|
|||||||
Fiscally Responsible Leadership
USI Communication and Media programs receive top accolades
The University of Southern Indiana Communication and Media Department continues to earn high regard across its programs, adding new awards to its long list of achievements this April.
USI’s Radio Television (RTV) Program has again received top marks from the Broadcast Education Association (BEA). According the 2024 BEA rankings, which include over 300 schools from around the globe, USI’s RTV Program moved from eighth to fourth in the nation for Winning Audio Programs and is now recognized by BEA as one of the top 25 Overall Winning Programs in the country. The rankings are based on data from the last five years. See the full 2024 rankings.
“Students in the Communication and Media Department have always put the time and effort into developing their professional abilities,” says Dr. Leigh Anne Howard, Chair of the Communication and Media Department. “They have had the advantage of having faculty members with industry experience and knowledge, and that mentoring, in combination with the hands-on experience they get the day they roll into our department, means exceptional work.”
Indiana Society of Professional Journalists
Four RTV students won awards in the Indiana Society of Professional Journalists (ISPJ) “Best in Indiana” Awards. Those students included:
- First Place – Cole Barnett for the Student Radio Beat Newscast Category on 95.7 The Spin
- Second Place – Mailee Toennies in the Student Radio Beat Newscast Category for the 95.7 The Spin Morning Newscast
- First Place – Isaac Heldt in the Student Radio Sports Reporting Category for the 95.7 The Spin USI Men’s Golf Invitational Preview
- Second Place – Matthew Kolb in the Student Radio Sports Reporting Category for the 95.7 The Spin November 17 Sportscast
Indiana Collegiate Press Association
USI Communication and Media students also earned top awards from the Indiana Collegiate Press Association (ICPA). The Shield, USI’s editorially independent student news outlet, received top honors for USI’s e-newsletter, Shield Source, best for Entertainment Column/Review Online and best overall design for its literary journal, FishHook.
- First place in the Email Newsletter Category went to the Shield Source e-newsletter
- First place in the Entertainment Column/Review Online Category went to Ian Young of The Shield for “The Last of Us Part II”
- First place in the Literary Magazine of the Year: Overall Design Category went to Kyla Schlink, Staff of FishHook, for Issue 12
“I am very proud of the staff achievements in this open category, because we were up against every other school that entered, regardless of size. Our first-place finish for our e-newsletter was especially rewarding, as second and third in that category went to IU and Purdue.” says Dr. Phil Todd, Student Publications Advisor.
Previously this year, Communication and Media was the recipient of additional awards, including this year receiving its first ever Best of Festival Award for the radio drama “Alice in Wonderland Reimagined.” In March, students brought home six awards from the Indiana Association of School Broadcasters (IASB).
Otters Select Three In 2024 Frontier League Draft
Otters select three in the 2024 Frontier League Draft
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Evansville Otters are excited to announce their draft class from the 2024 Frontier League Draft in Washington, PA this week, which includes catcher Matthew Cusumano, outfielder Benjamin Newbert, and left-handed pitcher James Steindl.
Cusumano, who hails from Sycamore, IL, began his collegiate career at Rock Valley College, a junior college in Rockford, IL. After two seasons, he transferred to Missouri S&T, where he played one fall ball season before dropping baseball to finish his medical schooling to become a phlebotomist. He has made another push into his baseball career and aims to begin his first professional baseball season in Evansville.
Newbert, a native of Bala Cynwyd, PA, spent five years at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference in NCAA Division II. He clocked a career .312 average while accumulating 182 hits, 42 doubles, 45 home runs and 169 RBIs. In 2022, Newbert played in the MLB Draft League for the Trenton Thunder.
Steindl comes to Evansville after three seasons with Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY. The lefty threw 37.1 innings in his career across 28 games and struck out 34 batters.
Petrova tied for 4th at NCAA Regional
Sophomore completed the day at 2-under
EAST LANSING, Mich. – University of Evansville sophomore Kate Petrova had an impressive start to the NCAA Division I East Lansing Regional on Monday, posting a 2-under 70 to sit among the leaders of the pack.
Petrova completed the opening day at Forest Akers West Golf Course tied for 4th place on the leaderboard. Her 2-under 70 is tied with Jennifer Cai (Northwestern), Maddison Hinson-Tolchard (Oklahoma State), Marta Lopez Echevarria (Kentucky), Lauryn Nguyen (Northwestern), Catherine Park (USC), Hana Ryskova (Louisville) and Anna Zanusso (Denver).
