FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
VUVB adds versatile libero transfer Julianna Rettig to recruiting class
VINCENNES, Ind. – The three-time defending Region 24 Champion Vincennes University volleyball team picked up another big addition to the 2024 recruiting class with the addition of transfer libero Julianna Rettig.
Rettig is a five-foot seven defensive specialist/libero from Antioch, Ill. and comes to VU after spending last season at Southwest Baptist University where she was a non-medical redshirt.
“Julianna contacted us during her senior year of high school so she has been on our radar for some time,” VUVB Head Coach Gary Sien said. “Through various recruiting sources we saw that she was interested in transferring. Julianna redshirted last year, so she will come in with her full four years of eligibility left. While she did redshirt last year, she still trained all year with the indoor team and also spent time training with the beach volleyball team. Though she didn’t compete last year, she basically had wall to wall training from August through May.”
“It’s great to have someone coming in as a Division II transfer,” Sien added. “Bringing in someone who has that experience that comes with being a student athlete at the Division II level.”
“Julianna also brings in some experience as a setter,” Sien said. “She has run a quick offense before. We have some setters in place right now, both returning and incoming but one of the key reasons why we recruited Julianna is that versatility. She’s played a lot of volleyball and a lot of different positions and she can definitely fill out a lot of different roles or positions if we need it.”
“Julianna is from Antioch, which is near Trinity International University where I spent 11 years as a student and as a coach, so we know a lot of the same people,” Sien added. “Julianna’s family moved to Antioch from Evansville when she was younger and have moved back to Evansville, so she is familiar with the area as well. I know a slew of club and volleyball people from the Antioch area from my time coaching at Trinity International and Kankakee. We know some of the same people, which is what led me to recruit her to VU.”
Rettig closed out a stellar career at Antioch Community High School in the fall of 2022 with 320 set assists, 172 digs, 59 aces and 55 kills in her senior season.
Rettig was named Team Most Valuable Player in high school, while also earning First Team All-Conference and All-District/Area Honorable Mention honors.
Rettig also comes to VU with a host of academic honors as well, three times being named to the Straight A Honor Roll, being a two-year member of the National Honor Society and twice being named Academic All-Conference.
Rettig also graduated from Antioch Community High School Cum Laude, was named ‘School Winner’ for the Heisman High School Scholarship and named to the Captain’s Council Student Athlete Leadership Committee.
Rettig was also on the Honor Roll at Southwest Baptist University for both the Fall and Spring semesters this past year.
Rettig is the daughter of Scott and Emily Rettig and plans to major in Sports Management at Vincennes University.
“With the new rule changes allowing you to dress more than one libero per set, it gives us a lot of options that we didn’t have before,” Sien said. “We’ve always expected that position to be top notch. Liberos are basically your seventh starter, so we’re not just looking for someone to fill that position, we’re looking for someone who can really contribute.”
“So far everybody we have recruited and brought in will fill a need and in some situations fill more than one need,” Sien added. “This year’s recruiting class is shaping up to be a good class. It’s nice and I always try to emphasize when almost all of them can play more than one position. Sometimes we bring someone in thinking they are going to play one position and then they end up playing another position, just because they are that versatile.”
“I have had the pleasure of working with Julianna for a few seasons while we were together at Sky High Volleyball Club,” Rettig’s Club Coach Bryan Paliza said. “Julianna is such a focused athlete and individual that she will work hard and do what is asked of her to help the team reach its goal. There was not an assignment or task that Julianna did not say ‘no’ to, if it meant that it was going to help our team out.”
“Julianna is comfortable at playing any of the three back row positions and even has a good setting touch as she has had to play that position as well and run the team’s offense,” Paliza added. “I look forward to seeing Julianna excel individually and with the team during her time at Vincennes University.”
The Vincennes University Athletic Department is excited to welcome Julianna Rettig to the 2024 Trailblazer recruiting class.
Ivy Tech Community College Hires
Evansville, Ind.- Ivy Tech Community College Evansville has announced its recent new hires.
