FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
Kate Petrova completes East Lansing NCAA Regional
Sophomore ties for 41st in final standings
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Two-time Missouri Valley Conference Individual Champion Kate Petrova completed the NCAA Division I East Lansing Regional on Wednesday.
Petrova wrapped up the third round with a 5-over 77. Her 3-round tally at Forest Akers West Golf Course finished at 225, tying her for 41st in the final standings. Her tournament was highlighted by a 2-under 70 in the first round, which had her tied for 4th place at the time.
She was the third-highest finishing individual at the event, coming in ahead of golfers from Illinois, Louisville and Western Kentucky. Individual Lauren Beaudreau of Notre Dame was the medalist, shooting a 5-under 67 on Wednesday to total 204 strokes for the event. She came in three strokes ahead of Bailey Shoemaker from USC.
On the team side, it was USC taking top honors with an 855. They defeated Oklahoma State by four strokes with Michigan State coming home third, five shots behind.
UE women’s basketball adds transfer Claudia Clement
The sophomore forward joins the Purple Aces after a year with Winthrop
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women’s basketball has announced the addition of forward Claudia Clement for the 2024-25 season.
“I am excited Claudia has chosen to join us at UE!” says Head Coach Robyn Scherr-Wells of the addition. “With 3 years of eligibility, it is a great opportunity for us to grow together. Her length and versatility will be a great addition to our post group.
“I can’t wait to see how her game continues to grow from the perimeter and inside. Like many of the successful posts we have had at UE, she has the perimeter skills to stretch the defense, and the size and length to make a difference at the rim. She’ll give us great versatility on defense with her length and athleticism, especially at the top of the press.”
Clement joins the Purple Aces after spending her first season of collegiate basketball with the Winthrop Eagles. As an Eagle, Clement appeared in 19 games. Prior to her time in North Carolina, Clement spent two years with Barça in the Catalan Basketball Federation as part of the program’s junior team. Clement also spent time on the Spain Youth National team in 2021. Clement has a background in ballet along with her time in basketball.
“I chose UE because its sports program has a strong reputation and offers excellent opportunities for my athletic development,” said Clement of joining the Purple Aces. “Additionally, the university’s academic quality and programs in my field of interest are very impressive. I was also drawn to the campus atmosphere with its vibrant student community. The combination of sports, academic excellence, and the university ambiance made Evansville the perfect choice for me!”
Clement is the daughter of Francisco Clement and Maribel Marsan and has one sibling, her older brother Hugo Clement. While at UE, Clement will be studying sociology and in her free time enjoys watching movies.
Trent Hundley joins UE Men’s Basketball Program
Hundley was a freshman at Rio Grande last season
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – After completing a solid freshman season at the University of Rio Grande, Trent Hundley has officially transferred to the University of Evansville men’s basketball program.
The 6-foot-6 forward is a native of Mt. Orab, Ohio where he played at Eastern Brown High School. In his first season of collegiate basketball, Hundley played in 30 games and averaged 9.0 points and 4.4 rebounds. Hundley was a 44.8% shooter from the field and was nearly as efficient from outside, hitting 40.9% of his 3-point attempts.
“We are excited about the addition of Trent Hundley to our roster. Trent is another important piece we needed this offseason in order to continue to add perimeter shooting to our roster. What we like about Trent is that he is a dynamic scorer. He is very good at making catch and shoot 3’s but he can also put the ball on the floor and get to his spots,” Purple Aces head men’s basketball coach David Ragland exclaimed. “Trent has good athletic ability and is very capable of having scoring burst. Trent comes from a family of hard workers, and he has worked extremely hard on his game so that he can produce the way he has since he has been in college.”
“We felt it was necessary to bring more experience to the group of returners we have and Trent fits our roster perfectly.”
On November 19, 2023. Hundley had his first double digit game of the season with 11 against Ohio Christian. A week later against Miami Univ.-Hamilton, he connected on 7 of his 13 attempts while going 4-of-7 from outside on his way to 18 points.
As the month of January ended, Hundley was at his best. Between Jan. 31 and Feb. 22, he averaged 14.4 points per game while recording a season-high 20 points against WVU Tech. For his efforts, he was named to the 2023-24 All-River States Conference Men’s Basketball Second Team.
“I chose Evansville because of the players, we have the potential to be great, I know Evansville has a great staff, and it’s environment is something I’ve dreamed about playing in since I was a kid,” Hundley said.
