EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball hosts its home-opening series this weekend at USI Softball Field when the Screaming Eagles welcome in Morehead State University for a three-game series in Ohio Valley Conference play.
 
The series begins Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. The series finale on Sunday is scheduled for Noon. Fans will be able to pick up a 2024 USI Softball magnet schedule on both days of the weekend series. Single-day and season-ticket options are available upon arrival at USI Softball Field and through the USI Ticket Office at 812-465-1189.
 
Southern Indiana (7-11, 1-2) opened the Ohio Valley Conference ledger last Sunday and Monday at Tennessee Tech University. On Sunday, Tennessee Tech came out with a doubleheader sweep to claim a series win, but USI responded on Monday with a series finale victory. After being outscored 7-1 in Sunday's double-dip, USI won 6-3 on Monday.
 
The Screaming Eagles hit .247 as a team last weekend at Tennessee Tech. Senior catcher Sammie Kihega (Greenfield, Indiana) went 4-8 with a double, a home run, and two RBIs in the series. Junior infielder Hailey Gotshall (Lucerne, Indiana) and senior first baseman Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana) each tallied three hits and two doubles. Gotshall led USI on the weekend with three RBIs, which all came in Monday's series finale victory. In the pitching circle, junior Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) went 1-1 in two complete games, posting a 1.62 ERA across 13 innings of work with seven strikeouts.
 
Prior to the Tennessee Tech series, Southern Indiana was 6-9 and winners of three straight games going back to the end of USI's trip to The Spring Games in Florida. In fact, USI had held opponents scoreless for 19 consecutive innings before Tennessee Tech's second-inning run in the series opener last Sunday.
 
On the season, sophomore outfielder Caroline Stapleton (Shirley, Indiana) leads the team with a .357 batting average and eight runs scored. Kihega is also hitting above .300 with a .320 clip while pacing USI with two home runs and 10 RBIs. Senior outfielder Mackenzie Bedrick (Brownsburg, Indiana) is batting .302 with five runs and nine stolen bases. Bedrick and Stapleton each have an on-base percentage above .400. Collectively, USI is hitting .247 with 49 runs, 26 extra-base hits, and 13 stolen bases. Newman tops the pitching staff with a 6-5 record and a 2.27 ERA with 76 strikeouts in 12 starts and 77 innings pitched. The right-hander also has two shutouts and 11 complete games. As a staff, USI has a 3.86 ERA.
 
Morehead State (7-8, 1-2) opened its OVC schedule last weekend at home against Tennessee State University, falling two games to one in the series. Morehead State won the series opener, 6-1, before dropping the last two games by a combined total of 19-6.
 
Junior outfielder Darlene Montoya fronts the offensive attack for Morehead State, hitting .386 with a team-best 10 RBIs. Montoya also leads the squad with six doubles and is tied for the team high with 11 runs. The Eagles are hitting .234 as a team with 30 extra-base hits, 64 runs scored, and 25 stolen bases.
 
Morehead State's two starting pitchers are freshman Addie Stem and sophomore Jessie Begley, who have posted ERAs of 4.03 and 5.49, respectively. Stem is 3-7 this season in seven starts and 48.2 innings pitched, while Begley is 4-1 in eight starts and 44.2 innings tossed. Morehead State has a team ERA of 4.63 with 58 strikeouts.
 
The all-time series between USI and Morehead State is tied, 4-4, but Southern Indiana won two of three games last season at Morehead State in what was USI's OVC debut in 2023.
 
In that series last season, USI won the first game, 6-4, before falling 6-5 in the second game to create a rubber match in the series finale. The Screaming Eagles came out on top in the rubber match, 9-5. At the plate, junior outfielder Kennedy Nalley (Huntingburg, Indiana) went 3-6 toward a .500 average, and Fair picked up four hits to bat .364 in the series. USI batted .333 as a team with nine extra-base hits. Newman notched both wins for the Screaming Eagles, going the distance in both starts. The right-hander struck out 16 and posted a 3.50 ERA.
 
All three games this weekend against Morehead State can be seen with an ESPN+ subscription and heard on 95.7 The Spin. Live stats and coverage links can be found on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.