EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Softball finishes the 2018 regular season schedule this weekend as it hosts the University of Missouri-St. Louis Saturday at noon at the USI Softball Field and No. 25 McKendree University for Senior Day Sunday at noon.

To start, USI can clinch a spot in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship Tournament, which is May 3-5 in East Peoria, Illinois. Secondly, the Screaming Eagles can improve their positioning for a potential at-large bid in the NCAA Division II Midwest Region Tournament.

USI (25-20, 13-11 GLVC) also can secure Head Coach Sue Kunkle's 500th career win with three victories this weekend and send one of USI's most successful senior classes out on a high note.

All four games this weekend will be streamed on the GLVC Sports Network, while live stats and GLVCSN links can be found at GoUSIEagles.com.

USI Softball Notes
• Recapping last week. USI Softball went 2-4 last week, including 1-3 in GLVC play. USI lost a 3-0 lead in its 4-3 loss to Kentucky Wesleyan before seeing a 1-0 lead slip away in a 2-1 loss in game one against Drury. The Eagles also led 2-0 and 3-1 in their 4-3 loss to Drury in game two.

• Last week's leaders. Senior third baseman Mena Fulton had an outstanding week for the Eagles at the plate, hitting .647 (11-17) with three runs scored, two doubles, two home runs and six RBIs. Sophomore pitcher Jennifer Leonhardt hit .333 with three runs scored and was 1-2 with a 1.94 ERA, 27 strikeouts and a .200 opponent batting average. Junior pitcher Haylee Smith was 1-1 with a 0.75 ERA and a .257 opponent batting average in the circle last week.

• Season leaders (at the plate). Fulton has taken over the team lead in batting average (.366) and doubles (10), while her three home runs and 19 RBIs are both fourth on the team. Sophomore outfielder Allison Schubert is hitting .350 with nine doubles, a triple, 11 home runs and 34 RBIs, while junior second baseman Claire Johnson is hitting .318 with six doubles, six triples, four home runs and 19 RBIs. Junior outfielder/pitcher Caitlyn Bradley also has five doubles, five home runs and 27 RBIs.

• Season leaders (in the circle). Leonhardt continues to lead the Eagles with a 13-10 overall record, a 2.91 ERA, a .217 opponent batting average and 163 strikeouts on the year. Smith is 4-4 with a 3.23 ERA, while junior pitcher Courtney Atkisson is 7-5 with a 3.39 ERA and a .295 opponent batting average.

• USI vs. GLVC-only competition. Fulton is hitting a blistering .413 with seven doubles, three home runs and 12 RBIs in GLVC play this year; while Leonhardt is 9-4 with a 2.25 ERA and a GLVC-best 100 strikeouts and .196 opponent batting average.

• Senior Day. USI will honor its four seniors—Fulton, outfielder Olivia Clark-Kittleson, first baseman Marleah Fossett and infielder Alex Logan—following Sunday's doubleheader against McKendree.  The Eagles' senior class has posted a 145-66 overall record and a 75-33 mark in GLVC play. USI's senior class is seven wins shy of becoming the all-time winningest class in program history–the 2001 senior class won 152 games, while the 2000 class won 146 games–and is trying to become the first class in program history to advance to four NCAA Division II Tournaments.

• USI in the regional rankings. The Eagles held their spot at No. 7 in the latest NCAA Division II Midwest Region Rankings. USI is one of seven GLVC teams in this week's rankings, with No. 17 Illinois Springfield leading the way at No. 2. Grand Valley State is No. 1, followed by UIS, Indianapolis (3), McKendree (4), Missouri-St. Louis (5) and Saginaw Valley State (6). William Jewell (8) was behind USI, followed by Ashland (9) and Truman State (10).

• A lot riding on this weekend. USI's chance at positioning itself for an at-large berth in the NCAA II Midwest Region Tournament is not the only thing that hinges on this weekend's games. The Eagles also need a strong finish to ensure themselves a spot in next week's GLVC Tournament. While the top two spots in the GLVC Tournament are out of reach, USI could finish anywhere from third to 11th in the final GLVC standings.

• Kunkle closing in on milestone. Head Coach Sue Kunkle is just three wins shy of becoming the first coach in USI history to reach the 500-win plateau. She is currently 497-358-1 (.581) all-time during her 17-year career at the helm of the Eagles.

• Leonhardt earns GLVC Pitcher of Week honors. Leonhardt claimed her fourth-career GLVC Pitcher of the Week award and first of the 2018 campaign following her efforts in USI's wins over Rockhurst and William Jewell. She was 3-0 with a 1.02 ERA, 19 strikeouts and a .163 opponent batting average in 13 2/3 innings of work.

• Schubert joins elite club. Schubert is the eighth player in program history to hit 10 or more home runs in a single season. Her 11 home runs in 2018 are currently tied for fifth on USI's single-season list.

• Hitting streaks. Fulton currently leads USI with an eight-game hitting streak, just one shy of her season-high of nine straight. She is one of eight different Eagles this year to record a hitting streak of at least five games. Johnson's 11-game hitting streak was the longest of the year.

• Record book watch. Several USI players are in the USI career record books:
–Caitlyn Bradley is fifth all-time in hit-by-pitches (16) and tied for 17th in home runs (12);
–Marleah Fossett is second all-time in hit-by-pitches (29), third in putouts (960), tied for 14th in home runs (13) and 15th in RBIs (84);
–Mena Fulton is first all-time in hit-by-pitches (32);
–Claire Johnson is fourth in triples (10);
–Jennifer Leonhardt is fifth in strikeouts (354), sixth in wins (42) and is tied for sixth in shutouts (14);
–Allison Schubert is tied for 14th in home runs (13).