heartbreaker in 10 innings to Quincy University, 5-4, Friday morning to start the Great Lakes Valley Conference Baseball Tournament at U.S. Baseball Field in Ozark, Missouri. USI, the third seed from the GLVC East Division, watched its record go to 29-20 overall, while Quincy goes 36-15.

The Screaming Eagles move into the loser’s bracket and will have to win Friday to continue in the 2018 post-season. USI will play the loser of today’s 7:30 p.m. contest between the top seed from the East and number-two ranked, University of Illinois Springfield, and the fourth-seed from the West, Missouri University of Science & Technology, Friday at 12:30 p.m.

The Eagles allowed a two-run first by the Hawks before rallying to tie the score, 2-2, in the top of the second. USI junior catcher Logan Brown (Mt. Vernon, Indiana) and freshman shortstop Ethan Hunter (Terre Haute, Indiana) pushed both of the Eagle runs across with RBI-singles.

Quincy bounced back to regain the lead, 3-2, in the fourth with a home run off of USI junior right-handed starter Austin Krizan (Mt. Vernon, Indiana). Krizan got a no decision after allowing three runs on seven hits, while striking out four in six-plus innings of work.

USI rallied in the ninth to take its first and only lead of the contest, 4-3, when junior pinch-hitter Jayden Beshears (Evansville, Indiana) crushed a two-run double off the left center wall. The Hawks, however, sent the teams into extra frames and score tied, 4-4, with a two-out run in the bottom half of the inning off of USI senior right-handed reliever Nick Coudret (Newburgh, Indiana).

Quincy would get the 5-4 win one inning later when the Hawks touched Coudret for a one-out triple and senior right-hander Kyle Griffin (Morganfield, Kentucky) for a winning-run scoring sacrifice fly. Coudret (6-3) got the tough luck loss after going 3.1 innings, allowing two runs on three hits and striking out five.

The Eagles had their chances to get command of the game, stranding 14 runners on-base and two runners on in six of the 10 frames, including the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth.

Continuing coverage of Eagles baseball games this post-season can be found on GoUSIEagles.com. Watch Twitter, Facebook, and GoUSIEagles.com for any schedule changes due to weather.