EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball is set to throw out the first pitch of 2022 February 18 when it visits Young Harris College in Young Harris, Georgia. The Screaming Eagles also start the season in the national spotlight after receiving votes for the Collegiate Baseball Division II Top 40 preseason poll.
 
The Eagles have been ranked or received votes for the national preseason poll each of the last 14 years, getting the top spot in 2011 and 2015 after winning the 2010 and 2014 national championships.
 
The first pitch of the USI-Young Harris contest is the start of a three-game series to start the 2022 calendar for the Eagles. The three-game series starts a 55-game schedule that includes a 24-game Great Lakes Valley Conference slate.
 
Seven days following the opener at Young Harris, USI begins the 2022 home campaign with a three-game set with Lake Erie College February 25-27. The Eagles are scheduled to have 24 home games over 20 dates.
 
In addition to Young Harris and Lake Erie, the non-conference schedule also is highlighted by a three-game homestands versus Trevecca Nazarene University (March 4-5) and Davenport University (March 11-13); a home-and-home series with Maryville University (April 9 and 13), Kentucky Wesleyan College (April 19 and 26); a single game at home versus Oakland City University (April 13); and road trips to the University of West Florida (March 8-9), Drury University (March 18-20), and Delta State University (March 25-27).
 
The 24-game 2022 GLVC schedule starts April 1 when USI hosts Quincy University for a four-game series (April 1-3).
 
The conference home campaign, in addition to a four-game sets with Quincy, includes Truman State University (April 14-16) and Missouri University of Science & Technology (April 29-May 1). The Eagles are on the road in the GLVC against the University of Illinois Springfield (April 8-10); Lewis University (April 22-23); and the University of Indianapolis (May 6-8).
 
The GLVC Tournament is May 12-15 and will be played at the Lou Brock Sports Complex in St. Charles, Missouri.
 
The NCAA Division II Tournament has changed this season to include a super-regional format. The Midwest Regional is May 19-21, followed by the Midwest Super-Regional May 27-28. The NCAA II Championship Series is June 4-11 in Cary, North Carolina.
 
The Eagles begin their 16th season under the direction of Head Coach Tracy Archuleta, who has a 506-285 (.640) record at USI and is the all-time winningest coach in the history of the program. Archuleta, whose Eagles were 24-20 in 2021 and a shortened season due to COVID-19, is 654-409 (.615) in 19 years as a collegiate head coach.