EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Softball opens Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament play Thursday at 12:30 p.m. when it hosts No. 8-seeded Maryville University in the opening round.
 
The Screaming Eagles (40-10, 26-2 GLVC) enter the tournament as the top seed after finishing the regular-season by winning 28 of their last 30 games, including a program-record 26 wins in conference play.
 
USI jumped one spot to No. 15 in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches' Association Division II Top 25 poll. The University of Indianapolis, which is the No. 2 seed in the GLVC Tournament, dropped a spot to No. 3 in the latest national poll, while Grand Valley State University stayed at No. 21 to round out the Midwest Region's presences in the national poll.
 
If USI wins its opening round game, the Eagles will play the winner of the matchup between No. 5-seeded University of Missouri-St. Louis and No. 4-seeded Lindenwood University Friday at 3 p.m. in the winner's bracket. USI would play the loser between Missouri-St. Louis and Lindenwood Friday at 10 a.m. in the event of a first-round loss.
 
The GLVC Tournament semifinals are scheduled for Saturday, while any remaining "if necessary" games along with the championship are scheduled for Sunday.
 
USI's games will be carried live on the GLVC Sports Network, while live stats and video can be accessed at GoUSIEagles.com. Tickets for the GLVC Softball Championship Tournament must be purchased online and in advance as no cash will be accepted at the gate.
 
USI Softball Notes
• Eagles looking for fifth GLVC Tournament title. USI is looking for its fifth GLVC Tournament title this weekend and its first since 2018.
 
• Different format. This year's GLVC Tournament is following the GLVC Baseball Championship's format, with the tournament being double-elimination and the championship being a winner-take-all single game.
 
• Against the field. The Eagles went 13-1 against the GLVC Tournament field this season, including 7-1 against the top five seeds. More impressively is that the Eagles played seeds 2-5 on the road during the regular season.
 
• GLVC regular-season champions. USI captured its first regular-season GLVC title since 2017 and its first-ever out-right regular-season championship. The Eagles finished in a tie at 19-7 with Rockhurst in 2017 but had the No. 1 seed due to a tiebreaker. They tied with Ashland University at 8-0 in 1995 before winning the GLVC Tournament title.

• Scoreless streak. Lindenwood's run in the third inning of the Eagles' game-two win snapped a pair of USI scoreless streaks. The Eagles held their opponents scoreless for 22 consecutive frames this weekend, while freshman pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) had not given up a run in her previous 20 innings of work.
 
• Another plateau. USI's 40 wins marks the fourth time in program history that the Eagles have reached the 40-win plateau. They won 48 games in 1998, 46 in 2017 and 41 during their national championship run in 2018. It's also the third time in program history they have reached the 40-win plateau during the regular-season.
 
• GLVC win total. The Eagles matched the single-season program record for conference wins by picking up its 22nd GLVC victory. USI was 22-6 in 1998 and 2015 and went 21-9 in 2016. This season marks the fourth time in program history the Eagles have reached the 20-win plateau in league play.
 
• USI moves up on spot in NFCA Top 25. The Eagles moved up one spot to No. 15 in the latest NFCA Division II Top 25 poll. Indianapolis dropped a spot to No. 2, while Grand Valley State remained No. 21.
 
• Regional rankings. The final set of regional rankings are due out Wednesday afternoon. The Eagles are fighting for a top-two spot in the NCAA II Midwest Region rankings, which would give the Eagles the right to host one of the two Midwest Regionals. The NCAA Division II Tournament selection show is scheduled for Monday at 9 a.m. (CDT) on ncaa.com.
 
• USI ends regular season with four more wins. The Eagles went 4-0 to end the regular season. The Eagles held their opponents to just two runs in 28 innings of work, with junior pitcher Allie Goodin (Evansville, Indiana) going 2-0 with a .054 ERA and senior pitcher Katie Back (Indianapolis, Indiana) going 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA. Newman went 1-0 with a save and a 0.62 ERA.
 
At the plate, sophomore catcher Sammie Kihega (Greenfield, Indiana) hit .583 (7-12) with three doubles and thre RBI to lead the Eagles. Goodin and junior second baseman Rachel Martinez (Chicago, Illinois) each had four RBI, while Goodin and sophomore first baseman Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana) each had a home run.
 
• Season leaders. Sophomore first baseman Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana) continues to pace the Eagles at the plate with a .385 batting average, 16 doubles, three triples, eight home runs and 42 RBI. Back is hitting .374 with eight doubles, two home runs and 26 RBI. The Eagles are hitting .322 as a team and have 10 players with at least 12 RBI and eight with more than 20 RBI.
 
