The Evansville Otters signed right-handed pitchers Taylore Cherry and Garrett Harris along with catcher Luis Vilorio.

Cherry, a Dayton, Ohio native, is returning to Evansville. He played for the Otters last year after signing a month before the season.

In 13 appearances with the Otters in 2017, Cherry pitched 12.2 innings with a 5.68 ERA and 0-1 record. He also had 19 strikeouts but was released in June.

“Looking forward to having Taylore back,” Otters manager Andy McCauley said. “He is familiar with the league and our organization.

“I think he has made some adjustments and will be a big part of our bullpen.”

Cherry played for the University of North Carolina before being drafted in the 32nd round of the MLB Amateur Draft by the Chicago White Sox organization in 2015.

In two seasons playing affiliated baseball, Cherry was 2-7 with a 2.79 ERA.

Harris also has experience as a pitcher in affiliated baseball after playing in the Kansas City Royals organization from 2016-17, splitting time between the AZL Royals and Idaho Falls.

In 27 games, Harris went 3-2 with a 8.53 ERA in 44.1 innings. He finished with 52 strikeouts and 24 walks.

An Anderson, Texas native, Harris played collegiately at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and went 2-2 with a 3.79 ERA in 26 games for the Islanders in 2016.

“Got great reports from two separate scouts that saw him throw,” McCauley said. “We are hoping to see that in spring training and he should compete for a spot in our bullpen.”

Vilorio, a San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic native, was signed with the help of former Evansville catcher Julio Rodriquez (2016), who is a close friend.

McCauley also had a good reference from a trusted scout in the New York Mets organization, who saw Vilorio in the Washington Nationals minor league system.

In five seasons with the Nationals organization, Vilorio split time between the DSL Nationals, GCL Nationals and Auburn. He appeared in 128 games and batted .263 with 19 doubles and 34 RBIs.

“He should be a very defensive catcher,” McCauley said. “Given regular at-bats, he should see his offensive numbers improve.”

Evansville will celebrate Bosse Field’s Opening Night May 11 against the Washington Wild Things at 6:35 p.m.

University of Southern Indiana Softball hosts the University of Illinois Springfield and Lewis University in a pair of Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheaders Friday and Saturday, respectively, at the USI Softball Field. First pitch for both days is slated for noon. The Screaming Eagles also host Kentucky Wesleyan College Tuesday at 5 p.m. in a Midwest Region doubleheader.

USI (14-13, 3-5 GLVC) is looking to stop a four-game losing streak, while the Prairie Stars (20-9 overall, 7-1 GLVC) have won seven straight games.

Lewis (14-14, 3-7 GLVC), which has lost six straight games, visits Bellarmine University Friday before coming to Evansville for Saturday’s doubleheader, while Kentucky Wesleyan (13-14, 1-5 GMAC) begins its weekend on a two-game losing streak.

Live stats and GLVC Sports Network coverage for all six games can be accessed at GoUSIEagles.com.

The University of Southern Indiana men’s golf team went south to compete in the Findlay Spring Invitational at the University Club of Kentucky where it finished 15th out of 23 teams.

Leading the way for the Eagles were sophomore K.O. Taylor (Madisonville, Kentucky) and freshman Nate Caudle (Wayne City, Illinois) who each tied for 53rd in the two-day event with a plus-11 over 72 par score of 155. Taylor finished with round scores of 80-75 while Caudle performed with a 77-78.

Sophomore Trevis Bell (Madisonville, Kentucky) was next for the Eagles with a plus-12 effort of 156 (78-78) in a tie for 61st. Freshman Carson Pierce (Jasper, Indiana) compiled a total of 157 (81-76), plus-13 over par to tie for 67th.  Senior Preston Van Winkle (Santa Clause, Indiana) rounded out team scoring for USI with a plus-15 performance of 159 (79-80) in a tie for 81st.

The Eagles finished 15th out of 23 teams with a plus-45 score of 621 (314-307). The University of Indianapolis won the event in 574 (284-290). Grand Valley State University and Maryville University finished tied for second with a final tally of 590.

USI will head northeast for its next match on April 1-2 in Columbus, Indiana at the Otter Creek Golf Club for the UW-Parkside Spring Invitational hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.