USI Softball begins Super Regionals Thursday

EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Softball begins the NCAA Division II Midwest Super Regional Thursday at 1 p.m. when the No. 10 and Midwest top-seeded Screaming Eagles host No. 21 and Midwest No. 3-seeded Grand Valley State University at the USI Softball Field.
 
The best-of-three series continues with game two Friday at noon, while game three, if necessary, is scheduled for Friday at 2:30 p.m.
 
USI (47-11) advanced to the NCAA II Midwest Super Regional after coming out of the elimination bracket to win the NCAA II Midwest Region #1 Tournament last week. The Eagles erupted for 31 runs off 47 hits in the final four games as they avenged a 1-0 loss to Saginaw Valley State University last Thursday by posting wins over Lindenwood University (10-1) and Drury University (9-3) Friday before sweeping Saginaw Valley State (5-0 and 7-2) Saturday to win the Midwest Region #1 Tournament.
 
Grand Valley State (43-6) posted a 1-0 shutout of Ohio Dominican University last Thursday before no-hitting Midwest Region #2 Tournament host University of Indianapolis in a 7-0 victory last Friday. The Lakers secured their bid super regionals with a 15-1, five-inning victory over the University of Findlay on Saturday.
 
Tickets for each day is $5 for adults and $3 for college students with valid identification and youth (ages 3-17). All three games will be aired live on the GLVC Sports Network as well as 95.7 The Spin and ESPN 97.7 The Ref. Live stats, audio and video links can be accessed at GoUSIEagles.com.
 
USI Softball Notes
• Eagles advance to Super Regional. USI Softball advanced to the NCAA Division II Super Regional for the third time in program history and the first since winning the national title in 2018. The Screaming Eagles will be hosting super regionals for the second time and first since 2017. The Eagles are 4-0 all-time in the NCAA II Midwest Super Regional.
 
• USI in the NCAA post-season. The Eagles returned to the NCAA II Tournament for the first time since 2019 and the 10th time in program history. Earning the No. 1 seed in the regional for the first time in program history, USI is 27-18 all-time in the NCAA II Tournament and 26-14 under Head Coach Sue Kunkle following its Midwest Region #1 title last week.
 
• Eagles looking for third regional title. USI won the Midwest Regional and Super Regional in both 2017 and 2018. The Eagles were national champions in 2018. 
 
• Historic battle. USI and Grand Valley State are meeting in a best-of-three series that features the last five NCAA II Midwest Region champions. After the Eagles won in 2017 and 2018, the Lakers captured regional crowns in 2019 and 2021—there was no postseason in 2020 due to COVID. Grand Valley State also won the regional crown in 2016.
 
• Eagles offense heats up. After being held to just three hits in their first shutout loss since March 5 and just their second of the season, the Eagles’ offense erupted for a combined 31 runs off 47 hits in the final four games of the NCAA II Midwest Region #1 Tournament. The Eagles hit .409 as a team, racking up 13 doubles, two triples and eight home runs.
 
• Midwest Region #1 Tourney leaders. Sophomore outfielder Mackenzie Bedrick (Browsburg, Indiana) hit .571 with a double, stolen base and team-best seven runs scored to lead the Eagles last week, while sophomore first baseman Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana) hit .529 with two doubles, two home runs and six RBI. 
 
Junior pitcher/designated player Allie Goodin (Evansville, Indiana) went 7-of-14 (.500) from the plate with three doubles, three home runs and eight RBI, while senior third baseman Mary Bean (Schaumburg, Illinois) hit .417 with a double, home run and one RBI. Sophomore catcher Sammie Kihega (Greenfield, Indiana) rounded out the Eagles’ top performers with a double, two home runs and seven RBI.
 
In the circle, Goodin went 2-1 with a 0.00 ERA in 13 1/3 innings of work, while freshman pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) went 2-0 with a save and 1.78 ERA in 19 2/3 innings of work.
 
• USI wins fifth GLVC crown. The Eagles won the GLVC Tournament for the fifth time in program history when they defeated Indianapolis, 1-0, in the championship game Sunday. USI also won the GLVC Tournament in 1993, 1995, 1998 and 2018.
 
• GLVC Tourney leaders. Senior designated player Katie Back (Indianapolis, Indiana) led the Eagles at the plate, going 4-for-6 with a double and two RBI. Goodin was 4-for-8 with a home run and two RBI, while freshman pitcher Hailey Gotshall (Lucerne, Indiana) had a home run and two RBI. Fair went 3-of-9 with a double, home run and six RBI.
 
In the circle, Goodin went 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in 16 1/3 innings of work, while Gotshall was 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in 4 2/3 innings.
 
