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USI Baseball inks seven transfers for 2017

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 University of Southern Indiana Baseball announced the signing of seven transfers for the 2017 season. The Screaming Eagles and Head Coach Tracy Archuleta have signed a total 14 new players for the 2017 campaign.

Transferring to join the Eagles are junior infielder Brodie Brown (Carmi, Illinois); junior infielder Angel De Jesus (Yabucoa, Puerto Rico); junior left-handed pitcher Konner Eck (Vincennes, Indiana); senior infielder/right-handed pitcher Nick Gobert (St. Joseph’s, Indiana); junior infielder/catcher Nathan Kuester(Rockport, Indiana); junior outfielder Grant Malott (New Castle, Indiana) and senior right-handed pitcherJustin Watts (Bryan, Ohio).

“These seven transfers will give us the needed experience that we lost after graduating 11 seniors last spring,” said Archuleta. “I look forward to working with these young men and welcoming them to the USI Baseball family.”

Signing with the Eagles during the early period last fall were freshman right-handed pitcher Tyler Hagedorn (Evansville, Indiana); freshman outfielder Aaron Euler (Evansville, Indiana); freshman infielderTrevor Ricker (Evansville, Indiana); freshman right-handed pitcher Grant Ellis (Terre Haute, Indiana); freshman left-handed hitting infielder/outfielder Bryce Krizan (Mt. Vernon, Indiana); freshman outfielderLucas Thatcher (Lexington, Kentucky); and freshman outfielder Garrett Wilson (West Point, Kentucky).

Biographical information on the spring signees:

Brown: Played two seasons with Rend Lake College…batted .341 as a sophomore with three home runs, 34 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases…began his collegiate career by hitting .214 with a home run and 19 RBIs as a freshman…was a letterwinner in baseball, basketball, football, and cross country at Carmi High School (Carmi, Illinois)…named CHS Most Valuable Player and to the Indiana All-South Team in 2014.

De Jesus:  Played last season for New Mexico Junior College…hit .412 with 56 runs scored, 48 RBIs, and 10 home runs in 51 games as a sophomore.

Eck: Pitched the last two seasons for Lincoln Trail College…recorded 81 strikeouts in 22 games and 68.1 innings of work…posted a two-year 4.67 ERA and a 2-6 record at LTC…was 1-6 with a 5.47 ERA as a sophomore, striking out a team-high 62 batters…lettered in baseball and track at South Knox High School (Vincennes, Indiana).

Gobert: Transfers to USI after three seasons at the University of Dayton…accumulated a 4-5 record in three seasons on the mound with a 5.50 ERA…had his best season as a sophomore when he was 1-2 with a 3.83 ERA in 15 appearances, 11 out of the bullpen in 2015…posted a three year average of .179 at the plate with five RBIs and two home runs…had his best average year in 2016, batting .233…three-sport letterwinner, baseball, basketball, and football, at Jasper High School (Jasper, Indiana)…was 22-2 during his career at JHS, striking out 160 batters in 150.2 innings of work…also had a .333 high school batting average with three home runs and 30 RBIs…named honorable mention All-State as a pitcher in 2012 and honorable mention All-State as a second baseman in 2013…helped JHS to the Indiana state finals twice, three section championships, and two regional championships.

Kuester:  Played the last two seasons with Brunswick Community College…batted .341 with five home runs and 43 RBIs…batted .305 as a freshman, driving in 15 RBIs…named to the Indiana North/South All-Star Team as a senior, All-Conference three times, and honorable mention All-State twice at South Spencer High School (Rockport, Indiana)…batted .425 as a senior…helped SSHS to the Indiana state championship in 2011 and 2013…son of former USI baseball assistant coach and  player Brian Kuester and brother of current USI Assistant Coach Jeremy Kuester.

