EVANSVILLE, Ind.—The University of Southern Indiana softball team enters the final week of the regular season with a sense of urgency as it fights for a spot in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and NCAA II Midwest Region Tournaments.
USI (24-18, 13-13 GLVC) begins its week Wednesday at 1 p.m. when it visits Kentucky Wesleyan College for a GLVC doubleheader in Owensboro, Kentucky. The Screaming Eagles host the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Saturday at noon in a conference twinbill, before concluding the regular-season Sunday at noon against Lewis University in a GLVC doubleheader at the USI Softball Field.
With six games remaining, USI finds itself in a tie with Lewis for fifth in the GLVC East Division. The Eagles are tied with Lewis and the University of Missouri-St. Louis for the final wild card spot in the GLVC Tournament.
“It's coming down to the wire and our last six games are probably going to be the most important,” USI Head Coach
Sue Kunkle said. “We have (Kentucky) Wesleyan tomorrow and Wisconsin-Parkside and Lewis this weekend and everyone is in the hunt for a spot in the tournament.”
Eight teams will qualify for the GLVC Tournament, which is April 27-29 in East Peoria, Illinois. The top three teams from each division (East and West) will advance to the conference tournament as will two wild cards.
USI, which was 10th in last week's NCAA II Midwest Region rankings, could climb as high as third in the GLVC standings if it wins its remaining games and gets help. The Eagles are tied with fourth-place Bellarmine University (17-13) in the loss column and trail Northern Kentucky University (17-11) by two games in the loss column.
On Saturday, the Eagles will wear pink uniforms as they, along with UW-Parkside, participate in the National Fastpitch Coaches' Association's Strikeout Cancer initiative, which unites the NFCA and the American Cancer Society to help raise funds and awareness to fight cancer.
Sunday is Senior Day for the Eagles, who will honor senior third baseman/designated player
Kristen O'Haver following their doubleheader with Lewis.
