EVANSVILLE, Ind. — University of Southern Indiana Baseball continues a five-game road swing this weekend with a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series at Morehead State University. The series start Thursday with a 4 p.m. (CDT) first pitch before continuing Friday at 4 p.m. (CDT) and concluding Sunday at noon (CDT).  
 
Links to follow the Eagles during the opening weekend of 2024 can be found on USIScreamingEagles.com and on the USI Baseball Schedule.
 
USI concludes the five-game road swing with a visit to Murray State University April 2 before starting a four-game homestand. The homestand includes the second half of a series with Murray State April 3 and a three-game OVC set with Lindenwood University April 5-7.
 
USI Baseball Notes:

USI Eagles open road trip with loss. The USI Screaming Eagles lost the opening game of a four-game road swing, 12-5, at Ball State University Tuesday. Four of USI’s five runs came via the long ball, including a two-run shot and a pair of solo blasts.
 
Ellis leads Eagles in homers. Senior designated hitter Jack Ellis leads the USI Eagle with four this season. He had a two-run homer Tuesday at Ball State.
 
USI won series with TTU. The USI Screaming Eagles won the first series of the OVC season, taking two of three from Tennessee Tech University over the weekend. USI lost the opening game in 10 innings, 9-7, but bounced back to win on a walk off three-run homer, 7-5, and took the series finale, 8-1.
 
USI has won four series in 2024. The Eagles have won four season series this year, matching the total for all of last year.
 
USI leaders last week. USI senior designated hitter Jack Ellis led USI last week with a .500 average (8-16) in four games. Freshman outfielder Cameron Boyd posted a team-best five RBIs and had the Eagles’ lone home run of the week, a three-run walk off bomb versus TTU.
 
Best outing of last week. USI junior right-hander Gavin Seebold had the Eagles’ best outing of the week, throwing six scoreless innings to earn the victory in comeback win over TTU. He also had a career-high tying six strikeouts in the game and was the runner-up in the OVC Pitcher of the Week voting.
 
The Last 10 Games for USI. USI, which is 5-5 in the last 10 games, is led by senior designated hitter Jack Ellis. Ellis is hitting .500 (18-36) with 11 runs scored, three doubles, four home runs and 12 RBI. Senior catcher Tyler Kapust also is hitting .500 (4-8) in five of the last 10 games. Junior right-hander Gavin Morris leads the Eagles on the bump with a 3-0 mark, posting a 2.00 ERA (18 innings) and 12 strikeouts.
 
Leaders at the plate in 2024. Senior designated hitter Jack Ellis is hitting a team-high .463 and four home runs this season, while senior outfielder Ren Tachioka follows with a .403 mark.
 
Leaders on the mound in 2024. USI junior right-hander Gavin Seebold and Gavin Morris lead the team with three victories each. Freshman right-hander Clayton Weisheit had a team-low 2.29 ERA in 11 games and 19.2 innings pitcher, recording one save, while junior right-hander Tyler Hutson has a team-best three saves. Morris also has a team-high 31 strikeouts.
 
Morehead in 2024. The Eagles of Morehead State University are 14-11, 1-2 in the OVC, this season after losing two of three with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock last weekend and defeating Bellarmine on Tuesday. MSU is 7-3 in its last 10 games but has lost three of five entering the series.    
 
USI vs. MSU. The Screaming Eagles were blanked in the season MSU last season in the OVC series, 3-0.
Murray State in 2024. The Racers of Murray State University are 18-6 overall in 2023-24 and take a seven-game winning streak into the weekend series at home versus Belmont University.
 
USI vs. Murray State. Murray State leads the all-time series, 9-3-1, after sweeping a three-game series from USI last year in Murray, Kentucky.

VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University Trailblazers returned to Jerry Blemker Field Tuesday night for a single game against Olney Central College and were able to score early and often to come away with a big 16-12 victory over the Blue Knights.

The Blazers got off to a quick start Tuesday night after Olney Central scored a pair in the first, VU answered back with six runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning.

Eight of the first nine VU batters reached base safely and the Blazers were able to score on an RBI single by sophomore Brandon Juarez (Evansville, Ind.), a walk pitch and back-to-back RBI singles by freshmen Reed Drabant (Columbia, Ill.) and Jaydon Bradbury (Terre Haute, Ind.).