Malott: Joins the USI program after two seasons at Western Kentucky University…hit .180 in 53 games and 26 starts…six-time letterwinner in baseball and football at New Castle High School (New Castle, Indiana)…named All-Conference after his junior and senior seasons, batting .318 in both campaigns…also earned All-Area twice and was ranked as one of the top players in Indiana by Perfect Game and Prep Baseball Report.

Watts: Transfers to USI after one season at Lincoln Trail College (2015) and two years at Northern Kentucky University (2016)…finished his two years at NKU with a 3-9 record and a 6.57 ERA, posting 89 strikeouts in 100 innings of work…had a 2-6 record and a 6.37 ERA as a sophomore at NKU in 2016, striking out 62 batters in 65 innings of work…had a 1-1 record with a 5.84 ERA and one save as a freshman at Lincoln Trail in 2014…lettered in baseball at Bryan High School (Bryan, Ohio).

 

Ford Center’s Five Year Anniversary Celebration Has Officially Began!

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It was not the typical night in downtown Evansville when Def Leppard, REO Speedwagon and Tesla made a stop at Ford Center. Ford Center packed the house at their first of many concerts that are lined up for its five year anniversary. Tesla started the night, followed by REO Speedwagon who ended their set just in time for fans to watch Lilly King take the Olympic gold for USA in the 100-Meter race. Just as soon as the lights went down for REO Speedwagon’s last song, you saw the community pride as the fans for all three bands and Lilly King ran to find the closest TV so they could witness USA winning another metal in Rio.

Def Leppard kept up the high energy from the night singing all the fan favorites. “It’s always great when there is a packed house. With the continued community support, more acts of this level will look to perform at the Ford Center,” stated Ford Center’s Executive Director, Scott Schoenike.

Continuing Ford Center’s five year anniversary celebration is Dolly Parton – August 10, John Fogerty – August 27, Cirque Du Soleil: Toruk – September 2-4, Make America Rock Again – September 12th, WWE LIVE – September 17 and I Love the 90’s – September 22.

County Commissioners to Proclaim Today “Lilly King Day” in Vanderburgh County

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The Board of Commissioners of Vanderburgh Count will Proclaim today “Lilly King Day” in Vanderburgh County at tonight’s’ board meeting at 4 pm in Room 301 of the Civic Center Complex.  In addition to the Proclamation, the Old Courthouse tower lights will shine red, white, blue and gold tonight in King’s honor.

King, a Vanderburgh County, Indiana resident and 2015 graduate of Reitz High School is representing Team USA in the 2016 Olympics Games in Rio. Yesterday King set an Olympic record in the 100-meter breaststroke securing her first gold medal for the 2016 Olympic Games.

The Commissioners wish to celebrate this achievement as well as King’s outspoken advocacy for clean competition. “She is someone that our entire community, especially our young people can truly admire,” said County Commissioner President Bruce Ungethiem. “She clearly has a character to match her ability and that is something that we can all appreciate.”

Vanderburgh County Recent Booking Records

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http://www.vanderburghsheriff.com/jail-recent-booking-records.aspx

AUGUST 9, 2016 “READERS FORUM”

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WHATS ON YOUR MIND TODAY?

“IS IT TRUE” will be posted on this coming Monday

Todays READERS POLL question is: Should City Council Finance Chairman Dan McGinn and Controller Russ Lloyd Jr start speaking out on the 2017 budget shortfalls?

Please take time and read our newest feature articles entitled “HOT JOBS” and “LOCAL SPORTS” posted in our sections.

If you would like to advertise in the CCO please contact us City-County Observer@live.com.

City County Observer has been serving our community for 15 years.

Copyright 2015 City County Observer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistribute.

FROM T V 44 NEWS: Lilly King Wins her First Gold Medal at the Olympic Games

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Evansville-native Lilly King wins her first Olympic Gold Medal in Rio. King not only won her race, but beat the Olympic Record for the Woman’s 100 Breaststroke, with a time of 1:04.93. King had generated some buzz after speaking out against Yulia Efimova of Russia, who has a history of doping saying “When you get caught …

Should Killing a Police Officer Be a Hate Crime?

