USI Softball opens the 2023 season on February 10
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball has set its 2023 schedule and first as an NCAA Division I program, opening the 2023 season at the Elon Softball Classic February 10-12.
The 2023 regular season schedule will feature 48 total games with 15 home games at USI Softball Field.
“I feel good about the schedule and the opponents our team will face this season,” Head Coach Sue Kunkle said. “Our preseason tournaments will prepare us for our OVC season and give us an idea of where we are at and what we need to do to continue our success.”
“Our competition will be solid all year and our standards within our program will remain high. I think it will be important to take it one game at a time and look for continued growth throughout the season.”
Opening weekend at the Elon Softball Classic February 10-12 from Elon, North Carolina will include matchups against Winthrop University, Elon University, and Morgan State University.
The following weekend, February 18-19, the Screaming Eagles will return to Evansville but will play across town at the University of Evansville Softball Classic, taking on the University of Wisconsin Green Bay and the University of Evansville.
The non-conference slate will continue at the Bulldog Classic in Birmingham, Alabama, hosted by Samford University, February 24-26. USI will face Samford, the University of North Alabama, and Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) while in Birmingham.
USI will conclude the main portion of its non-conference schedule at The Spring Games Tournament March 4-8 in Madeira Beach, Florida. USI will play six schools across eight games in four days.
Southern Indiana’s inaugural series as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference will be March 11-12 at Morehead State University. The conference-opening series will kick off 24 total conference games for the Screaming Eagles.
USI’s first home series at USI Softball Field will be the following weekend, March 18-19, as the Screaming Eagles face off against Lindenwood University. Lindenwood is a fellow newcomer to the OVC and a former NCAA Division II member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference with Southern Indiana.
Two other non-conference matchups for USI will be a home doubleheader against IUPUI on April 4 and a home meeting against Butler University on April 12.
Southern Indiana will finish the regular season May 6-7 in an OVC series hosting Tennessee Tech University.
The Ohio Valley Conference Tournament will take place May 10-14 from Oxford, Alabama.
“We are staying focused on our goals and ready to attack the upcoming season,” Kunkle added. “Everyone is excited about the new experiences that are ahead of us and ready to win some games, making a mark in the OVC.”
USI Softball is coming off a 2022 season that saw the Screaming Eagles capture their third NCAA II Midwest Region title since 2017 and another Great Lakes Valley Conference championship season.
Further information regarding game broadcasts, tickets, and more will become available at a later date.