Leading the individuals is Bailey Shoemaker of USC, who posted a 7-under 65. Lion Higo of Pepperdine is two behind in second while Lauren Beaudreau of Notre Dame is third, three off the lead pace.
The group that is tied for 4th are just five shots behind Shoemaker’s pace. Petrova is competing as an individual at the event. On the team side, USC holds a 2-shot lead over Pepperdine with the first of three rounds complete.
On Tuesday, Petrova looks to keep things rolling in the second round of 18.
UE’S HARRIS NAMED MVC PITCHER OF THE WEEK; PURPLE ACES HOST USI TUESDAY
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – For the first time in his collegiate career, University of Evansville senior pitcher Shane Harris captured Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week honors on Monday, after helping UE post its first shutout of the 2024 season on Sunday in a 9-0 victory at Valparaiso.
Harris anchored UE’s first shutout since last May on Sunday by tossing a career-high 7.0 innings on the mound, allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out a career-best eight men. Of the 21 outs that Harris recorded, 18 of them were either on the infield or via the strikeout, and after allowing a lead-off double to begin the game, Harris retired 14 of the next 15 Valparaiso hitters in order. He allowed just two base-runners to advance past second base on the afternoon.
With the shutout, Evansville improved to 27-20 overall and 14-7 in the MVC. The Purple Aces will return home briefly on Tuesday night to host crosstown rival Southern Indiana in a mid-week contest. First-pitch is set for 6 p.m. Both teams will enter the game red-hot, as Evansville has won 18 of its last 23 games overall, while USI (22-26) has won seven of its last 10 games.
Offensively, Evansville is led by graduate outfielder Mark Shallenberger, who will bring an MVC-leading .391 batting average into Tuesday night’s game. Shallenberger has hit safely in each of his last eight games, while also owning an 18-game on-base streak. USI, meanwhile, is led offensively by senior outfielder Ren Tachioka, who will bring a team-best .400 batting average into Tuesday’s game. He currently ranks second in the OVC in hitting with his .400 average.
On the mound, Evansville will turn to freshman left-hander Kevin Reed (3-1, 6.96 ERA) against the Screaming Eagles. Reed is coming off his best start of the year, as he tossed a season-high 6.0 shutout innings in UE’s 7-6 win at OVC co-leader Southeast Missouri State last Tuesday. Reed, Harris and fellow starters Kenton Deverman and Donovan Schultz all posted “quality starts” (6.0 innings pitched or more and three or fewer earned runs) for UE last week in its four games, and combined, UE’s starting staff posted a 1.44 ERA last week.
Tickets are currently on sale in the UE athletic ticket office, and can be purchased by contacting Logan Belz by phone at 812-488-2623. Tuesday’s game can also be heard live in the Tri-State area on 107.1 FM-WJPS and seen live on ESPN+.
EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT
FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
HOT JOBS
Clinic RN – Pre-Admit Testing |
|||
|
|||
| Evansville, IN | |||
| Active LPN license in state of employment. Active RN license in state of employment. Responsible for providing direct or indirect care according to the… | |||
| Just posted |
Staff Nurse RN – NICU |
|||
|
|||
| Newburgh, IN | |||
|
|||
| Active Registered Nurse (RN) in Indiana or other compact licensure state. Flexible work schedules – Full time/part time/supplemental – Day/Eve/Night. | |||
| 4 days ago |
Recruitment Specialist- Human Resources |
|||
|
|||
| Evansville, IN | |||
| Performs clerical functions with proficiency including answering phones, typing documents, tracking data in spreadsheets and databases, requesting needed… | |||
| 4 days ago |
DSS Patient Care Technician (PCT) |
|||
|
|||
| Henderson, KY | |||
| This position is a Deaconess Supplemental Staff (DSS) position, which offers a flexible schedule with a minimum requirement of 48 hours in a 6-week period. | |||
| 3 days ago |
Staff Nurse RN – Emergency Room |
|||
|
|||
| Evansville, IN | |||
|
|||
| Active Registered Nurse (RN) in Indiana or other compact licensure state. Schedule: Full Time – 72, Weekend Day/Evening. | |||
| Just posted |
MOA Cross Pointe |
|||
|
|||
| Evansville, IN | |||
| Assists with the daily operation of the outpatient office including greeting patients, registration, scheduling, medical record maintenance and managing the… | |||
| 2 days ago |
OR Data Control Specialist |
|||
|
|||
| Evansville, IN | |||
| Reviews and audits every surgical case to ensure correct documentation, accurate charges, and timely submission. Schedule: Full Time – 80, Day. | |||
| 4 days ago |
Registered Nurse – Surgery Oncology (RN) |
|||
|
|||
| Newburgh, IN | |||
|
|||
| Active Registered Nurse (RN) in Indiana or other compact licensure state. The environment is welcoming to families, and all patient rooms are private. | |||
| 1 day ago |
Clerical Associate |
|||
|
|||
| Newburgh, IN | |||
| The ability to communicate technical and regulatory requirements to key stakeholder groups, including patient and family, accurately and in a service oriented… | |||
| 3 days ago |
DHS Public Security Officer |
|||
|
|||
| Evansville, IN | |||
| Shall respond to calls for assistance by hospital staff, patients, visitors, and local law enforcement agencies. Visually checks for safety and fire hazards. |
USI Softball’s Fair earns OVC Player of the Week
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball senior first baseman Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana) was named Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week on Monday. The OVC’s weekly accolades are voted upon by the league’s communications directors.