Junior shortstop Jordan Rager (Fishers, Indiana) has driven in 31 runs, while Martinez and freshman outfielder Kennedy Nalley (Huntingburg, Indiana) have racked up 30 and 29 RBI, respectively.
 
In the circle, Newman is 14-3 with a 1.84 ERA, 165 strikeouts and a .170 opponent batting average, while Goodin is 11-2 with a 2.24 ERA and a .228 opponent batting average. In GLVC play, Newman is 11-0 with a 0.95 ERA, .114 opponent batting average and 120 strikeouts.
 
• Walk-off wins. The Eagles have had 11 walk-off victories this season, including six that have been in the seventh-inning or later and four that have been in extra innings. Six of the walk-off wins have given the Eagles victory via the eight-run rule.
 
• Eagles in extra innings. USI is 6-1 in extra-inning games this season, including 4-0 in GLVC play.
 
• Hitting streaks. Goodin and sophomore outfielder Mackenzie Bedrick (Brownsburg, Indiana) each have hit in a team-leading six straight games entering the GLVC Tournament. Martinez and Bedrick each had a team-high 11-game hitting streak earlier in the year.
 
• Eagles back to 30-win plateau. USI cracked the 30-win plateau for the first time since 2019 and the seventh time in the last 10 years. The Eagles were on pace to crack the 30-win plateau in 2020, winning 15 of their first 19 games before COVID-19 canceled the remainder of their season. The Eagles have reached the 30-win plateau 12 times under Head Coach Sue Kunkle and 19 times in program history.
 
• Best GLVC start in program history. The Eagles' 16-0 start to GLVC play this season was the best open to league play in program history. USI's game-one loss to Indianapolis snapped USI's 17-game GLVC winning streak, which dated back to the end of the 2021 campaign.
 
• Win streak. USI's 18-game winning streak matched the program record, which was first set during the 2005 season. USI followed an 0-8 start to the 2005 season with 18 straight wins.
 
• Weekly honors. Both Fair and Newman have collected GLVC weekly honors this season. Fair earned GLVC Player of the Week honors for her efforts in USI's doubleheader sweeps over Illinois Springfield, Truman State and Quincy earlier this season, while Newman was named GLVC Pitcher of the Week after recording a pair of shutouts, including a no-hitter, in USI's doubleheader wins over Drury and Southwest Baptist.
 
• Fair on Player of the Year list. Fair was named to the NFCA's Player and Pitcher of the Year Top 50 list earlier this season. She was one of six players from the GLVC and eight from the Midwest Region to land on the list.
 
• Newman put together impressive run. Newman saw her string of three straight shutouts come to an end during USI's win over Indianapolis last week. She had not given up a run for 20 1/3 innings of work until UIndy's Gianni Iannantone hit a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the second inning.
 
• Bean, Rager put up big numbers. Bean and Rager each have posted a six-RBI game for the Eagles this season. Bean drove in seven runs in USI's doubleheader sweep of Southwest Baptist, including a career-high six in USI's game-two victory, while Rager had six RBI, all in one inning, in USI's 11-2 win over Truman State.
 
• OUCH! Fair has been hit by a pitch a league-high 20 times this season. She ranks No. 2 on USI's all-time single-season list for being hit by a pitch. Marleah Fossett and Mena Fulton were smacked by pitches a respective 21 and 17 times in 2017, while Caitlyn Bradley was hit 12 times in 2016. Fair, who was hit 10 times as a freshman in 2021, is tied with Fossett for No. 2 on USI's all-time list behind Fulton (37).
 
• Kunkle claims 600th win. USI Head Coach Sue Kunkle earned her 600th career with USI's 8-0, game-one win over Quincy. She is the first coach in school history to win 600 games at USI.
 
• Rager gets half a cycle in one inning. Rager had a two-run triple and a grand slam in one inning during USI's 11-2, game-two win over Truman State University last month.
 
• USI breaks triples record. Rager's triple against Truman State was the Eagles' 20th on the year, which set a new single-season school record. The former record (19) was set in 1994 and 1995. The Eagles currently have a GLVC-best 24 triples on the year.
 
• Grand slam club. Rager's grand slam also was USI's third of the month, which tied the single-season school record of three (2017). She joins junior second baseman Rachel Martinez (Chicago, Illinois), who hit a grand slam in USI's 6-2 win over Central Missouri on March 4, and freshman outfielder Kennedy Nalley (Huntingburg, Indiana), who had a grand slam in USI's 8-0 win over Lynn on March 7.
 
• 15-plus. Newman has three games under her belt with at least 15 strikeouts. She fanned 17 batters in USI's game-two win over Quincy and struck out 16 in USI's game-two win over Missouri-St. Louis. She also had 15 strikeouts in USI's game-two win over McKendree.