|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
HOT JOBS
Easily applyTrailblazers unable to overcome early deficit in midweek matchup at Frontier
FAIRFIELD, Ill. – The Vincennes University Trailblazer baseball team hit the road Tuesday evening for another single midweek game, this time heading to Fairfield, Ill. to take on Frontier Community College.
The Blazers played from behind after a pair of early big innings for the Bobcats and came away on the wrong end of a 14-4 final score.
Vincennes looked to be off to an excellent start to begin the game Tuesday evening, with freshman leadoff hitter Bradyn Douglas (Frankton, Ind.) drawing a walk and sophomore Jack Robinson reaching with a single.
The pair moved up to second and third on a successful sacrifice bunt by freshman Reed Drabant (Columbia, Ill.) before being driven in on a two-RBI single by freshman Corbin Napier (Indianapolis, Ind.) to give the Blazers an early 2-0 lead.
The Bobcats answered back strong in their first time to bat in the bottom of the inning, scoring seven runs in the first and adding five more runs in the second to take a big 12-2 lead over VU.
Vincennes would keep fighting in the third after Corbin Napier reached after being hit by pitch, followed by a walk by sophomore Kade Hinton (Fort Wayne, Ind.), who reached base safely in all three plate appearances Tuesday, all three coming as walks.
Napier would come around to score on an RBI single by sophomore Carter Whitehead (Huntingburg, Ind.) to cut the deficit to 12-3.
Vincennes would add another run in the fourth inning after a one out single by sophomore Bryton Griffy (Louisville, Ill.).
Griffy advanced around to third after a pair of wild pitches and would come in to score on a sacrifice fly by Jack Robinson.
Frontier C.C. would get the lead back up to 10 in the bottom of the fourth with a pair of runs to make it a 14-4 game and held the Blazers scoreless to close out the seven-inning 14-4 victory.
Sophomore Max Lines (Indianapolis, Ind.) got the start on the mound for VU Tuesday and battled through the wind, allowing seven runs on three hits in two-thirds of an inning.
Freshman JD Bowser (Mt. Carmel, Ill.) settled in after a tough second inning of work, allowing seven runs on six hits and striking out one in three and one-third innings.
Sophomore Keegan Schlotterbeck (Centerville, Ind.) was called on to pitch the final two innings for the Blazers, retiring all six batters he faced, including recording a pair of strikeouts.
The Trailblazers will look to bounce back this weekend when VU returns to Mid-West Athletic Conference (MWAC) play as Vincennes hosts Danville Area Community College Saturday, March 23 at Jerry Blemker Field. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. eastern.
The four-game conference series will then shift to Danville, Ill. for the final two games Sunday, March 24, with first pitch Sunday also scheduled for 2 p.m. eastern.
Lacy Smith named MVC Player of the Week
Smith had two game-winning hits last week
- LOUIS – For the second week in a row, the University of Evansville softball team has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week. Last week, Marah Wood earned the honor while this week it was Lacy Smith earning the award.
Smith was the hero for the Purple Aces as they completed the week with a 4-game MVC win streak. Smith batted .500 with six hits in 12 at-bats while accumulating 5 RBI and a pair of runs scored.
Making her numbers even more impressive was the timing of those hits in clutch situations. Smith’s first game of the week was on March 13 vs. Indiana State where she went 2-3 with three RBI, a walk and run. Her single in the bottom of the sixth inning tied the game at 3-3 before her double in the bottom of the 8th saw UE plate three runs to defeat the Sycamores by a 6-5 final.
Following an 0-2 game in the series opener against Valparaiso, Smith went 1-4 with a run and RBI in Saturday’s victory over the Beacons. Sunday’s finale saw another clutch effort by Smith, who was 3-3 with the game-winning RBI. With the winning run on second in the bottom of the 7th, Smith’s infield single gave UE the 2-1 win.