• Eagles move into Top 10. USI jumped five spots to No. 10 in the latest NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches’ Poll. The Midwest Region has three teams in the latest poll. UIndy dropped from No. 3 to No. 5, while Grand Valley State remained No. 21.
 
• USI entered tourney on hot streak. The Eagles brought a 12-game winning streak into the NCAA II Tournament. They have now won 34 of their last 37 games.
 
• Kunkle named GLVC Coach of the Year. USI Head Coach Sue Kunkle was named the GLVC Coach of the Year for the third time after leading the Eagles to the GLVC regular-season championship. Kunkle, who directed the NFCA Division II National Coaching Staff of the Year in 2018 and NFCA Midwest Region Coaching Staff of the Year in 2017 and 2018, also was the GLVC Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2017.
 
• Six Eagles net All-GLVC honors. USI placed six players on the All-GLVC team in 2022, including Goodin, who collected first-team honors as a utility/pitcher. Back (designated player) and Fair were named to the second team, as was Newman, Kihega and Bedrick.
 
• Four Eagles net All-Region honors. Fair, Goodin and Newman all earned second-team D2CCA All-Midwest Region honors in a vote by the Midwest Region Sports Information Directors, while Goodin and Bedrick earned second-team NFCA All-Midwest Region accolades  in a vote by the region’s coaches.
 
• Two Eagles net Academic honors. Back and Bedrick both earned CoSIDA Academic All-District IV honor after strong seasons at the plate and in the classroom. Both are now on the ballot for Academic All-America honors.
 
• Season leaders. Fair leads USI with a .397 batting average to go along with a GLVC-leading 19 doubles, three triples and team-best 11 home runs and 54 RBI. She also has been hit a league-high 20 times. Back is hitting .387, while Bedrick is hitting .381.
 
In the circle, Newman is 16-3 with three saves, a 1.83 ERA, .177 opponent batting average and 182 strikeouts in 137 2/3 innings of work. Goodin is 15-3 with a 1.88 ERA and .222 opponent batting average in 126 2/3 innings of work, while Gotshall (8-0) and Back (6-1) have combined for a 14-1 record.
 
• Walk-off wins. The Eagles have had 11 walk-off victories this season, including six that have been in the seventh-inning or later and four that have been in extra innings. Six of the walk-off wins have given the Eagles victory via the eight-run rule.
 
• Eagles in extra innings. USI is 6-1 in extra-inning games this season, including 4-0 in GLVC play.
 
• Hitting streaks. Bedrick has had a hit in a team-leading five straight games, while the longest streaks (11) oaaaf the year belong to Bedrick and junior second baseman Rachel Martinez (Chicago, Illinois). 
 
• Record watch. USI is one win away from matching the 1998 USI Softball team that went 48-17. The Eagles, who have set program records for triples (26), runs (341), RBI (315), need two doubles to match the program record of 93 (2016) and 10 home runs to for the program record of 53 (2016).
 
Individually, Fair needs two doubles to match Kristin Eickholt’s program record (21 in 2006) and needs to be hit by just one more pitch to match Marleah Fossett’s record (21 in 2017). Bedrick needs 12 at-bats (Claire Johnson, 206 in 2018) and 13 hits (Trisha Poling, 87 in 1998) to match program records, while freshman outfielder Kennedy Nalley (Huntingburg, Indiana) is 10 runs shy of Haley Hodge’s all-time record (58 in 2016).
 
• Weekly honors. Both Fair and Newman have collected GLVC weekly honors this season. Fair earned GLVC Player of the Week honors for her efforts in USI’s doubleheader sweeps over Illinois Springfield, Truman State and Quincy earlier this season, while Newman was named GLVC Pitcher of the Week after recording a pair of shutouts, including a no-hitter, in USI’s doubleheader wins over Drury and Southwest Baptist.
 
• OUCH! Fair has been hit by a pitch a league-high 20 times this season. She ranks No. 2 on USI’s all-time single-season list for being hit by a pitch. Marleah Fossett and Mena Fulton were smacked by pitches a respective 21 and 17 times in 2017, while Caitlyn Bradley was hit 12 times in 2016. Fair, who was hit 10 times as a freshman in 2021, is tied with Fossett for No. 2 on USI’s all-time list behind Fulton (37). 
 
• 15-plus Ks. Newman has three games under her belt with at least 15 strikeouts. She fanned 17 batters in USI’s game-two win over Quincy and struck out 16 in USI’s game-two win over Missouri-St. Louis. She also had 15 strikeouts in USI’s game-two win over McKendree.