Hundley completed his high school career with 1,020 career points, 10th in the school record book.
Sydney Weatherford named to MVC All-Defensive Team
Junior was one of the top UE performers this season
NORMAL, Ill. – The Missouri Valley Conference announced its 2024 All-Conference recognition on Wednesday morning with Sydney Weatherford representing the University of Evansville softball team as a member of the All-Defensive squad.
Weatherford was one of the top performers in all facets of the game for the Purple Aces in 2024. She anchored the pitching staff with a season ERA of 3.04 while posting an even lower mark (2.83) against MVC opponents.
In three appearances against Illinois State, she allowed one earned run in 8 innings. One of her top performances of the season came in the road win at Indiana State where she allowed three hits in a complete game shutout win over the Sycamores. It marked her 7th win of the season.
The April 19 8-inning win over Murray State saw her go the entire distance allowing three runs on six hits. In Sunday’s win later that weekend, she allowed two runs, just one being earned. Weatherford was at her best between March 15 and April 6 as she gave up just eight earned runs in a span of 50 innings of work.
UE opens the championship later today with a 4 p.m. meeting against Drake.
EPD Conducts Traffic Details to Deter Speeding and Crashes
On Monday, May 6th, officers from EPD’s Special Operations Unit, Crime Prevention Unit, and
three grant officers (working the High Visibility Enforcement Grant) worked jointly to conduct a detail
in the 2200 block of E. Lloyd Expressway. Additionally, details were conducted around W. Lloyd
Expressway and Fulton Ave. There were two details on Monday: the first from 9:00am to 11:00am and
the second from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. The slowest vehicle that was cited was traveling 64mph and the
fastest vehicle was cited at 84mph. The average speed for cited motorists was nearly 72mph. The speed
limit in these areas range from 45-55mph.
The results of the traffic details are:
• 76 Vehicles Stopped
• 72 Tickets Issued
• 9 Warnings
• 2 Arrests
• 2 Vehicle Towed
The Evansville Police Department frequently conducts traffic grants at varying times throughout
the year. However, due to recent traffic crashes and the causes of these crashes, it is important for the
EPD to be proactive and present in the areas where these accidents are occurring and enforce traffic
laws. For the months of March and April the average number of traffic crashes were just over 355; that’s
nearly 12 a day, with some of these resulting in a fatality. One life lost due to a traffic crash is one too
many. Officers on the side of our streets with radar guns should not only act as a reminder to follow
traffic laws, but also to save lives. You can plan for future d
Ongoing Missing Person Investigation
On May 8th the Evansville Police Department, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Indiana State Police Department, searched 3 locations in Oakland City after the FBI received a tip in reference to missing person, Andi Wagner. The Gibson County Sheriff’s Office and Oakland City Police Department also assisted.
Evidence was collected by authorities and sent to the state lab for testing.
Andi Wagner was reported missing by Evansville family members on August 12th, 2022. Wagner is a 25-year-old white female with brown eyes and brown hair. Wagner is 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs just over 100 pounds.
The Evansville Police Department continues to attempt to locate Andi Wagner and anyone with information is encouraged to call EPD at (812) 436-7979 or contact the FBI.
Amy Canterbury Earns Nomination
(Evansville, IN) – Amy Canterbury has won the Republican nomination for Vanderburgh County Commissioner in District 3, defeating controversial longtime incumbent CherylMusgrave by a margin of 53% to 47%.
“I am overwhelmed by the support across Vanderburgh County, and I am honored to officially be your Republican nominee for County Commissioner,” said Canterbury. “I’m not a politician, and I’ve never run for office before. I’ve spent my entire adult life and career in Vanderburgh County, and it’s where my husband and I have raised our family. Our community has so much potential, and with new leadership that’s willing to work collaboratively with others toward a shared goal, we can accomplish so much.”
Canterbury served as the CEO of United Way of Southwestern Indiana from January of 2016 until April of 2024. She was previously the Regional CEO of American Red Cross, and had a career with multiple leadership roles in the banking industry. In her most recent role, she successfully led a passionate team of service-minded individuals and has spearheaded the transition to impact that focuses on the Upward Mobility of families through four key pathways: empowering employment, mental health, thriving next gen, and social stability and growth.
“While we have prevailed in the primary, our work through November begins now,” added Canterbury. “We will continue meeting with neighbors across our county and spreading our message of leadership that works for all. Let’s get to work.”