The honor was the final OVC weekly accolade of the regular season and the first for Fair this season. Fair is the second Screaming Eagle to win a player of the week award on the campaign, as junior pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) was named OVC Pitcher of the Week twice earlier this season.
In the final weekend of the OVC regular season, Fair helped lead Southern Indiana to its seventh OVC series win at Western Illinois University. At the plate, Fair went 5-10 with three runs, two doubles, a home run, and four RBIs. The senior had a .583 on-base percentage and slugged 1.000.
Fair collected a pair of hits with a run in the 9-1 series-opening win at Western Illinois before adding a double and another run in the middle game of the series. Fair concluded the series with an RBI double and a three-run home, totaling four RBIs in Sunday’s game. Fair also reached base via two hit-by-pitches in the series, increasing her USI all-time record.
Overall, Fair leads the team with a .344 batting average and a .953 OPS. Fair also has a team-high 12 doubles with two home runs. The senior’s 25 RBIs is second on USI. Within the Ohio Valley Conference, Fair ranks top 10 in on-base percentage (.445), doubles, and hit-by-pitches (11).
Fair and the Screaming Eagles are getting set for their second consecutive appearance at the Ohio Valley Conference Championship Tournament, which starts on Wednesday. USI is the 4-seed and will open its postseason appearance Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. against the winner of 5-seed University of Tennessee at Martin or 8-seed Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Parson named OVC Pitcher of the Week
Eagles visit UE Tuesday, Little Rock this weekend
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — University of Southern Indiana freshman right-handed pitcher Grant Parson (Owensboro, Kentucky) was named the Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week after leading the Screaming Eagles to a victory over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville last week. Parson is the first Eagles’ pitcher to earn the honor since USI made the transition to Division I last season.
Parson was dominating versus SIUE last Friday, allowing one run on five hits and two walks in seven innings of work. He also struck out a season-high nine Cougars in the win.
For the season, Parson is 4-3 overall and has a 3.90 ERA in 60 innings of work. He also leads the Eagles with 60 strike outs and has held the opposing teams to a .215 batting average in 11 starts.
Parson and the Eagle continue action Tuesday when they visit the University of Evansville for a non-conference game. First pitch at UE is slated for 6 p.m.
Following the midweek game at UE, USI stays on the road with a trip to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for a three-game OVC series. The first pitch of the series is schedule for Friday at 6 p.m. and continues Saturday at 4 p.m. before concluding Sunday at 1 p.m.
Links to follow the Eagles during the 2024 season can be found on USIScreamingEagles.com and on the USI Baseball Schedule.
USI Baseball Notes
USI wins three of four for 2nd-straight week. The USI Screaming Eagles were 3-1 for the second-straight week, falling at Southern Illinois University before sweeping SIUE over the weekend. USI senior outfielder Ren Tachioka batted a team-best .529 last week with seven runs scored, two doubles, and five RBIs. Senior first baseman Tucker Ebest led USI in RBIs with six.
USI won 6th series of the year. USI won its sixth series of the season and its third in the OVC after sweeping SIUE last weekend. The Eagles won only four series all of last season.
Tachioka igniting Eagles’ bats. USI senior outfielder Ren Tachioka is on an 11-game hitting streak and has been igniting the Eagles’ offence. During the streak, Tachioka is hitting .468 (22-47) with 16 runs scored, four doubles, one triple, and 10 RBIs.
Van Grieken heating up. USI junior third baseman Ricardo Van Grieken has been heating up the last 10 games. Van Grieken has raised his batting average 29 points over the last week (.189 to .219) by hitting .343 (12-35) in the last 10 games. He also has scored eight runs, driven seven more, and banged four doubles.
