EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball hits the road to take on Eastern Illinois University in Ohio Valley Conference play this weekend in Charleston, Illinois. The three-game set begins Friday with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. before Saturday's series finale at 12 p.m.
 
Southern Indiana enters the series with a 12-16 overall record and a 6-5 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Screaming Eagles are fourth in the OVC standings as they prepare to face the conference-leading Eastern Illinois Panthers. EIU sits at 19-13 this season with an 8-0 conference record.
 
The Screaming Eagles are coming off a 3-0 setback on Tuesday in a midweek matchup against Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). USI was held to one hit, while IUPUI scored three runs on five hits. Freshman pitcher Kylie Eads (Indianapolis, Indiana) made her first career start, allowing one unearned run in four innings. Freshman pitcher Raegan Gibson (Louisville, Kentucky) tossed the last three frames, giving up two runs - one earned.
 
Last weekend, USI picked up a series win in Ohio Valley Conference play against the University of Tennessee at Martin. The Screaming Eagles opened the series with a 6-4 win against the Skyhawks on Saturday. In Sunday's doubleheader, UT Martin took the second game of the series, 5-0, before USI won the rubber game, 8-2, to capture the series victory. It marked USI's third series win in the OVC season.
 
Southern Indiana's offense was led by senior Allie Goodin (Evansville, Indiana), who batted .545 with seven RBIs and two doubles. Goodin bookended the weekend series with three-hit games and with four and three RBIs, respectively. Junior outfielder Mackenzie Bedrick (Brownsburg, Indiana) hit .500 with five runs scored on the weekend, and sophomore outfielder Kennedy Nalley (Huntingburg, Indiana) also batted .500 with four runs and three walks.
 
Overall, Goodin paces the Screaming Eagles with a .448 batting average, 13 doubles, and 23 RBIs. Her numbers rank among the top of the OVC, and her batting average and doubles total are top-20 in the nation. Goodin is hitting .550 with 17 RBIs in conference games. Junior first baseman Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana) leads the team with four home runs and is second in RBIs with 15. Bedrick is hitting .321 and leads the team with 21 runs scored.
 
On Monday, sophomore pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) was named Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week for the third time this season. Newman earned the award after two masterful starts during the weekend series against UT Martin. She went 2-0 with two complete games, struck out 16 batters, allowed only seven total hits, and posted a 1.00 ERA in the two starts.
 
Newman leads the pitching rotation with a 10-6 record, 2.56 ERA, 104 strikeouts, and 10 complete games. Her 104 strikeouts lead the OVC and are inside the top-50 in the nation. The right-hander's 10 wins and 10 complete games are tied atop the OVC leaders, while her four shutouts are first in the OVC. In conference play, Newman is 5-2 with a 3.05 ERA, 49 strikeouts, and six complete games.
 
Heading into the EIU series, junior catcher Sammie Kihega (Greenfield, Indiana) is fourth all-time in USI history with 74 career walks. She is one walk away from third. Kihega had a 19-game on-base streak snapped in the series opener at Southeast Missouri State University on March 25. The 19-game streak was a career best for Kihega.

Eastern Illinois has won its last three games, which came in a series sweep of Tennessee State University in OVC play last weekend. It was a close series, as each game was decided by three runs or less. The Panthers have also taken care of business in the OVC with sweeps against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and UT Martin.
 
As a team, EIU has one of the best offenses in the league, batting .281 with 46 doubles, seven triples, and 30 triples to go along with 35 stolen bases. The pitching staff has a 3.36 ERA with 152 strikeouts, holding opposing hitters to a .257 batting average. Senior Rachel Kaufman paces EIU with a .391 batting average and is second on the team with five home runs and 20 RBIs. Junior Lindy Milkowski is hitting .345 while leading the squad with 10 home runs and 29 RBIs.
 
The two schools previously faced off in the only all-time meeting in 1994 with a two-game set. Eastern Illinois won both matchups, outscoring USI 7-0. Both games were hosted by Eastern Illinois.
 
All three games can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM. Additional coverage links are on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.