Women’s golf takes 10th at Nevel Meade
Petrova ties for second
PROSPECT, Ky. – Finishing with a 78 in the final round, Kate Petrova tied for second place as the University of Evansville women’s golf came home in 10th place at the Nevel Meade Collegiate at the Nevel Meade Golf Club.
Petrova finished the tournament with a 151. Her effort tied her for the runner-up spot behind Dasa Urbankova of UIC. She was the medalist with a 146.
Second for the Purple Aces was Destynie Sheridan. After posting an 84 on Monday, Sheridan tallied an 88 in the final 18. She finished in 48th with a 172. Finishing one behind her was Jane Grankina. She lowered her score by one from an 87 to an 86 to finish with a 173. Grankina tied for 49th.
Allison Enchelmayer was next for the Aces. Scores of 84 and 91 gave her a 175 for the weekend, which put her in 52nd. Trinity Dubbs completed play with a 183 while Carly Frazier registered a 189 as an individual.
Oakland and UIC were co-champions. Both completed the event with a 626. UE came home in 10th place with a 671.
Big Ten Champion Indiana Ready for National Meet
ATHENS, Ga. – Coming off a program-record-tying seventh-place national finish a year ago, Big Ten Champion and No. 8-ranked Indiana swimming and diving returns to the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships Wednesday (March 20) through Saturday (March 23) inside the Gabrielsen Natatorium on the campus of the University of Georgia.
Final sessions will start at 6 p.m. ET each evening. Preliminary heats will begin at 10 a.m. every morning beginning Thursday. Fans can stream the competition via the ESPN+ digital platform.
Thirteen Hoosiers qualified for the national meet – nine swimmers and four divers. Indiana also qualified all five relays.
The championships off Wednesday night with the 200-yard medley relay and 800-yard freestyle relay. Indiana has the No. 6-seeded 800-yard freestyle relay after crushing its program record by nearly three seconds with a 6:55.45 swim at the Big Ten Championships. The Hoosiers finished seventh in the event a year ago. IU is seeded within All-America position in the medley relay with a time of 1:35.81.
Thursday is the first full day of action as well as the first day of diving. All four divers on Indiana’s roster qualified on both springboards. The 50-yard freestyle is on program record watch; Sophomore Kristina Paegle and senior Ashley Turak are IU’s two fastest women ever in the event, posting program’s five quickest times over the last year. Turak broke the record twice at last year’s championships, going 21.90 to tie it in prelims and 21.81 during the evening. Paegle was 21.98 at the NCAA meet last year before beating Turak’s mark in 21.76 at the Big Ten Championships a few weeks ago.
The 500 freestyle features four Hoosier juniors Thursday: Anna Peplowski, Ching Hwee Gan, Elyse Heiser and Mariah Denigan. Peplowski is the No. 11 seed in the event, having posted an NCAA A cut 4:37.47 at Big Tens. Senior Anna Freed is IU’s lone competitor in the 200 IM. The 200-yard freestyle relay Thursday evening is IU’s top-rated relay, coming in as the No. 6 seed with a time of 1:26.66 that won the Big Ten title and set a program record.
Friday kicks off with the 400 IM as Anna Freed is within striking distance of scoring position, seeded 19th with a best time of 4:08.37. Peplowski is the No. 4 seed in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:42.04, representing as the Big Ten Conference Champion two years running. She’s joined by Heiser in the 200 free. Junior Brearna Crawford and Turak will race the 100-yard breaststroke.
Junior Kacey McKenna is IU’s top-seeded swimmer in any event in the 100-yard backstroke, blasting a program record, NCAA A cut 50.49 to win the Big Ten time and earn the No. 3 national seed. She’ll likely lead off IU’s 400-yard medley relay, which ranks No. 13 with a time of 3:30.33. At Big Tens, IU posted a time of 3:28.32 – which would rank No. 9 – but was disqualified.
All four divers will compete on the 3-meter springboard with the chance to score big – Indiana has the reigning national runner-up in senior Anne Fowler as well as the Big Ten Champion in Skyler Liu. Freshmen Ella Roselli and Lily Witte will join them having both scored at Big Tens.
