University of Southern Indiana Softball returns to action Friday at noon when it hosts No. 9 University of Indianapolis in a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader at the USI Softball Field. The Screaming Eagles also visit McKendree University for a GLVC twinbill Saturday at noon in Lebanon, Illinois.
USI’s doubleheader with UIndy is Awareness Day for breast cancer and clear cell sarcoma at the USI Softball Field.
UIndy Head Coach Melissa Frost, a breast cancer survivor, will throw-out the first pitch to USI junior catcher Courtney Schoolcraft (Crest Hill, Illinois), who has been undergoing chemotherapy treatments for clear cell sarcoma since last spring. The Greyhounds will be in their pink uniforms with yellow bows, while the Screaming Eagles will be wearing yellow belts and socks with pink bows.
Outdoor Spectator Policies
• USI: Spectators at the USI Softball Field will be limited to two pre-approved guests per USI student-athlete/coach and masking/social distance policies must be followed.
• McKendree: A limited number of spectators will be allowed in designated viewing areas (down the leftfield bleachers and on the hill overlooking the field). Masking and social distancing will be enforced and fans are encouraged to bring folding chairs.
Ways to follow
Friday’s games at USI will be carried on the GLVC Sports Network, while Saturday’s games are TBD on GLVCSN coverage due to the busy slate of home athletic events McKendree has on Saturday. Live stats for all four games will be provided at GoUSIEagles.com, while USI Athletics and USI Softball will have updates on their Twitter accounts (@USIAthletics and @USISOFTBALL).
Notes
• Recapping last week. The Eagles went 3-1 last week, sweeping a home doubleheader against Quincy before salvaging a doubleheader split against Truman State. USI hit .390 as a team and had five players hit .429 or better on the weekend and nine players hit no worse than .333. Freshman first baseman Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana) hit .556 to lead USI at the dish, while sophomore second baseman Rachel Martinez (Chicago, Illinois) hit .500 with a double and seven RBI.
• Back had strong week. Junior pitcher Katie Back (Indianapolis, Indiana) had a strong week for the Eagles, going 2-0 in the circle with a 0.58 ERA and .174 opponent batting average.
• Scouting the Eagles. USI enters the week with a 5-10 overall record and 3-5 mark in GLVC play. Senior outfielder Alicia Webb (Elberfeld, Indiana) ranks third in the GLVC with a .440 batting average, while freshman outfielder Mackenzie Bedrick (Brownsburg, Indiana) is fourth. Bedrick also is tied for fourth in the GLVC with 12 stolen bases in as many attempts.
• Scouting the opposition (UIndy). UIndy enters the week with a 17-2 overall record and an 8-0 mark in GLVC play after winning its previous 10 games. The Greyhounds have a strong one-two punch in the circle in freshman Kenzie Smith (7-0, 1.19 ERA) and senior Hallie Waters (9-1, 1.30 ERA). Senior Haylie Foster, younger sister to former USI player Sadie Foster ’17, is hitting .490 to pace the Hounds at the plate.
• Seniority. USI Head Coach Sue Kunkle and UIndy Head Coach Melissa Frost are the two most tenured softball coaches in the GLVC and have cemented their respective programs among the best in the nation year-in and year-out. The two have combined for nearly 1,300 wins during their careers and have combined to win five regional titles. Frost recently won her 700th career game, while Kunkle is closing in on 600 wins after leading the Eagles to the 2018 national title.
• Scouting the opposition (McKendree). The Bearcats are 10-6 overall and 9-3 in GLVC play after winning their previous eight games. Senior Miranda Gajewski is hitting .370 with two home runs and seven RBI to lead the Bearcats at the plate. She also is 6-2 in the circle with a 3.97 ERA in 45.1 innings of work.
• Webb adds to her streak. Webb had a hit in all four of USI’s games last week, bringing her career-high hitting streak to 19 games dating back to the end of the 2020 campaign. It is the longest hitting streak since prior to the 2000 season and is believed to be the longest hitting streak since Amber Huse set the program record with a 27-game hitting streak in 1994.
• Bedrick’s streak ends at 10. Bedrick’s season-high 10-game hitting streak came to a close in USI’s game-one loss to Truman State on Sunday. Bedrick, however, has stolen a base in five straight games.
• Kihega ties record. Sophomore catcher Sammie Kihega (Greenfield, Indiana) tied a record for walks in a single game when she drew four free passes in USI’s 5-0 game-two victory over Quincy last Saturday. Kihega actually drew six straight free passes as she was walked in her final plate appearance in USI’s 9-1 win over Quincy in game one and hit by a pitch in her first trip to the plate in USI’s 10-7 game-one loss to Truman State the following day.
• USI’s returns home. USI’s home games against Quincy marked the first time in 713 days that the Eagles had played a game on their home field. USI had played 42 games away from the USI Softball Field after last playing there on April 13, 2019.
• USI picked to finish second in GLVC. League coaches predicted that the Eagles will finish second in the GLVC in 2021. USI received 170 points and two first-place votes, while Indianapolis was picked to finish first, receiving 190 points and four first-place votes.
• Eagles in 2020. USI finished the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign with a 15-4 record. The Eagles were set to host Indianapolis in their GLVC-opener when the season was canceled.
• Kunkle going for 600. USI Head Coach Sue Kunkle, now in her 20th year leading the Eagles, is 568-395-1 overall record. She is 35 wins from becoming the first coach in USI history with 600 wins.
• Eagles looking to continue NCAA run. The Eagles were on pace for their sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth in 2020 and their seventh in the last eight years when the season was cut short due to COVID. USI won back-to-back NCAA II Midwest Region titles in 2017 and 2018 before capturing the 2018 national championship.