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by  REBECCA BEITSCH for STATELINE/THE PEW CHARITABLE TRUSTS

Members of the Dallas Police Department salute the casket carrying Baton Rouge police officer Montrell Jackson at Jackson’s funeral last month. Louisiana has approved a “Blue Lives Matter” hate-crime law, and Texas and several others could follow suit.

Hoping to deter deadly attacks against police officers, some states want to expand hate-crime laws, which are traditionally confined to characteristics such as race and ethnicity, to cover people who work in law enforcement.

Nearly every state has a hate-crime statute that increases penalties for offenders motivated by hatred of a victim’s race, religion, sexuality or other personal characteristic. Louisiana in May became the first state to add police to the list when it passed “Blue Lives Matter” legislation. Now half a dozen additional states are considering similar changes to their hate-crime laws.

Supporters argue the measures, which are backed by police, are a deterrent and send a strong message to police officers that the community stands behind them. Forty-one officers died in the line of duty last year, according to the FBI, and the recent killings of officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge have fueled calls for new measures to keep them safe. President Barack Obama, for example, is considering lifting the ban that blocks police departments from using military-grade equipment.

But critics say adding police to hate-crime statutes is unnecessary because there are already laws mandating longer sentences for those convicted of attacking police. Unlike hate-crime laws, those laws do not require prosecutors to prove the motive for an assault.

Groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) also worry that expanding hate-crime laws to cover police or other professions would dilute their original intent: ratcheting up the punishment for acts designed to intimidate whole communities.

States began passing hate-crime laws in the 1980s. At first, the laws covered race, religion and ethnicity. In recent years, they have been expanded to include characteristics such as sexual orientation, gender identity and disability status. Now Kentucky, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Mississippi and Texas are among the states considering adding police to the list.

“We need to address the polarization in this country,” said New Jersey Assemblyman Ronald Dancer, a Republican who sponsored legislation in his state. “Whether it’s from the color of one’s skin or the color of one’s uniform, no one should be targeted.”

Dancer’s legislation would increase penalties for a hate crime committed against an officer by bumping the crime up by one grade, say from a second- to a first-degree offense.

Precious Identity Categories’
The ADL, which has long supported hate-crime laws, argues that the statutes should be limited to “people’s most precious identity categories.”

Hate-crime laws “should remain limited to immutable characteristics, those qualities that can or should not be changed. Working in a profession is not a personal characteristic, and it is not immutable,” the group said in a statement.

Kate Miller with the ACLU of Kentucky said the group is opposed to legislation there because it could dilute the power of hate-crime statutes. Miller noted that some of the bills include not just police officers but EMTs and firefighters. She worries that an expansion would open the door to “other professions that would undermine the original intent of the law,” taking the focus away from characteristics central to one’s identity.

But proponents argue police are being targeted in the same way the current protected classes are.

Frederick Lawrence, a visiting professor at Yale Law School who specializes in hate-crime laws, said recent attacks on police could be considered hate crimes because they were “directed at individuals not because of who that person is, but because of what that person is.”

He said it makes sense to add police because, like other protected classes covered by hate-crime laws, they have a shared history; have long been treated with animosity; and when one member of the community is harmed, they grieve as a group.

Lawrence said such laws are also a way society states its values.

“When we punish certain things more than other things we recognize the greater harm that is caused,” he said. “When we don’t, we make a value-laden statement that it makes no difference.”

Indeed, many sponsors say one of their main goals is to send a message.

“It’s that extra layer of protection that reinforces morale by knowing the state of Louisiana is behind them,” said state Rep. Lance Harris, the Republican who sponsored the legislation there. The state’s hate-crime law adds up to $5,000 in fines or five years to someone’s sentence for a felony-level crime.

Massachusetts state Rep. Alan Silvia, a Democrat who co-sponsored a bill that would add police to the hate-crime law in his state, agreed.

