EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball junior pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Midwest Region Third Team for NCAA Division I on Saturday.
The awards honor softball student-athletes from the Association’s 10 regions with first, second, and third-team selections. NFCA member head coaches from each respective region nominated student-athletes and voted for the teams. All awarded student-athletes now become eligible for the 2024 NFCA Division I All-America squads.
Saturday’s NFCA All-Region honor is the first in Newman’s career, which adds to her 2024 OVC Pitcher of the Year, All-OVC First Team, and OVC All-Tournament Team accolades.
In the regular season, Newman led the pitching staff with a 19-8 record, 1.68 ERA, 210 strikeouts, 195.2 innings pitched, and 27 complete games in 28 starts. The right-hander tossed four shutouts and held the opposition to a .198 batting average. Newman finished top three in the OVC in ERA and wins while ranking first in starts, complete games, innings pitched, strikeouts, and opposing batting average. Newman’s strikeout and innings totals would also rank top 10 in the nation. Newman went 14-4 in conference play with a 1.33 ERA and 141 strikeouts. Plus, the pitcher went the distance in all 18 OVC starts.
Newman followed her regular-season performance with a solid stretch at the OVC Tournament. In USI’s five games at the OVC Championship Tournament in Peoria, Illinois last week, Newman totaled 34.1 innings of work in four starts and five total appearances. The right-hander struck out 20 batters while going 3-2 with a 2.24 ERA. Newman tossed three complete games with one shutout. The junior also held the opposition to a .168 batting average.
The junior also fared well at the plate this season, hitting over .300 during the regular season. Then at the OVC Tournament, Newman went 7-17 for a .412 batting average with two doubles, a home run, and six RBIs. Newman’s total OPS was 1.150.
This season, Newman moved to third in USI history with 560 career strikeouts. The Indianapolis, Indiana native also moved up the USI Softball ranks into the top 10 in innings (535.0), complete games (60), shutouts (17), and wins (55).
Southern Indiana ended the season with a 25-22 overall record. The Screaming Eagles went 16-11 to finish fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference regular season. Both win totals surpassed USI’s marks in 2023. Plus, the Screaming Eagles went deeper into the Ohio Valley Conference Softball Championship Tournament compared to last season, as USI fell just short of an appearance in the championship round.
