Collegiate Baseball/Division II Top 30 poll
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana baseball team resumes its 12-game homestand with the Dunn Hospitality Invitational Friday through Monday at the USI Baseball Field. The Screaming Eagles (6-3) are scheduled to play the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Friday at 3 p.m. and Saturday at 2:30 p.m., while concluding the invitational against Wayne State College (Neb.) Sunday at 2:30 p.m. and Monday under the lights at 5 p.m.
The USI-WSC game on Monday will be the first night game in the history of the USI Baseball Field.
The Eagles, who climbed back in to the Collegiate Baseball Magazine/Division II Top 30 poll at number 26, are coming off a three-game sweep of Tiffin University. USI started the series by taking a doubleheader, 5-0 and 11-7, before coming-from-behind to win the series-finale, 15-11.
Leading the Eagles at the plate is junior outfielder Michael Huling (South Bend, Indiana), who is batting .400, and junior outfielder Justin Blinn (Vincennes, Indiana), who is hitting .371 with a team-high 11 RBIs. Blinn also has a team-best two home runs.
On the mound, junior right-hander Trevor Leach (Danville, Indiana) has made seven appearances in nine games and is 1-0 with a 1.23 ERA. He also has struck out eight batters in 14.2 innings of work.
In the win column, senior right-hander/infielder Tyler Choate (Carmi, Illinois) leads the Eagles with a 3-0 mark and is second on the squad with a 3.60 ERA in three starts.
The Rangers of UW-Parkside (1-7) will be making their first visit to the USI Baseball Field under the direction of Head Coach Joel Weaver, who was an assistant at USI the last three seasons. USI leads the all-time series with UW-Parkside, 22-21, after the Eagles swept four games from the Rangers in 2009. USI also has won eight of the last 10 meetings with UW-Parkside.
The Wildcats of WSC (3-5) come to Evansville after losing three of four to Winona State University last weekend in the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. WSC is under the direction of new Head Coach Brian Disch, who was a player when USI Head Coach Tracy Archuleta was an assistant coach for the Wildcats (1999-2001).
The Eagles lead the all-time series with WSC, 2-0, after sweeping the two games at the USI Baseball Field last year.
