EVANSVILLE, Ind.—The University of Southern Indiana softball team sees its first action against Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division competition when it hosts Kentucky Wesleyan College in a doubleheader Wednesday at 1 p.m. at the USI Softball Field. Live stats are available at gousieagles.com.
USI (13-5, 6-0 GLVC) is tied for first place in the GLVC East Division after sweeping Missouri University of Science & Technology and Drury University this past weekend at the USI Softball Field. The Screaming Eagles racked up 27 runs off 32 hits in the four games, while USI pitching recorded a pair of shutouts.
Senior third baseman/designated player
Kristen O'Haver is hitting .393 with a team-high four home runs and 21 RBIs, while junior shortstop
Stephanie Bittner is hitting a team-best .431 with two home runs and six RBIs.
Freshman pitcher
Brooke Harmening continues to excel in the pitcher's circle where she ranks fifth in the GLVC with a 1.47 ERA and 57 strike outs. Harmening, who is 7-4 with a save on the season, is limiting opposing hitters to a .199 batting average.
Sophomore hurler
Madeline Brink, who is 3-1 this year, leads the team with a GLVC-best 0.86 ERA, while fellow classmate
Kelsey Jankowski is 3-0 with a 2.82 ERA.
As a team, the Eagles currently rank first in the conference in team ERA (1.56) and are fifth in team batting average (.288). USI also is sixth in the GLVC in fielding percentage (.955).
Kentucky Wesleyan enters Wednesday's doubleheader with a 5-11 overall mark and a 4-4 record in GLVC play. The Panthers are coming off a doubleheader split with Missouri S&T this past Sunday.
USI also hosts GLVC East Division foes Bellarmine University and Northern Kentucky University in a pair of conference doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday, respectively, at the USI Softball Field. The Knights enter Saturday's game with a 15-11 overall record and a 6-2 mark in GLVC play, while the Norse are 11-7 overall and 5-3 in league play entering this weekend's games.