Marlene Vasquez is now the student life assistant for the College. She is currently pursuing an associate degree in general studies from Ivy Tech. Vasquez most recently served as a work-study in the Ivy Tech Advising Center.
Nicholas Gogel is now IT support for the College. He holds an associate degree in computer networking and security specialist from Vincennes University along with certifications in CompTIA Network+ and Microsoft Certified Professional. Gogel most recently served as a Geek Squad PC double agent for Best Buy.
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JUST IN: USI President Dr. Ronald S. Rochon Leaving For California State University, Fullerton
USI President Dr. Ronald S. Rochon Leaving For California State University, Fullerton
MAY 22, 2024
Dear USI Community,
Today marks a moment of transition for the University of Southern Indiana and for me. I wanted to be among the first to let you know of a press release issued this morning by the California State University System Board of Trustees, indicating my acceptance of the presidency at California State University, Fullerton beginning July 22, 2024.
In discussions with the Chair of the USI Board of Trustees, Christine Keck, she expressed her congratulations on my appointment, her appreciation for our collective work in serving the University and underscored the Board’s commitment to the continuity of leadership and stability of USI in the future. The Board will conduct a public meeting to appoint an interim president before my departure in July. I have every confidence this person will be an excellent choice for the institution as the Board seeks a permanent fifth president of this great University.
It has been among the greatest honors of my life to serve as your Provost and President over the past 14 years. USI is uniquely a special place with wonderful and special people that I will carry with me every day going forward. Thank you for allowing me to respectfully serve this great community together with you. I will forever be a Screaming Eagle and wish continued success for each of you.
Peace and blessings always,
Ronald S. Rochon, PhD
USI PresidenT
FOOTNOTE: The following message was sent to the USI community on Wednesday, May 22.
Five Eagles receive All-OVC honors Parson named OVC Freshman of the Year
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball had five players recognized by the Ohio Valley Conference, including freshman right-handed pitcher Grant Parson (Owensboro, Kentucky), who was named the conference’s Freshman of the Year. The OVC honors are selected by a vote of the institution head coaches and the athletic media relations directors.
Parson, who also received second team All-OVC and All-Freshman team honors, is 4-3 this season with a 3.90 ERA in 60 innings of work. The right-hander, who became the first Eagle to earn an OVC Pitcher of the Week award earlier this month, is among the OVC leaders, ranking fourth in ERA and tied for ninth in strikeouts (60).
Parson posted a season-high nine strikeouts in a win Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and has reached the seventh inning in four of his last five starts.
Joining Parson on the OVC second team are senior first baseman/designated hitter Tucker Ebest (Austin Texas), junior right-hander Gavin Seebold (Jeffersonville, Indiana), and senior outfielder Ren Tachioka (Japan).
Tachioka leads USI and ranks second in the OVC with a .377 batting average (66-175) in 45 games this season. He also has 41 runs scored, six doubles, one triple, and one home run, while leading the Eagles with 17 stolen bases.
The USI leadoff hitter also made his move up the Eagles’ record book this season. Tachioka enters the post-season ranked 11th in triples (7) and stolen bases (53), 19th in runs scored (126), 21st in total bases (226), and 22nd in hits (181) all-time at USI.
Ebest, who was second-team All-OVC as a utility player, was USI’s source of power in the lineup. He posted a team-high nine home runs and 51 RBIs, while hitting .271 with 32 runs scored. The senior utility player has hit 21 home runs in his two-year USI career, ranking seventh all-time, in addition to entering the top 20 all-time in RBIs with 104.
Seebold was 4-0 in OVC action and led the Eagles with a 6-2 mark overall this season. The junior right-hander ranks third on the Eagles and fifth in the OVC with a 4.14 ERA and was second on the staff with 55 strikeouts. He posted a career-high seven strikeout on the road at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
USI freshman right-hander Clayton Weisheit (Ferdinand, Indiana) joined Parson on the OVC All-Freshman team. Weisheit is 0-1 this spring with a 4.05 ERA and three saves, striking out 28 batters in 40 innings of work.
