EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball returns home to USI Softball Field Friday and Saturday before the Easter holiday when the Screaming Eagles face off against Southeast Missouri State University in Ohio Valley Conference play.
 
The series is scheduled for a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Friday with the series finale Saturday at Noon. Friday is Giving Friday at USI Softball Field - bring three (3) canned goods or non-perishable food items to donate to Archie's Closet to receive free admission.
 
Entering the weekend slate around the Ohio Valley Conference, Southern Indiana (12-12, 6-3 OVC) finds itself in a four-way tie for second in the league standings alongside Southeast Missouri, Tennessee Tech University, and Tennessee State University.
 
USI has won six of its last seven games. Last weekend, the Screaming Eagles took two of three on the road at Lindenwood University. The series win brought Southern Indiana back to .500 on the season. USI won a 3-2, nine-inning thriller in the opener at Lindenwood; fell 8-0 in five innings in game 2; and won the rubber match 2-1 in the series finale.
 
The Screaming Eagles hit .241 as a team at Lindenwood, led by junior infielder Hailey Gotshall (Lucerne, Indiana) who went 5-10 against the Lions. Gotshall had three of her five hits go for extra bases. Gotshall has hit safely in five straight games entering the series against SEMO. Junior outfielder Kennedy Nalley (Huntingburg, Indiana) also hit over .400 at Lindenwood, while freshman Kate Satkoski (Lanesville, Indiana) had three hits including her first career home run.
 
Earlier this week junior pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) was named OVC Pitcher of the Week following her performance in the series at Lindenwood. Newman went 2-0 in two complete games, posting a 1.31 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 16 innings of work. Plus, the junior walked only one batter all weekend and pitched all nine innings in Saturday's extra-inning victory. The award was Newman's first of the season and fourth OVC Pitcher of the Week accolade in her career.
 
On the season, Newman is 10-5 with a 1.93 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 16 starts and 105 innings of work. The right-hander also has three shutouts and 15 complete games. Newman is fourth in the OVC in ERA while topping the league in innings pitched and strikeouts. The junior is one of two pitchers in the conference with over 100 strikeouts. In league action, Newman is second in ERA (1.20), opposing batting average (.187), innings pitched (41.0), and strikeouts (49).
 
At the plate, sophomore outfielder Caroline Stapleton (Shirley, Indiana) leads the team with a .328 batting average and 11 runs scored. Senior first baseman Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana) and Gotshall are not too far behind in batting average, hitting .324 and .313, respectively. Both are tied for a team-best seven doubles. Fair leads the Screaming Eagles with 14 RBIs and ranks top 10 in OVC play in batting average (.458), slugging percentage (.708), on-base percentage (.581), OPS (1.289), and RBIs (9). Senior catcher Sammie Kihega (Greenfield, Indiana) is also hitting above .300 for USI this season with two home runs and 11 RBIs.
 
Southeast Missouri (11-18, 6-3 OVC) is coming off a series win last weekend, taking two of three against Tennessee State. The Redhawks have been trending upward like the Screaming Eagles, winning seven of the last 10 games and 5-1 in the last two OVC series.
 
SEMO has three key hitters in its lineup, featuring senior infielder Abigail Rickermann, junior infielder Aubrie Shore, and senior catcher Marissa Peek. Rickermann leads the squad in batting average at .367 and is currently riding a seven-game hitting streak entering the weekend. Shore is hitting .326 and tops the team with 19 RBIs. Peek is batting .311 with a team-high four home runs and 11 RBIs. All three are batting above .400 in conference play.
 
Senior pitcher Paytience Holman leads the SEMO pitching staff with a 7-6 record and a 2.99 ERA in 13 starts and 75 innings pitched. Holman has 44 strikeouts this season. Last time out, Holman went seven innings in her longest outing of the season.
 
The Redhawks lead the all-time series 20-2, including nine consecutive wins. SEMO swept USI in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, last season. Southern Indiana's only wins in the series' history came in the first all-time meeting in 1984, a 2-0 win, and in 1990, a 3-0 victory.
 
All three games can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM. Additional coverage links can be found on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.