“People who put their lives on the line every day deserve every protection they can get,” said Silvia, a retired police officer.

Police Officers Killed in the Line of Duty table

Existing Laws
But the ADL notes that all 50 states already have laws in place that increase penalties for those who attack police.

Some see those statutes, which vary from state to state, as a better vehicle for increasing penalties for attacking police. In Massachusetts, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker has proposed increasing the state’s current penalty for assaulting an officer to a felony.

Michael Lieberman of the ADL said such statutes are a more appropriate way to protect police, because they make it easier to go after those who attack them.

Lieberman said prosecutors going after an attacker under a hate-crime statute would have to prove the intent — that the attacker went after an officer because of his profession. Under existing statutes dealing with violence against officers, prosecutors only have to prove that an attack against that officer took place.

“It’s an additional prosecutorial burden, so it really would be counterproductive,” he said of the hate-crime legislation.

Michael Bronski, a Harvard professor and co-author of “Considering Hate: Violence, Goodness, and Justice in American Culture and Politics,” questioned the deterrent effect of any hate-crime law, whether it covers an “immutable characteristic” or a profession. “What are we criminalizing when we already criminalize the activity?” Bronski said, pointing to the 1998 killing of Matthew Shepard, a gay man, in Wyoming. The state’s hate-crime law did not include sexual orientation, but the two men convicted are serving consecutive life sentences.

But Lieberman said hate-crime laws aren’t just there for big crimes like murder.

“One of the reasons we wrote hate-crime laws was because people were breaking windows in synagogues and spray-painting swastikas on the side,” he said, and those crimes don’t carry a large penalty on their own.

New Waste Tracking Feature Helps Building Managers Save Money and Support a Healthy Environment

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epa

Building Managers Can Now Track Energy, Water, Greenhouse Gas Emissions And Waste Together In Energy Star’s Portfolio Manager
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled today a waste and materials tracking feature in its Energy Star Portfolio Manager, which is a free benchmarking and tracking tool for commercial building owners and managers. Reducing waste and reusing materials more productively through sustainable materials management over their entire lifecycles conserves resources, helps communities remain economically competitive and supports a healthy environment.

EPA’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager is already used to measure energy, water and greenhouse gas metrics in more than 450,000 U.S. buildings, representing over 40 percent of U.S. commercial space, as well as in more than 10,000 buildings in Canada. Now owners and managers using Portfolio Manager will be able to benchmark 29 types of waste across four different management metrics alongside their existing sustainability management indicators. Types of waste include building materials, glass, paper, plastics, and trash.

Currently, U.S. commercial buildings and manufacturing activities are responsible for as much as 45 percent of the 150 million tons of waste in the United States that ends up in incinerators or landfills each year. The transportation, decomposition, and burning of this waste generates greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants.

The addition of waste tracking is the culmination of a year-long collaboration between EPA’s Energy Star and Sustainable Materials Management programs and members of the industry to identify key performance metrics for waste and materials management.

Increasing Access To Spay And Neuter Services

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Every year, nearly 125,000 dogs and cats are taken in by animal shelters in Indiana, and nearly 40 percent of these homeless animals are euthanized. This alarming number, provided by the Spay-Neuter Services of Indiana, can be reduced through sterilization.

Our state invests significant resources in animal control efforts. Stray and roaming animals are usually poorly cared for and can be carriers of disease, and some of these diseases can be transmitted from animals to people. Stray animals also pose a threat to healthy pets and livestock. Then there’s nuisance problems, like spraying from cats, fecal pollution, and aggression toward citizens who are out for a walk or playing in our parks.

Private and public animal care and control facilities work tirelessly to find responsible owners for homeless animals. But, they are facing an uphill battle. There are still a lot of people who allow cats and dogs to reproduce with little chance of finding homes for offspring.

Many citizens also dedicate personal time, finances and resources to reduce pet overpopulation and euthanasia.