USI Baseball begins tournament play Wednesday at the 2024 OVC Baseball Championship. The Eagles are the fourth seed after going 25-30 overall and 14-13 in the conference season. USI received a first-round bye and will play Wednesday at 4 p.m., awaiting the winner of the matchup between fifth-seeded Tennessee Tech University and eighth-seeded University of Tennessee at Martin.
The OVC Baseball Championship can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+, while ESPN 97.7FM also will have live on the radio and online broadcasts of USI games. The links to follow all of the action can be found on USIScreamingEagles.com.
EPD Wants to Help You Not Fall Victim to Rental Property Scams
The Evansville Police Department has received several reports of people falling victim to rental property scams. In these situations, potential renters respond to someone pretending to be a representative for a property on a social media website. The victim then finds out, after sending money through some type of electronic cash app, that the person receiving the money has no authority over the property. In most instances the scammers are not local to Evansville but just mimic legitimate property listings and ask for money to be sent immediately for a rental application fee or a security down payment, etc.
Not all rental scams look the same, but all can cause an unaware potential renter to lose a lot of money. EPD would like to warn everyone about these scams and share information to help you avoid being a victim.
What are the most common signs of a rental scam? Rental scams often have listings with prices that seem too good to be true. The fake “listing agent” or “property manager” usually asks you to wire money or pay in an unusual way. They also might pressure you to make quick decisions, ask for rent or deposit without a signed lease, and they avoid meeting in person.
There are more good tips to avoid rental scams on this webpage: https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/rental-scam-signs-and-how-to-avoid-them/ If you are looking to rent property EPD encourages you to be aware of the signs it’s a scam and be cautious. Do your research and never let someone push you into immediately sending money through a cash app or other unusual way.
If you come across a suspicious rental listing on a website, report it to the website’s administrators or group moderators. Then, notify the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.gov.
If believe you have been the victim of a rental property scam you can contact the Evansville Police Department Financial Crimes Unit at (812) 436-7991.
E-REP REVEALS PLANS FOR OHIO RIVERFRONT
E-REP REVEALS PLANS FOR OHIO RIVERFRONT
First in a series by Johnny Kincaid
MAY 22, 2024
Evansville Regional Economic Partnership (EREP) has unveiled a new vision for the waterfront and is now seeking the funding needed to give the downtown waterfront a significant makeover. But, before we dig out the checkbook and spend millions on the new shiny thing (wait ’til you see the artist renderings of the big skywalk), let’s step back in time and remember the past shiny things meant to revitalize our great watery resource.
As recently as 2021, EREP sought $50 million in READI (Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative) funds to build the River Center between Old National Bank and Centerpoint. The center would contain 135 water-view apartments, 32,000 square feet of restaurants and retailers, and a stair-step design that creates seating for large events overlooking the Ohio River.
There was a time when Riverside Drive was closed on many summer weekends for riverfront festivals. The Freedom Festival brought people together along the riverfront from Flag Day until the Fourth of July with concerts, dances, fireworks, and Thunder on the Ohio.
When the new esplanade was built at Dress Plaza at a cost of $10 million, the public was told that the river was our front door and the new design was putting our best foot forward. Dress Plaza was designed to facilitate multiple activities. In addition to providing a downtown boat launch, it featured riverside seating for 5,000 people. We were convinced there were music acts that would love to come and perform from a barge converted to a floating stage, but the big river shows never materialized. The idea of 5,000 seats for the hydroplane boat races was an exhilarating prospect until the entire lower plaza area (where the seats are located) was needed to provide room for pit crews and boats. Ultimately, we spent $10,000,000 for a seldom-used boat ramp.
Architecture firm Storrow Kinsella boasted of their design for the riverfront, saying, “The City has reclaimed its waterfront while moving closer to its dream of becoming a ‘City within a Park’.”
The latest proposal for the Evansville riverfront is part of a regional plan developed by EREP to improve the waterfronts in Mt. Vernon, Newburgh, and Evansville. In the days to come, we will share details of the full master plan, starting with the broad picture and breaking it down into details and expectations. Will this new project be overhyped and quickly forgotten like many new shiny things, or will it have a lasting impact on improving our quality of life?