Amy Canterbury lives in Evansville with her husband of thirty-five years, Kevin, and they are members of St. James West Church. They are the proud parents of two adult daughters, Courtney and Kiersten, and the proud grandparents of Calvin and Madison.
BASEBALL ACES POST SECOND-STRAIGHT SHUTOUT, 10-0, OVER CROSSTOWN USI
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team posted its second-straight shutout on Tuesday night, and the Purple Aces launched four home runs, as UE run-ruled the University of Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles, 10-0, at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville.
“Tonight was another good mid-week win for us,” said UE head coach Wes Carroll. “It all started on the mound for us tonight, as I thought that Kevin Reed, Drew Fieger and Nick Smith were outstanding. For us to have back-to-back shutouts really shows how locked in our pitchers have been lately.
“Offensively, I thought the guys were locked in from the start. It was great to see Kip Fougerousse have a huge game tonight, and I thought that Brent Widder and Ty Rumsey had some great swings as well. This was a great effort, and hopefully, we can keep it going this weekend against a very good Indiana State team.”
Freshman Kevin Reed Issued a lead-off walk to start the game, but he quickly bounced back with a double-play ground ball and a strikeout to set the tone for the game. Then, Evansville exploded offensively for seven runs in the bottom of the first inning to grab complete control of the contest.
Senior designated hitter Kip Fougerousse crushed a 434-foot home run to dead center field three batters into the inning to give UE a 2-0 lead. Graduate third baseman Brent Widder would then follow two batters later with another two-run home run to left-center field to push the lead to 4-0. Junior outfielder Ty Rumsey then crushed a ball into Arad McCutchan Stadium down the right-field line four batters later for a three-run shot to give UE a 7-0 cushion.
From there, Reed (4-1) motored through the USI lineup, retiring eight-straight batters in order at one point, as he tossed 5.0 scoreless innings to run his scoreless-innings streak to 11.0. He would limit USI to just three hits and a walk while striking out three to earn the victory.
Fougerousse would add his second home run of the game with a solo shot in the fourth inning, and the Purple Aces would tack on a pair of runs in the fifth inning on a bases-loaded walk to graduate outfielder Mark Shallenberger and an RBI ground out by graduate first baseman Chase Hug to move the lead to 10-0. From there, junior reliever Drew Fieger tossed a perfect sixth inning, and senior reliever Nick Smith tossed a scoreless seventh inning to nail down UE’s second-straight shutout. It is the first time in which UE has posted back-to-back shutouts since Evansville blanked Western Illinois in back-to-back games (4-0 and 8-0) on March 2 and 3, 2018.
Fougerousse led Evansville offensively by going 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI. Rumsey and Widder both added home runs for the second-straight game and combined for five RBI.
With the victory, Evansville improved to 28-20 overall, and has now won 19 of its last 24 games. USI, meanwhile, dropped to 22-27 overall with the loss. The Purple Aces will now travel north to Terre Haute, Indiana this weekend to square off with nationally-ranked Indiana State, which is ranked as high as 14th nationally in the various collegiate baseball polls. The series will begin on Friday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. central time in a game that can be seen nationwide on ESPNU. The game is also available on the radio in the Tri-State area on 107.1 FM-WJPS.
Four Eagles land All-OVC honors, Newman named OVC Pitcher of the Year
PEORIA, Ill. – The Ohio Valley Conference announced during its softball postseason awards banquet Tuesday that four University of Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles earned postseason honors for the 2024 season.
Senior first baseman Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana) and junior pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) garnered All-OVC First-Team honors. Newman was also named Pitcher of the Year in the Ohio Valley Conference. Senior catcher Sammie Kihega (Greenfield, Indiana) and sophomore outfielder Caroline Stapleton (Shirley, Indiana) received All-OVC Second-Team laurels.
For Newman, the junior earns First-Team All-OVC honors for the second consecutive season and is the first-ever OVC Pitcher of the Year in USI Softball history. In the regular season, Newman led the pitching staff with a 19-8 record, 1.68 ERA, 210 strikeouts, 195.2 innings pitched, and 27 complete games in 28 starts. The right-hander tossed four shutouts and held the opposition to a .198 batting average. Newman finished top three in the OVC in ERA and wins while ranking first in starts, complete games, innings pitched, strikeouts, and opposing batting average. Newman’s strikeout and innings totals would also rank top 10 in the nation. In conference play, Newman went 14-4 with a 1.33 ERA and 141 strikeouts. Plus, the pitcher went the distance in all 18 OVC starts.