Olney Central would get a run back in the third, which VU again answered back with another big inning in the bottom of the third.

VU got the first two runners on with leadoff walks by sophomore Bryton Griffy and Reed Drabant, followed by a fielder’s choice by Jaydon Bradbury and a big two-RBI double by freshman Bradyn Douglas (Frankton, Ind.).

VU continued to add to their lead in the inning with an RBI single by sophomore Jack Robinson (Mooresville, Ind.), a bases loaded hit by pitch by sophomore Blake Heyerly (Monroe, Ind.) and a run scoring fielder’s choice put in play by sophomore Jace Parnin (Fort Wayne, Ind.) to give VU a commanding 11-3 lead.

The Blue Knights would come storming back in the fourth with a big nine-run inning to take a 12-11 lead.

VU would get the run back in the bottom of the fourth and even the score after Jaydon Bradbury reached on an error and scored on a fielder’s choice put in play by sophomore Kade Hinton (Fort Wayne, Ind.).

VU would regain the lead in the seventh on a pinch hit RBI single by redshirt freshman Holden Clifton (Louisville, Ill.) and an RBI single by freshman Brody Fessel (DePauw, Ind.). Fessel would come around to score on a throwing error to give VU a 15-12 lead.

The Trailblazers would add an insurance run in the eighth after Blake Heyerly hit a triple and was driven in on a pinch hit sacrifice fly by freshman Corbin Napier (Indianapolis, Ind.).

Sophomore Max Lines (Indianapolis, Ind.) was called on to close out the ninth and did so by striking out the side to give the Blazers the 16-12 victory.

Sophomore Jack Robinson got the start against Olney Central Tuesday, throwing three and one-third innings, allowing eight runs, six earned, on eight hits and striking out one.

Freshman JD Bowser (Mt. Carmel, Ill.) continues to be a strong presence in the bullpen for Vincennes, throwing four and one-third innings of scoreless baseball, allowing three hits and striking out two.

Sophomore Max Lines was called on to pitch the ninth, allowing one hit and striking out three in his inning of work.

The Trailblazers head into the weekend on a bye week from Conference play but have filled their weekend with a tough single game against NJCAA Division I No. 17-ranked John A. Logan College.

NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. – The Vincennes University Golf team had another tough tournament this week at the 2024 Garn Championships hosted at the Keene Trace Golf Club Monday and Tuesday.

The Blazers battled through wind and rain to place 21st on a very challenging golf course, which hosts the PGA’s Barbasol Championship each July.

The first two rounds of this 54-hole tournament were scheduled to be played on Monday, but round two ultimately needed to be finished Tuesday morning due to darkness.

The Trailblazers were led by freshman Alex Nealis (Olney, Ill.) who had a team-best 82 in round one, an 88 in round two and finished strong with an 83 in round three to place 66th overall.

Freshman Andy Clark followed Nealis with a solid bounce back tournament, with a first round 94 followed by an 86 and an 85 in the final two rounds to finish 96th on the leaderboard.

The next VU scorer was freshman Trejan Morrison (Ferdinand, Ind.) who made his Spring season debut with a first round 105, followed by a 99 and a 97 in the final two rounds to place 107th overall.

The Vincennes finishers were rounded out by freshman Jackson Stone (Vincennes, Ind.) who shot a 97 in round one, a 106 in round two and a 109 in the final round to place 108th.

Sophomore Aaron Brink (Nashville, Ill.) began the tournament, with a first round 86 and a second round 88 before withdrawing from the tournament due to injury.

VU as a team shot a first round 359, 361 in round two and a final round team score of 376 to place 21st overall as a team.

“Just when I thought things were tough with having to play without my number one player, Preston, my number two hurt his wrist and had to withdraw after two holes Tuesday,” VU Hall of Fame Golf Coach Dennis Chattin said. “We were battered by really strong winds and rain throughout the day and had to finish with only four players, so we couldn’t throw out our high score.”

“Scores were really up this year in the tournament because of the winds yesterday and both wind and rain today,” Chattin added. “I always like to point out a highlight but can only say that we had some guys who battled through the conditions. Hopefully after some time off before our next tournament we can get healthy again.”

The Trailblazers will look to bounce back and hopefully continue to improve, along with some better weather, in their next tournament, when VU heads to Hulman Links in Terre Haute for the Battle of the Woods tournament Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7.