EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball had five players honored by the Ohio Valley Conference in a release on Tuesday. USI received a pair of first team selections, two second team honorees, and a member on the All-Freshman team in votes by the league’s head coaches and the institution’s athletic media coordinators.
USI senior centerfielder Khi Holiday and junior designated hitter Cole Kitchens received first-team All-OVC honors. The duo is the first Screaming Eagles ever to be named to the OVC’s first team.
Kitchens leads USI at the plate with a .378 batting average (82-217) overall, while posting a team-best 60 RBIs and 12 home runs. The .378 average and 54 RBIs are the best marks in the OVC. The junior first baseman also leads USI and ranks second in the OVC in doubles (18) and total bases (138).
Holiday finished the regular season with a .341 batting average (72-211) and a team-best 64 runs scored and 24 stolen bases. The 64 runs scored and 24 stolen bases rank second and third in the OVC, respectively.
In conference play, Holiday leads the OVC and USI in batting with a .406 conference batting average in 27 games. He also ranks first in on-base percentage (.508) and third in runs scored (33) during the 27-game conference schedule.
USI junior shortstop Clayton Slack and sophomore third baseman Parker Martin were named to the OVC’s second team.
Slack, who boasts two of USI’s six walk-off game-winning RBIs this season, batted .299 (60-221) with 35 runs scored and 24 RBIs. The junior ranks third in the OVC in triples (3, 0.11 per game).
Martin concluded the regular season third on USI and sixth in the OVC with a .343 average (70-204) and second on the Screaming Eagles with 40 RBIs. He was third on USI and sixth in the OVC with a .371 conference batting average (39-105) in the 27 league games.
The sophomore third base also ranked 10th in the league in conference games in runs scored (25) and RBIs (25).
USI freshman right-hander Brady Watts became the fourth Screaming Eagle to be named to the OVC All-Freshman team. Watts was 0-1 with a 4.18 ERA and one save overall in 27 appearances, 26 out of the bullpen. He struck out 23 batters in 32.1 innings of work.
Watts had a 3.44 ERA in conference action, appearing in 15 of the 27 league contests. He had one save in conference play, striking out eight batters in 18.1 innings.
USI starts OVC Championship action at 9 a.m. Wednesday at Mtn Dew Park in Marion, Illinois. The Eagles, who are the seeded fifth, play the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, the eighth seed, in the opening game.