Saturday, the final day of competition, features one of IU’s best events a year ago. Indiana returns Big Ten Champion and reigning NCAA runner-up Ching Hwee Gan and fellow juniors Mariah Denigan, who finished seventh nationally last season, and adds Heiser. McKenna will return for the 200-yard backstroke before three Hoosiers race in the 100-yard freestyle. Peplowski and Paegle are the No. 9 and 13 seeds, respectively, and are joined by Turak in the event.
The Big Ten 200-yard breaststroke champion, Crawford is the No. 13 seed in her best event with a seed time of 2:07.25. Freed rounds out individual swimming in the 200 fly. Indiana will look to jump onto the podium from the No. 9 seed in the 400-yard freestyle relay, the final race of the championships.
Two Hoosiers will compete in the platform diving event on the final day. Liu is this season’s Big Ten Champion on platform after finishing fourth in the NCAA last season – her first-career podium finish. Roselli joins Liu as IU’s second diver to qualify in all three diving events. The freshman was the top consolation final finisher at Big Tens.
MEET INFO
Wednesday, March 20 – Saturday, March 23 • 10 a.m. ET (prelims), 6 p.m. ET (finals)
Gabrielsen Natatorium • Athens, Ga.
Live Results (Swim): bit.ly/4cpj1FF/Meet Mobile App
Live Results (Dive): divemeets.com
Live Stream: espn.com/watch
SCHEDULED EVENTS (Finals)
Wednesday (6 p.m. ET) – 200 Medley Relay, 800 Freestyle Relay
Thursday (6 p.m. ET) – 500 Freestyle, 200 IM, 50 Freestyle, 1-Meter Dive, 200 Freestyle Relay
Friday (6 p.m. ET) – 100 Butterfly, 400 IM, 200 Freestyle, 100 Breaststroke, 100 Backstroke, 3-Meter Dive, 400 Medley Relay
Saturday (6 p.m. ET) – 1,650 Freestyle, 200 Backstroke, 100 Freestyle, 200 Breaststroke, 200 Butterfly, Platform Dive, 400 Freestyle Relay
INDIANA SWIMMING AND DIVING QUALIFIERS
2024 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships
Brearna Crawford – 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke
Mariah Denigan – 500 freestyle, 1,650 freestyle
Anne Fowler – 1-meter, 3-meter
Anna Freed – 200 butterfly, 200 IM, 400 IM
Ching Hwee Gan – 500 freestyle, 1650 freestyle
Elyse Heiser – 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle, 1650 freestyle
Skyler Liu – 1-meter, 3-meter, platform
Kacey McKenna – 50 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke
Kristina Paegle – 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle
Anna Peplowski – 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle
Ella Roselli – 1-meter, 3-meter, platform
Ashley Turak – 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 100 breaststroke
Lily Witte – 1-meter, 3-meter, platform
Relays: 200-yard freestyle relay, 400-yard freestyle relay, 800-yard freestyle relay, 200-yard medley relay, 400-yard medley relay
Sign-Up for WPL’s Historic Library Tours!
Step into the captivating world of our library’s history! This Saturday, March 23rd, from 11:00 AM to 3:30 PM, we invite you to join us for a day of history tours as we celebrate the legacy of our beloved library leading up to its 139th birthday!
Event Details:
Date: Saturday, March 23, 2024
Times: 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM and 3:30 PM
Location: Willard Public Library
Immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of our library’s past as you explore the nooks and crannies of our storied halls. From the intriguing journey from past to present to the discovery of the treasures that make our library truly special, each tour promises an adventure through time.
Tours will be held at 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 3:30 PM to accommodate your schedule. To ensure your spot, we encourage you to reserve your tour time in advance through the links below:
11 AM Tour: Get Your 11AM Tour Tickets
1 PM Tour: Get Your 1PM Tour Tickets
3:30 PM Tour: Get Your 3:30PM Tour Tickets
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to journey through time and celebrate the remarkable history of our library! We look forward to welcoming you on March 23rd for an unforgettable experience.