Kapust the surprise hitter this spring. Senior catcher Tyler Kapust, who has played nearly as many games this season (25) as he has the first three seasons (31), is having a career year at the plate. Kapust is hitting .297 (19-64) this season, compared to the .188 career average (10-53) he entered the season with. He also has a career-high eight RBIs and one home run.
Comes down to pitching. USI’s 22 wins in 2024 (year two of the Division I transition) are five victories better than last season with eight regular season games to play and a lot of this year’s improvement has come down to pitching. The Eagles have a 5.79 ERA, 1.91 better than last season’s 7.70 ERA and the lowest since 2021.
One run games. The Eagles are battle tested in close games this spring, playing in nine one-run games, going 2-7, and 10 two-run games, going 4-6.
USI in the OVC. USI is tied for fifth in the OVC standing (11-10) after sweeping the series and tiebreaker with SIUE. Senior outfielder Ren Tachioka leads USI at the plate in conference play, batting .441 (30-68). Senior first baseman Tucker Ebest has a team-high 21 RBIs and four home runs in league action.
USI in non-conference. In the 27 non-conference games, senior outfielder Ren Tachioka leads the Eagles with a .366 average (30-82), while senior first baseman Tucker Ebest has a team-high 26 RBIs. Ebest also is tied with senior designated hitter Jack Ellis with a team-best four home runs outside of the OVC. Four pitchers have a team-best two victories each in the non-conference schedule.
Season leaders at the plate in 2024. Senior outfielder Ren Tachioka is hitting a team best .400 (60-150) in 38 of the 48 games, while senior infielder/designated hitter Tucker Ebest has hit a team-high eight home runs and driven in a team-best 47 RBIs.
Leaders on the mound in 2024. USI junior right-handers Gavin Seebold has recorded a team-best six wins this season (6-2). Freshman right-hander Grant Parson follows with four wins and has a team-high 60 strikeouts. Freshman right-hander Clayton Weisheit leads USI hurlers with a team-low 2.92 ERA in 37.0 innings this season.
At home versus the road. USI, as a team, is hitting .296 at the home (23 games), compared to .271 on the road (23 games). Senior rightfielder Ren Tachioka is hitting a team-high .444 at the USI Baseball Field, but team-high .359 on the road. On the opposite side, junior outfielder Adam Euler is batting .314 on the road, compared to .259 at the USI Baseball Field.
Multi-hit/Multi-RBI Games. USI junior centerfielder Terrick Thompson-Allen leads the Eagles with 22 multi-hit games (20 with 2; 2 with 3), followed by senior outfielder Ren Tachioka has 20 (13 with 2; 6 with 3; 1 with 4). Senior first baseman/designated hitter Tucker Ebest has a team-high 14 multi-RBI games. Sophomore infielder Caleb Niehaus has the top RBI game of the season with five versus Southeast Missouri State University.
In the OVC statistically. USI as a team is third in the OVC in pitching with a team 5.79 ERA and fifth in the league in hitting with a .282 team batting average. Senior outfielder Ren Tachioka is second in the OVC with a .400 batting average, while freshman right-hander Grant Parson is fourth with a 3.90 ERA and sixth with 60 strikeouts.
In OVC Games Only. USI is fourth in the league with a .303 team batting average and fourth with a 5.97 team ERA in OVC games only.
UE in 2024. The Aces are 27-20 overall in 2024 and are 17-4 in the last 22 games after starting 10-16.
USI vs. UE. Evansville leads the all-time series with USI, 33-20, but the Eagles won the last meeting in 2018, 5-3.
Little Rock in 2024. The Trojans of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock are 26-20 overall and 13-8 in the OVC after taking two of three from Western Illinois University. Little Rock has won six of the last 10 games, entering this week.
USI vs. Little Rock. Little Rock leads the all-time series with USI, 2-0, after taking both games of the series last season at the USI Baseball Field. The third game was rained out.
USI Softball earns no. 4 seed for OVC Tournament
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball will be the 4-seed at the 2024 Ohio Valley Conference Softball Championship Tournament. Southern Indiana will play Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., awaiting the winner between No. 5 University of Tennessee at Martin and No. 8 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
The winner between USI and UTM/SIUE will go on to face Eastern Illinois University, who earned the regular season title and the No. 1 seed, on Thursday at 12:30 p.m.
Southern Indiana is making its second consecutive appearance at the OVC Tournament, debuting last year as a top-four seed and earning the program’s first-ever OVC postseason win.
The tournament begins Wednesday morning and runs through Saturday (May 8-11) at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria, Illinois. This marks the first time the Championship will be held at the neutral site.