University of Southern Indiana Softball will open its fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament against the same team it played in its Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament opener a week ago, the University of Indianapolis.
The Screaming Eagles (31-22) will take on the Greyhounds (39-18) for the second time in a week when the two teams meet in the opening round of the NCAA II Midwest Region #1 Tournament Thursday at 1:30 p.m. (CDT) in Allendale, Michigan. USI defeated Indianapolis, 4-0, to open the GLVC Tournament last week. USI enters as the No. 5 seed, while Indianapolis is the No. 4 seed.
Top-seeded Grand Valley State University will host the sub-regional May 10-12 in Allendale, Michigan, and will take on the No. 8 seed, Hillsdale College, in the other first round game. Grand Valley State was the automatic qualifier from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference; while Hillsdale won the Great Midwest Athletic Conference to earn its spot in the regional.
GLVC regular-season champion and No. 2 seed University of Illinois Springfield is the host of the other sub-regional and will take on the No. 7 seed, Saginaw Valley State University. McKendree University earned the No. 3 seed and will face the No. 6 seed, University of Missouri-St. Louis in the opening round.
USI, which captured its first GLVC Tournament title since 1998 and fourth in program history this past weekend, is making its fourth straight trip to the NCAA II Tournament, fifth in the last six years and eighth in program history.
WSWI 95.7 FM will carry this week’s games on the radio, while live stats, video and audio links will be accessible at GoUSIEagles.com.
USI Softball Notes
• Eagles win GLVC Tournament. USI Softball captured its first GLVC Tournament crown since 1998 and its fourth in program history after sweeping through the GLVC Tournament last week. The Eagles, who became the first No. 6 seed to win the GLVC Tournament since Northern Kentucky in 2009, opened with a 4-0 win over the No. 3 seed, Indianapolis, before trouncing the No. 2 seed, McKendree, 10-0, later in the day. USI concluded the tournament with a 6-1 win over Missouri-St. Louis Friday before defeating the Tritons, 4-2, in the championship Saturday.
• Last week’s leaders (at the plate). Senior first baseman Marleah Fossett and senior outfielder Olivia Clark-Kittleson led the Eagles at the plate last week. Fossett hit .583 with two doubles, two home runs and seven RBIs, while Clark-Kittleson hit .400 with a home run and three RBIs. As a team, the Eagles hit .330 with junior second baseman Claire Johnson hitting .385 with four runs scored and sophomore outfielder Allison Schubert hitting .364 with four RBIs.
• Last week’s leaders (in the circle). Sophomore pitcher Jennifer Leonhardt went 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA, 26 strikeouts and a .160 opponent batting average. She threw a one-hit shutout in the Eagles’ win over Indianapolis and allowed just three runs in two games against Missouri-St. Louis. Juniors Caitlyn Bradley and Haylee Smith combined for a five-hit shutout in USI’s win over McKendree.
• All-GLVC honors. Senior third baseman Mena Fulton earned first-team All-GLVC honors, while Leonhardt and Schubert were named second-team All-GLVC last week. It is the first All-League honors for both Fulton and Schubert, while Leonhardt was first-team All-GLVC as well as the GLVC Freshman of the Year in 2017.
• Back in the NCAA II Tournament. USI is back in the NCAA II Tournament for the fourth consecutive year and fifth time in the last six seasons. The Eagles, who captured their first-ever Midwest Region title a year ago, have advanced to the NCAA II post-season eight times, including six under Head Coach Sue Kunkle.
• Kunkle grabs 500th win. USI Head Coach Sue Kunkle became the first coach in USI history to earn 500 career wins when she recorded her 500th victory with USI’s 4-0 GLVC Tournament win over Indianapolis. She is currently 503-360-1 (.583) all-time during her 17-year career at the helm of the Eagles.
• USI vs. UIndy. USI and Indianapolis are playing an opening-round game for the second-time in eight days when the two teams play in the first round of the NCAA II Midwest Region #1 Tournament. The Eagles defeated the Greyhounds, 4-0, to begin the GLVC Tournament.
• Similar to last year. USI’s sub-regional pod looks somewhat similar to the one it hosted a year ago. USI, Grand Valley State and Indianapolis were joined by Saginaw Valley State when the Eagles hosted the 2017 Midwest Region #2 Tournament; while Hillsdale will replace the SVSU this season. USI, GVSU and UIndy also were in the same pod when the Greyhounds hosted in 2016.
• USI-Grand Valley have NCAA II Tournament history. A potential USI-Grand Valley State NCAA II Tournament matchup is nothing new for the Eagles and Lakers. USI and GVSU have met in the NCAA II Tournament in each of the last three seasons, with the Eagles taking 2-of-3 from the Lakers. USI also was in the 2013 NCAA II Midwest Region #2 Tournament that GVSU hosted in 2013; while the Lakers and Eagles both were in the 2006 NCAA II Great Lakes Region Tournament in Edwardsville, Illinois.
• Three title holders. USI is one of three conference champions to play in this week’s NCAA II Midwest Region #1 Tournament. Host Grand Valley State won the GLIAC Tournament, while the No. 8 seed, Hillsdale, won the GMAC Tournament.
• Historic senior class. USI’s senior class—Clark-Kittleson, Fossett, Fulton and infielder Alex Logan—have become the first senior class in program history to advance to the NCAA II Tournament four times. The Eagles senior class has posted a 151-68 overall record and a 77-35 mark in GLVC play and is just one win shy of tying the 2001 senior class for most wins (152).
• Clark-Kittleson goes deep. Clark-Kittleson hit her first collegiate home run in USI’s 4-2 win over Missouri-St. Louis in the GLVC Tournament title game Saturday. It marked her first extra-base hit since April 2, 2016; a span that saw her record 98 singles.
• Leonhardt reaches 200-strikeout plateau. Leonhardt became the second pitcher in program history and the first since 1995 to reach the 200 strikeout plateau. She currently needs 23 strikeouts to match USI Hall of Famer Karianne Osowski’s single-season record of 230.
• Fossett hits second-career grand slam. Fossett recorded her second-career grand slam in USI’s 6-1 win over Missouri-St. Louis in the GLVC Tournament. She also hit a grand slam off of Missouri-St. Louis All-American Hannah Perryman as a sophomore in 2016.
• Leonhardt earns GLVC Pitcher of Week honors. Leonhardt claimed her fourth-career GLVC Pitcher of the Week award and first of the 2018 campaign following her efforts in USI’s wins over Rockhurst and William Jewell earlier this season. She was 3-0 with a 1.02 ERA, 19 strikeouts and a .163 opponent batting average in 13 2/3 innings of work.
• Schubert joins elite club. Schubert is the eighth player in program history to hit 10 or more home runs in a single season. Her 11 home runs in 2018 are currently tied for fifth on USI’s single-season list.
• Hitting streaks. Johnson is currently riding a team-best seven-game hitting streak into the NCAA II Tournament and is one of nine players this season to record a hitting streak of at least five games this year. Her 11-game hitting streak earlier this year remains the team’s longest of the season; while Fulton has a 10-game and a nine-game hitting streak under her belt.