Lawmakers are stepping up their efforts by tasking the board of animal health to establish a registry of animal care facilities. This will foster better communication between state officials and the number of rescue groups across Indiana. Policymakers are working to also obtain more comprehensive data concerning the number of homeless animals in our state and euthanasia rates. As of July 1, 2021, all dogs and cats in animal care facilities must be spayed or neutered before adoption. This will considerably help regulate the animal population.

While some communities offer low-cost, sometimes even free, spay and neuter services, people in rural communities may not be able to access these resources. Perhaps we can incentivize more home-town veterinarians to provide free spay and neuter services by offering them tax credits. These tax credits could help cover their overhead costs associated with the services, and some of the heavy financial burdens placed on the state could be offset. I plan on presenting a bill to do just this during next year’s legislative session.

As we all work to combat pet overpopulation, please be part of the solution by always spaying and neutering your pets, adopting pets from legitimate shelters or rescue groups, and encouraging others to do the same. And remember, thoroughly consider the responsibilities and consequences of pet ownership before deciding to adopt – it’s a lifetime commitment.

For questions or input, contact me at 317-232-9833 or by email at h75@iga.in.gov.

Eagles Announce 2016-17 Women’s Hoops Schedule

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Complete 2016-17 USI Women’s Basketball Schedule

 

EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball announced its 2016-17 schedule Monday.

USI has 28 games on its regular-season slate, which follows its exhibition bout with NCAA Division I Butler University November 6 in Indianapolis.

In addition to an always tough Great Lakes Valley Conference slate, USI will play three NCAA Division II Midwest Region teams during its non-conference schedule as well as games against five more NCAA Division II opponents.

“Our non-conference schedule will definitely give us some different challenges in and out of the Midwest Region,” USI Head Coach Rick Stein said. “I’m excited to play a tough exhibition game against Butler to help us prepare for our regular-season opener as well as going on the road in the beginning of December for our first weekend of GLVC play.”

The Screaming Eagles begin the regular-season November 11 when they host NAIA member Roosevelt University, which is under the direction of former USI point guard Keisha (Collins) Newell.

Counting Roosevelt, the Eagles’ non-conference home schedule includes seven dates, including bouts against NCAA Division II foes The University of Alabama-Huntsville, Kentucky State University, and Ohio Dominican University.

The Eagles host the USI Thanksgiving Classic November 26-27 at the Physical Activities Center. This year’s Classic includes USI and Bellarmine University taking on Young Harris College and Michigan Tech University.

USI’s non-conference schedule is rounded out with a trip to Midwest Region foe Wayne State University (November 17) and the Puerto Rico Classic (December 15-19).

“With the early conference games again this year, the November schedule really puts an emphasis on getting ready for GLVC play,” Stein said. “To have tough regional games like Wayne State and Michigan Tech thrown in before the conference openers, this schedule is challenging and will prepare our team for the tough 18-game league schedule.

“Having Kentucky State, an NCAA II Tournament team from last season, and Ohio Dominican, a 20-win team last year, right before and after the Christmas break, will keep us sharp and focused throughout the holidays as we get ready for the remainder of the GLVC schedule in January and February,” Stein concluded.

The 18-game conference schedule begins December 1 when the Eagles visit GLVC East Division foe McKendree University. USI’s first GLVC home game is January 5 when the Eagles host William Jewell College.

In addition to William Jewell, USI’s GLVC home games include contests against Rockhurst University (January 7), Bellarmine University (January 16), the University of Wisconsin-Parkside (January 19), Lewis University (January 21), Missouri University of Science & Technology (February 2), Drury University (February 4), McKendree (February 16), and the University of Illinois Springfield (February 18).

USI’s contest against Drury February 4 is Homecoming for the Eagles, while Senior Day is February 18 against Illinois Springfield.

In addition to USI’s game at McKendree December 1, the Eagles visit GLVC foes Illinois Springfield (December 3), Bellarmine (February 23), Truman State University (January 12), Quincy University (January 14), Saint Joseph’s College (January 26), the University of Indianapolis (January 28), the University of Missouri-St. Louis (February 9), and Maryville University (February 11).

