EVANSVILLE, Ind. — University of Southern Indiana Baseball will be forced to start its weekend series early due to the forecast of rain when it plays Eastern Illinois University Thursday in Charleston, Illinois, and Saturday at the USI Baseball Field. The Screaming Eagles and the Panthers will start the three-game Ohio Valley Conference set with a noon doubleheader Thursday at EIU and conclude the series with a 3 p.m. single game Saturday at USI.
 
The USI-EIU series was originally scheduled for Friday, Saturday, Sunday in Charleston.
 
Links to follow the Eagles (17-24, 6-9 OVC) during the 2024 season can be found on USIScreamingEagles.com and on the USI Baseball Schedule.
 
Following the USI-EIU series, the Eagles will be back on the road Tuesday with a visit to Southern Illinois University. First pitch in Carbondale, Illinois, is scheduled for 6 p.m.  

USI Baseball Notes
USI manufactures a win to start the week. The USI Screaming Eagles scored four times without the aid of a hit, defeating Belmont University, 4-3, in 11 innings. USI, which had eight hits in the game, used nine walks, two hit batters, and two sacrifice flies in the win. USI junior right-hander Adam Weihe picked up the win in relief by throwing three scoreless innings.
 
USI goes 1-3 last week. The USI Eagles were 1-3 last week, falling to Western Kentucky University, 2-1, and losing two-of-three in OVC play to the University of Tennessee at Martin. USI, which has had a 1-3 record in three of the last four weeks, was led by the .417 batting average of junior centerfielder Terrick Thompson-Allen. USI first baseman Tucker Ebest posted a team-high two home runs and eight RBIs through the four games last week. Junior right-hander Gavin Seebold picked up the only win for the second-straight week, throwing 6.0 innings and allowing one run versus UTM.  
 
USI in the OVC. USI is tied for eighth in the OVC standing (6-9) after losing the series to UTM over the weekend. Senior rightfielder Ren Tachioka leads USI at the plate in conference play, batting .405 (17-42). Senior first baseman Tucker Ebest had a team-high 15 RBIs in league action, while senior designated hitter Jack Ellis has a team-high three home runs.
 
USI in non-conference. In the 26 non-conference games, senior rightfielder Ren Tachioka leads the Eagles with a .359 average (28-78), while senior first baseman Tucker Ebest has a team-high 24 RBIs. Ebest also is tied with senior designated hitter Jack Ellis with a team-best four home runs outside of the OVC. Four pitchers have a team-best two victories each in the non-conference schedule.
 
Ellis and Ebest lead Eagles in homers. Senior designated hitter Jack Ellis has hit a team-best and career-high seven home runs this season, while senior first baseman Tucker Ebest follows with six round trippers, including a blast in back-to-back games last week.
 
Leaders at the plate in 2024. Senior rightfielder Ren Tachioka is hitting a team best .375 (45-120) in 31 of the 41 games, while senior designated hitter Jack Ellis has a team best seven home runs, while senior infielder/designated hitter Tucker Ebest has driven in a team-best 39 RBIs.
 
Leaders on the mound in 2024. USI junior right-handers Gavin Seebold has recorded a team-best five wins this season (5-2). Freshman right-hander Grant Parson and junior right-hander Gavin Morris follow with three wins each, while Parson also has a team-high 47 strikeouts. Freshman right-hander Clayton Weisheit leads USI hurlers with a team-low 3.09 ERA in 32.0 innings this season.
 
At home versus the road. USI, as a team, is hitting .285 at the home (19 games), compared to .274 on the road (20 games). Senior rightfielder Ren Tachioka is hitting a team-high .413 at the USI Baseball Field, but .338 on the road. On the opposite side, junior leftfielder Adam Euler is batting a team-best .407 on the road, compared to .130 at the USI Baseball Field.  
 
Multi-hit/Multi-RBI Games. USI junior centerfielder Terrick Thompson-Allen leads the Eagles with 18 multi-hit games (16 with 2; 2 with 3), followed by sophomore shortstop Caleb Niehaus has 16 (12 with 2; 4 with 3). Senior first baseman/designated hitter Tucker Ebest has a team-high 11 multi-RBI games. Niehaus has the top RBI game with five versus Southeast Missouri State University.
 
In the OVC statistically. USI as a team is fourth in the OVC in pitching with a team 6.15 ERA and seventh in the league in hitting with a .278 team batting average. Junior right-hander Gavin Seebold is eighth in the OVC with a 4.29 ERA and 10^th with 38 strikeouts, while freshman right-hander Grant Parson is ninth with a 4.30 ERA and fifth with 47 strikeouts.
 
In OVC Games Only. USI is fifth in the league with a .295 team batting average for OVC games only, but eighth with a 6.84 team ERA.
 
Eastern Illinois in 2024. The Panthers of Eastern Illinois University are 13-23 overall (EIU was playing Butler University at press time) and 7-8 in the OVC this season, tied for sixth. EIU lost two of three on the road over the weekend to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and is .500 (5-5) in the last 10 games.
 
USI vs. EIU. The Panthers lead the all-time series with USI, 20-7 after teams split four games last year. EIU got the most important of the games last May, eliminating USI from the OVC Championship on its way to the conference title last spring.
 
SIU in 2024. The Salukis of Southern Illinois University are 24-17 overall in 2024 with three games versus Indiana State University before hosting USI. SIU is 5-5 in its last 10 games.  
 
USI vs. SIU. The Eagles dropped both sides of a home-and-home series last season. USI lost at home, 16-9, and on the road, 14-3.