UE Mental Health & Wellness Clinic and Emily M. Young Assessment Center Set to Open Next Week
EVANSVILLE, IND. (03/19/2024) The University of Evansville’s (UE) Mental Health and Wellness Clinic and Emily M. Young Assessment Center is scheduled to officially open on Monday, March 25, addressing crucial mental health challenges within the Evansville community. Developed with assistance from Easterseals. READI funding, and private philanthropy, this groundbreaking initiative provides a comprehensive facility poised to deliver psychotherapy and assessment services as well as medical oversight to ensure a holistic approach to client management.
The clinic will be open Monday’s from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Tuesday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and closed on Friday. It’s probable that it will take several months for the clinic to reach full capacity, seeing approximately 20 clients per week during the initial period.
Serving ages 5 and up, this clinic will be staffed by a licensed psychologist and a physician assistant with certification in psychiatry. In addition, 10 to 15 students from UE’s Doctor of Psychology clinical degree program will help operate the clinic and also provide mental health services to clients under the expert supervision of a licensed psychologist. The clinic will deliver vital therapy and assessment services to the Evansville community, targeting conditions such as ADHD, depression, bipolar disorder, intellectual functioning, and personality functioning.
At the core of the clinic lies the Emily M. Young Assessment Center, a specialized facility equipped with cutting-edge technology and resources essential for sophisticated testing. From computers and software to recording devices and white noise machines, the Assessment Center is meticulously outfitted to facilitate a wide array of assessment measures, including outcome questionnaires, personality testing, psychopathology measures, and cognitive functioning assessments. This center is named in honor of the late Emily Young, daughter of the Honorable Richard L. and Roseann Young.
“The UE Mental Health & Wellness Clinic and Emily M. Young Assessment Center represents an indispensable resource for the Evansville community, addressing the urgent need for comprehensive mental health assessments across all age groups,” said Mary Kessler, Interim Executive Vice President, Academic Affairs and Provost. “As an educational training clinic, it will play a pivotal role not only in diagnosing psychological disorders but also in guiding effective treatment strategies, ultimately contributing to the overall mental health and well-being of our community.”
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.
THUNDERBOLTS HOST RIVERMEN THIS WEEKEND FOR PRINCESS & PIRATES, HAWAIIAN NIGHTS
Evansville, In.: Following a weekend sweep on the road in Macon, the Thunderbolts carry a three-game win streak back home to Ford Center as they host the Peoria Rivermen for Princess & Pirates Night on Friday and Hawaiian Night on Saturday.
Week In Review:
Down 2-0 on Friday in Macon, Mark Zhukov scored late in the 2nd period, before Scott Kirton tied the game with a shorthanded goal in the final minute of regulation to force overtime and a shootout, where Myles Abbate, Kirton, and Vadim Vasjonkin scored goals to win the game for Evansville 3-2. On Saturday, goals from Jordan Spadafore, Vasjonkin, Matt Dorsey, Lincoln Hatten, and Jordan Simoneau powered the Thunderbolts over Macon 5-2. Ty Taylor picked up both wins in net, stopping 25 of 27 shots plus all three shootout attempts on Friday, and stopping 28 of 30 shots on Saturday.
The Week Ahead:
The Thunderbolts host the Peoria Rivermen this Friday and Saturday night at Ford Center, both games starting at 7:00pm CT. Friday will be Princess & Pirates Night, featuring on-site inflatables from Legendary Inflatables, a hair tinsel station provided by B. Lanae Salon, an obstacle course in the back concourse outside section 113, and prizes from Deep Blue Indoor Play. Saturday will be Hawaiian Night, featuring the final specialty game-worn jerseys of the season, which will be auctioned off after the game. Replica jerseys will also be on sale at the Thunderbolts merchandise stand. For tickets, call (812)422-BOLT (2548), go to EvansvilleThunderbolts.com, or visit the Ford Center Ticket Office.
