EVANSVILLE, Ind. — University of Southern Indiana Baseball starts the final five-game homestand with a 6 p.m. contest Tuesday versus the University of Evansville at the USI Baseball Field. The Purple Aces will make their first visit to the Screaming Eagles’ home field since 1987.
Following the crosstown match between USI (21-26, 10-11 OVC) and UE (14-32), the Eagles continue Ohio Valley Conference action when they host Southeast Missouri State University (27-21, 13-8 OVC) May 9-11. The three-game series will be the final conference home weekend for USI and features Senior Day on Sunday.
The conference series starts Friday at 6 p.m.; continues Saturday at 3 p.m.; and concludes Sunday at 1 p.m. Senior Day activities will be held prior to the game.
The final game of the five-game homestand is May 13 and will be a rematch of the USI-UE contest. The first pitch is slated for 6 p.m. at the USI Baseball Field.
With the ever-changing weather this spring, USI encourages fans to watch for potential schedule changes on USIScreamingEagles.com, X, and Facebook. Links to follow the Eagles all season can be found on USIScreamingEagles.com and the USI Baseball Schedule.
USI Baseball Notes:
Screaming Eagles lose series to UTM. The USI Screaming Eagles lost the OVC series with the University of Tennessee at Martin last weekend. USI lost the opening game, 10-4; bounced back to take the second game, 11-1; but lost the series finale, 10-7. Senior outfielder Khi Holiday led the way, batting .500 (7-14). Junior first baseman/designated hitter Cole Kitchens drove in a team-high five RBIs. On the mound, junior left-hander Jake Porter had the best outing, throwing a season-best seven innings in an 11-1 win and striking out five.
Hot Eagles. Sophomore outfielder Cameron Boyd has been on fire the last 10 games, hitting .447 (17-38) with 10 runs scored, three home runs, and 13 RBIs. Sophomore infielder Parker Martin follows with a .426 mark (20-47), while senior outfielder Khi Holiday rounds out the .400 hitters by hitting .405 (17-42) with nine RBIs. Junior designated hitter/first baseman Cole Kitchens is the best run producer with 15 RBIs.
USI leaders at the plate. Junior designated hitter Cole Kitchens leads USI at the plate with a .377 batting average, while posting a team-best 50 RBIs and 11 home runs. The .377 average is the best mark in the OVC, while Kitchens’ 50 RBIs rank second in the league. Sophomore infielder Parker Martin follows with a .374 average, which ranks second in the OVC.
USI in the OVC. USI leads the OVC with a .312 team batting average. On the bump, the Eagles are eighth in the league with a 6.96 ERA. In the 21 games of league action, USI is first in batting (.313) and ninth in pitching (6.81 ERA).
USI non-conference leaders. Junior designated hitter Cole Kitchens is hitting a team-best .438 (39-89) versus non-conference opponents with 26 RBIs and six home runs in 23 games. Junior first baseman Kannon Coakley followed by hitting .369 with 16 RBIs and nine doubles.
Martin leads in OVC play. Sophomore infielder Parker Martin is leading the Eagles and the OVC in conference action with a .427 average (35-82). Martin also has five home runs, tying for the team high.
USI has four hitting .400 at home. Sophomore infielder Parker Martin leads four Eagles hitting .400 at home. Martin is hitting .468 (22-47), while junior shortstop Clayton Slack follows with a .425 mark (17-40). Junior outfielder Hunter Miller and junior designated hitter/first baseman Cole Kitchens round out the .400 hitters at home with .421 (8-19) and .419 (18-43) marks.
Boyd drives in the runs at home. Sophomore outfielder Cameron Boyd leads the Eagles at the USI Baseball Field with 16 RBIs and three home runs.
USI hosts UE May 6. USI is scheduled to host the University of Evansville (14-32) May 6. UE lost a single game versus Indiana University and all three games of a series with Belmont University last week. USI and UE split the first two meetings of 2025 at Braun Stadium with the Eagles winning, 9-1, and the Aces taking the nightcap, 13-0. UE leads the all-time series, 35-21.
USI hosts SEMO this weekend. USI hosts Southeast Missouri State University this weekend. SEMO is 27-21 overall, 13-8 OVC. The Redhawks are 5-5 in the last 10 games. USI and SEMO are tied 28-28 in the series after the Redhawks took three of four from the Eagles in 2024. SEMO took the last matchup in the OVC Tournament last spring, 11-5.
