EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball continues a four-game homestand this weekend, seeking to extend its current three-game winning streak in a three-game series against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in Ohio Valley Conference action.
 
The series begins Friday with a doubleheader at 2 p.m., and Saturday's game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. first pitch. Admission to all 2023 USI Softball home spring games is free, courtesy of The Women's Hospital Deaconess.
 
Southern Indiana enters the OVC series with a 15-17 record and 8-6 in the conference season. SIUE is 15-21 with a 2-8 conference record. USI heads into the weekend in a tie for third place with the University of Tennessee at Martin, who is also 8-6 in OVC play. SIUE sits eighth in the league table.
 
USI is 5-2 at home this season, sweeping two games against Lindenwood, winning two of three against UT Martin, and grabbing a midweek victory against Butler University on Wednesday. USI's only other home defeat came last week against Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI).
 
After capturing two straight wins to end its series at Eastern Illinois University last weekend, Southern Indiana pushed its winning streak to three with a 4-1 win against Butler on Wednesday. In the game, the freshman pitchers shined for USI. Freshman Raegan Gibson (Louisville, Kentucky) made her first career start, tossing four shutout innings toward her first career win. Following Gibson, freshman Kylie Eads (Indianapolis, Indiana) picked up her second save of the season after finishing the last three innings with one unearned run allowed. Offensively, junior first baseman Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana) had a two-RBI double in the first inning that put USI ahead early. Junior outfielder Mackenzie Bedrick (Brownsburg, Indiana) had a two-hit game with an RBI and a run scored.
 
Overall, senior Allie Goodin (Evansville, Indiana) leads the Screaming Eagles with a .429 batting average, 13 doubles, and 25 RBIs. Her numbers rank among the top of the OVC, and her batting average and doubles total are top-35 in the nation. Fair leads the team with four home runs and is second in RBIs with 21. Bedrick is hitting .330, leading the team with 24 runs scored. Sophomore pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) leads the rotation in the pitching circle with a 12-7 record, 2.29 ERA, 118 strikeouts, and 12 complete games. She has earned OVC Pitcher of the Week three times this season.
 
Diving more into Goodin's strong 2023 season, she has done most of her damage at the plate during the OVC season. In conference games, Goodin is hitting .510 with seven doubles, two home runs, and 18 RBIs. In conference-only action, Goodin leads the OVC in batting average and doubles and is second in RBIs, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage.
 
SIUE is coming off a tough 5-1 loss on Wednesday at Purdue University. The Cougars tied the game, 1-1, in the third inning after an early run by the Boilermakers. SIUE hung with the opposition from the Big Ten Conference, but Purdue orchestrated a four-run sixth inning to get the win. Before the Purdue matchup, SIUE won two straight games for a series win against Tennessee State University, coming on the heels of an 0-8 start to OVC play for the Cougars.
 
As a team, the Cougars are batting .256 with 45 doubles, 14 home runs, and 35 stolen bases. The pitching staff has a 3.36 ERA and 150 strikeouts, holding opposing batters to a .264 batting average. SIUE's offense is highlighted by redshirt junior outfielder Lexi King and sophomore infielder Paige Rocha, who are both hitting above .400 this season. They have 19 and 18 RBIs, respectively, while Rocha leads the squad with five home runs. Rocha is the reigning OVC Player of the Week. Junior pitcher Kelsey Ray fronts the pitching staff with a 2.70 ERA and 77 strikeouts. She is 4-8 in 98.2 innings pitched.
 
Friday's series opener will be the 75^th meeting of all time between the two schools, dating back to the early 1980s and the days as NCAA Division II foes. SIUE has had the upper hand in the series' history, leading 51-22-1. In fact, USI will be looking to snap a five-game skid against the Cougars, as USI's last win against SIUE was a 3-2 victory in 2006. This weekend's matchup will be the first meeting between the two programs since 2008.
 
All three games can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+. Additional coverage links are on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.