USI Women’s Basketball to host UIC in WNIT First Round
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Following the announcement of the full 48-team field for the 2024 Women’s NIT (WNIT) Postseason Tournament on Sunday night, Monday’s official bracket release slotted University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball to host the University of Illinois at Chicago Thursday night (March 21) at 7 p.m. CT at Screaming Eagles Arena.
Season-ticket holders can call the USI Ticket Office at 812-465-1189. starting Tuesday at 8 a.m. to reserve seats. General public sales will open at Noon Tuesday, but season-ticket seats will still be held for reservation until Wednesday at Noon. Tickets are $10 with the lower bowl as reserved seats and upper bowl general admission. USI students receive free admission.
A potential second-round matchup for Southern Indiana would be against the University of Wisconsin at a location and time to be determined. Wisconsin received a first-round bye in the WNIT bracket.
The 2024 WNIT is the 26th edition of the Postseason WNIT, powered by Triple Crown Sports and first held in 1998. The tournament field is made up of 11 automatic qualifiers and 37 at-large programs, flexing a mix of Power 4 conferences as well as ascending mid-major programs. All games are played at individual schools; the 2024 Postseason WNIT has 24 teams that won at least 20 games this season.
The roster of teams reflects the depth and competitive excellence found throughout women’s college basketball and draws from Power 5 notables and ascending mid-major conferences. Games are played at campus locations, helping create unique and electric environments for the women’s game that has led to remarkable record-breaking crowds over the years – more than 14,600 fans attended the 2019 championship game featuring Arizona and Northwestern in Tucson, AZ, and last year’s title game in Lawrence, KS between Kansas and Columbia drew a crowd of 11,701.
The tournament schedule is as follows:
Round 1 – March 20-22, 2024Round 2 – March 23-26, 2024Round 3 – March 27-29, 2024Quarterfinals – March 30-April 1, 2024Semifinals – April 2-3, 2024
The 2024 Postseason WNIT will again have its championship game broadcast on CBS Sports Network, with tipoff set for Saturday, April 6, at 3 p.m. ET.
Fans can follow the 2024 Postseason WNIT through X/Twitter (@WomensNIT), Facebook (womensNIT), and the hashtag #WNIT.
In only their second year at the NCAA Division I level, the Screaming Eagles are making their first-ever appearance in the WNIT. Due to NCAA reclassification policies, USI is not eligible for the NCAA Tournament despite winning the Ohio Valley Conference Championship Tournament. The WNIT is a postseason tournament not sanctioned by the NCAA.
Southern Indiana (24-6) earned an automatic bid to the WNIT after capturing the 2023-24 Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship. USI added to a strong regular season run by winning the 2024 OVC Championship Tournament title a little over a week ago. Both titles were the first-ever OVC team championships in USI Athletics history.
USI won the regular season championship by six games before winning back-to-back games against Eastern Illinois University and the University of Tennessee at Martin in last week’s OVC Championship Tournament. USI defeated the Panthers by a score of 69-54 in the semifinals and by a score of 81-53 over UT Martin in the championship game.
USI’s 28-point margin of victory in Saturday’s championship game also ranked among the largest margins of victory in the OVC Women’s Basketball Tournament championship game history, just short of the championship game’s top-two point differentials of 32 and 30 points.
Compared to recent history, Saturday’s championship win put Southern Indiana with the likes of the University of North Dakota’s 2011-12 team (Great West Conference) and California Baptist University’s 2020-21 team (Western Athletic Conference) to win a regular season and conference tournament championship in the same season during a transition period.
Plus, Southern Indiana is currently enjoying a 10-game winning streak for the second time this season, matching a team best since the 2017-18 season. The 2017-18 season was also the last time USI had won at least 24 games overall as the Screaming Eagles have done so far this season.