EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball opens the Ohio Valley Conference season Sunday and Monday with a three-game set at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, Tennessee.
 
The series was originally scheduled for Saturday and Sunday but was pushed back due to inclement weather in the forecast. Sunday is scheduled as a doubleheader at 1 p.m. with Monday's series finale at 11 a.m.
 
Southern Indiana (6-9) is riding a three-game winning streak heading into conference play. USI is coming off a five-game set at The Spring Games in Madeira Beach, Florida, to conclude the main portion of the non-conference schedule. After dropping the first two games against Quinnipiac University and Western Michigan University, the Screaming Eagles won three straight games against Monmouth University, Sacred Heart University, and the University of North Dakota. USI posted back-to-back shutouts against Sacred Heart and North Dakota.
 
At The Spring Games, six different players tallied at least two RBIs during the trip south. Senior outfielder Mackenzie Bedrick (Brownsburg, Indiana) had two RBIs and batted for .357. Junior infielder Hailey Gotshall (Lucerne, Indiana) also had two RBIs, including a walk-off game-winning RBI, with two doubles and three runs. Freshman Alyssa Mumaw (Greenfield, Indiana) and senior Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana) each had a home run. Junior pitcher Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) got it done both at the plate and in the pitching circle. Offensively, Newman went 6-9 with an RBI and two runs scored. On the mound, Newman went 2-1 with three complete games and two shutouts, posting a 0.84 ERA. The right-hander struck out 37 in 25 innings of work, including 26 strikeouts in the last two shutout starts.
 
Leading USI offensively this season has been a dynamic duo at the top of the batting order in Bedrick and sophomore outfielder Caroline Stapleton (Shirley, Indiana). Both players are hitting over .300 through the first 15 games. Bedrick has started all 15 games and Stapleton has made 11 starts. Bedrick is hitting .302 with five runs and nine stolen bases, and Stapleton is batting .375 and reaching base at a .487 clip with a team-best seven runs scored. Senior catcher Sammie Kihega (Greenfield, Indiana) tops the team with eight RBIs.
 
Newman has led the USI pitching staff, going into OVC play with a 5-4 record and a 2.41 ERA in 10 starts and 64 innings pitched. The right-hander has nine complete games with two shutouts, including a one-hitter last time out against North Dakota. Newman has 69 strikeouts this season.
 
Tennessee Tech is 7-6 this season, surpassing its win total from 2023 of six wins. However, the Golden Eagles have dropped two straight and are 1-4 in their last five games. Tennessee Tech has hit .272 as a team and has a collective 3.83 ERA in 13 games played. Six players are batting above .300, and senior Carmen Betts has a team-high 10 RBIs while posting a .333 batting average. Freshman Emily York paces the pitching staff with a 1.79 ERA and 3-0 record in eight appearances, while junior Payton Wagner and senior Lennon Spicer have made five starts each.
 
Last season, USI went 2-0 in the first-ever series against Tennessee Tech. The series finale was canceled in 2023 due to weather. The Screaming Eagles outscored the Golden Eagles 16-7 in the series. USI won the opener 8-0 in five innings before rallying from five runs down in the second game to walk off with an 8-7 victory. In those two games, USI hit .377 collectively, including four doubles and sending three over the fence. Out of the returning Screaming Eagle players, Gotshall went 4-7 in the series with three runs, and Bedrick had two hits, four walks, and scored three times. Newman tossed a five-inning shutout win, and Gotshall was credited with the second win after pitching four scoreless innings in relief.
 
The Spin 95.7 FM will have radio coverage of the road series. Live stats and coverage links can be found on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.