GLVC Tournament play begins with first-round contests (if necessary) February 26 on campus sites, while the GLVC Tournament quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship are March 3-5 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.

The NCAA II Midwest Region Tournament is March 10-13 at a site to be determined, while the NCAA II Elite Eight is March 21-24 at Alumni Hall in Columbus, Ohio.

USI returns 12 players and all five starters from a squad that was 14-13 overall a year ago and 7-11 in GLVC play.

 2016-17 USI Women’s Basketball Schedule

Date Opponent 2015-16 Record
November
Sun. 6 at Butler (Exhib.) 10-21
Fri. 11 Roosevelt 15-16
Thu. 17 at Wayne St. (MI) 12-16
Sun. 20 Hannibal-LaGrange 7-22
Tue. 22 Alabama-Huntsville 15-12
USI Thanksgiving Classic
November 27-28
Evansville, IN (PAC)
Sat. 26 Young Harris 11-15
Sun. 27 Michigan Tech 19-8
December
Thu. 1 at McKendree* 12-17
Sat. 3 at Illinois Springfield* 8-18
Wed. 7 Kentucky State 24-5
Puerto Rico Classic
December 15-19San Juan, PR
Fri. 30 Ohio Dominican 20-9
January
Thu. 5 William Jewell* 10-19
Sat. 7 Rockhurst* 15-13
Thu. 12 at Truman State* 20-10
Sat. 14 at Quincy* 25-6
Mon. 16 Bellarmine* 24-4
Thu. 19 UW-Parkside* 13-14
Sat. 21 Lewis*# 28-3
Thu. 26 at Saint Joseph’s* 19-11
Sat. 28 at Indianapolis* 10-20
February
Thu. 2 Missouri S&T* 8-17
Sat. 4 Drury*% 26-5
Thu. 9 at Missouri-St. Louis* 11-16
Sat. 11 at Maryville* 11-14
Thu. 16 Illinois Springfield*$ 8-18
Sat. 18 McKendree*^ 12-17
Thu. 23 at Bellarmine* 24-4
Sun. 26 GLVC Tournament (1st RD if necessary)
Continued on next page…

 

GLVC Tournament
March 3-5
Evansville, IN (Ford Center)
NCAA II Midwest Region Tournament
March 10-13
Site TBD
NCAA II Elite Eight
March 21-24
Columbus, OH (Alumni Hall)

*GLVC Game; Home Games in Bold; #Military Appreciation Day; %Homecoming; $Play4Kay Game; ^Senior Day

 

 
 

Schedule Tidbits

 

*USI enters the 2016-17 season in search of its 10thNCAA II Tournament appearance and its first since 2015.

*The Screaming Eagles finished in a tie for fourth in the GLVC East Division last season, but lost out on tie-breakers as it had to travel to Saint Joseph’s for the first-round of the GLVC Tournament a year ago.

*USI is 596-512 all-time in its 40-year history and is 289-198 under Rick Stein, who enters his 18th year as the Head Coach of the Screaming Eagles’ women’s basketball program.

*Including his eight years as an assistant coach at USI, Rick Stein has had a hand in 448 of the program’s 596 victories (75.2 percent of USI’s all-time wins).

*The Eagles return two All-GLVC honorees in 2015-16. Senior forward Hannah Wascher (Rantoul, Illinois) was a second-team honoree, while senior guard Tanner Marcum (New Albany, Indiana) was named to the third team. Wascher led USI with 12.9 points and 7.6 rebounds a year ago, while Marcum averaged 12.0 points and 3.3 assists per game.

*The Eagles are 263-235 all-time against the opposition on in 2016-17 schedule, including 8-12 a year ago.

*Season ticket information for the 2016-17 season can be found at GoUSIEagles.com/tickets.

 

 

 

 

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