During the season, Newman had three one-hit complete-game outings and recorded 11 starts with 10 or more strikeouts. Newman was named to the OVC’s Preseason Players to Watch List before the season and was voted OVC Pitcher of the Week twice during the Spring. The USI hurler was stellar on March 23 at Lindenwood University with 11 strikeouts in nine innings and on April 5-6 at the University of Tennessee at Martin with 31 combined strikeouts (17 and 14) in two starts. Additionally, Newman fanned 13 batters in 15.2 innings pitched on April 20 at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
This season, Newman moved to third in USI history with 540 career strikeouts. The Indianapolis, Indiana native also moved up the USI Softball ranks in innings, complete games, shutouts, and wins.
Fair picked up her first career All-OVC selection on the first team. The senior paced the Screaming Eagles with a .344 batting average, .953 OPS, 42 hits, 12 doubles, and a .445 on-base percentage. Additionally, Fair was the team’s frontrunner with 12 multi-hit games. The first baseman was second on the team with a pair of home runs and 25 RBIs. Fair was one of four players to start all 42 games. Fair ranked top 10 in the OVC in doubles and on-base percentage while first in the league with 12 hit-by-pitches. In OVC-only action, Fair topped USI in batting average (.397), OPS (1.072), hits (31), and on-base percentage (.495). The Greenwood, Indiana native notched 20 of 25 RBIs in OVC contests.
On March 17 against Morehead State University, the senior went 2-2 with five RBIs and two runs. Then on May 5 in the regular season finale at Western Illinois University, Fair had two hits and four RBIs. One of Fair’s two hits against the Leathernecks was a home run.
Through the regular season, Fair is tied for fifth in USI history with 21 career home runs and is approaching the all-time mark for career doubles with 44 entering the OVC Tournament. Fair already claims the program record in hit-by-pitches and is in the top 10 with 117 career RBIs.
Kihega joined her senior teammate with her first OVC all-conference selection. The USI backstop was named to the All-OVC Second Team. Kihega was second on the team with a .316 batting average and a .951 OPS while leading the Screaming Eagles with five home runs and 29 RBIs. Kihega had a team-best .538 slugging percentage and walked a team-high 18 times. The catcher topped the Screaming Eagles with five multi-RBI performances while collecting seven multi-hit games throughout the regular season. The Greenfield, Indiana native also started all 42 games this season. Kihega ranked among the top of the OVC in overall doubles and home runs while finishing top 10 in seven categories in OVC-only action. During the conference slate, Kihega batted .333 with a 1.059 OPS and posted 21 RBIs with four home runs.
Kihega had a strong final month of the regular season in conference play. The senior had a grand slam with four RBIs on April 6 at UT Martin and then belted another grand slam and totaled a USI season-high six RBIs on April 28 against Tennessee State University. Kihega went 3-3 against the Tigers. On May 4 against Western Illinois, Kihega had two hits, including a home run for the second consecutive game, and two RBIs.
As one of USI’s on-base leaders, Kihega has 98 career walks, one away from tying the program record.
Stapleton received her first career all-conference honor on the All-OVC Second Team. The sophomore was third on the team with a .309 batting average and paced the squad with 24 runs. Stapleton’s 17 runs in conference play ranked in the top 10 in the OVC. Making 38 starts on the season, Stapleton tallied four extra-base hits, five RBIs, and five stolen bases. Stapleton walked 12 times and reached base at a .375 clip. Defensively, the outfielder had a pair of assists and posted a .983 fielding percentage.
Stapleton was second on USI with 10 multi-hit games and had four games with two or more runs scored. The left-handed bat notched three hits in games against Jacksonville State University on February 25, March 17 against Morehead State, April 6 against UT Martin, and April 28 against Tennessee State. Stapleton also had a season-high three runs against the Tigers.
USI Softball begins tournament play Wednesday at the 2024 OVC Softball Championship. The Screaming Eagles are the No. 4 seed after going 22-20 overall and 16-11 in the conference season. USI gets a first-round bye and will play Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., awaiting the winner of the 5/8 matchup between UT Martin and SIUE early Wednesday.
Championship tournament coverage from Peoria, Illinois can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+. USI Softball radio coverage can be heard on The Spin 95.7 FM. Additional coverage links are on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.