EVANSVILLE, Ind. — University of Southern Indiana Baseball returns to the friendly surroundings of the USI Baseball Field this weekend for a four-game homestand to end the 2024 regular season. The Screaming Eagles are slated to host Middle Tennessee State University Tuesday at 6 p.m. before hosting Western Illinois University for a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series Thursday through Saturday.
 
The game times for the weekend series between USI and WIU is 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, while the regular season finale is Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
The USI-WIU series is Alumni Weekend for the Eagles and will feature a Senior Day and the 2014 NCAA Division II National Championship Reunion Saturday. The 2024 seniors and the national championship team will be recognized prior to Saturday's 1 p.m. contest.
 
USI (22-30, 11-13 OVC) is seventh in the OVC standing after being swept by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. The Eagles are a game ahead eighth place Eastern Illinois University (10-14) and two games ahead of ninth place Lindenwood University (9-15).
 
There is a chance for USI to finish as high as fourth in the OVC due to being two games behind fourth-place Tennessee Tech University (13-11) and one game behind Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (12-12) and the University of Tennessee at Martin (12-12), which are tied for fifth. WIU (13-34, 8-16) is 10^th but still in contention for a berth in the tournament.
 
The SERVPRO OVC Championship, which includes the top eight teams in the standings, is scheduled for May 22-25 at Marion Stadium in Marion, Illinois. Links to follow the Eagles during the 2024 season can be found on USIScreamingEagles.com and on the USI Baseball Schedule.
 
USI Baseball Notes
Eagles have rough week on the road: The USI Screaming Eagles had a rough time on the road last week, falling to the University of Evansville and being swept by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in OVC play. USI junior catcher Logan Mock led USI at the plate by hitting .556 (5-9) with eight RBIs.
 
Mock ties season high for RBIs twice. USI junior catcher Logan Mock tied a career-high in back-to-back games versus Little Rock. Mock, who had two RBIs in the first game versus the Trojans, had three RBIs in each of the last two games.
 
USI has won 6^th series this year. USI has won six series this season, including three in OVC play. The Eagles won only four series all of last season.  
 
Comes down to pitching. USI's 22 wins in 2024 (year two of the Division I transition) are five victories better than last season with eight regular season games to play and a lot of this year's improvement has come down to pitching. The Eagles have a 6.02 ERA, 1.68 better than last season's 7.70 ERA and the lowest since 2021.
 
Tough one run games. The Eagles have had their problems with one-run games in 2024. USI is just 2-9 in one run games, including a pair last weekend with Little Rock.
 
USI in the OVC. USI is seventh in the OVC standing (11-13) after being swept Little Rock. The Eagles are a game ahead eighth place Eastern Illinois University (10-14) and two games ahead of ninth place Lindenwood University (9-15). USI has a chance to finish as high as fourth in the OVC due to being two games behind fourth-place Tennessee Tech University (13-11) and one game behind Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (12-12) and the University of Tennessee at Martin (12-12), which are tied for fifth. Senior outfielder Ren Tachioka leads USI at the plate in conference play, batting .420 (34-81). Senior first baseman Tucker Ebest has a team-high 23 RBIs and five home runs in league action.
 
USI in non-conference. In the 28 non-conference games, senior outfielder Ren Tachioka leads the Eagles with a .357 average (30-84), while senior first baseman Tucker Ebest has a team-high 26 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.
 
Season leaders at the plate in 2024. Senior outfielder Ren Tachioka is hitting a team best .388 (64-165) in 42 of the 52 games, while senior infielder/designated hitter Tucker Ebest has hit a team-high nine home runs and driven in a team-best 49 RBIs.
 
Leaders on the mound in 2024. USI junior right-handers Gavin Seebold has recorded a team-best six wins this season (6-2). Junior right-hander Gavin Morris and freshman right-hander Grant Parson follow with four wins each, while Parson has a team-high 60 strikeouts. Freshman right-hander Clayton Weisheit leads USI hurlers with a team-low 2.92 ERA in 37.0 innings this season.
 
At home versus the road. USI, as a team, is hitting .296 at the home (23 games), compared to .265 on the road (28 games). Senior rightfielder Ren Tachioka is hitting a team-high .444 at the USI Baseball Field, but team-high .344 on the road.
 
Multi-hit/Multi-RBI Games. USI junior centerfielder Terrick Thompson-Allen leads the Eagles with 24 multi-hit games (22 with 2; 2 with 3), followed by senior outfielder Ren Tachioka has 21 (14 with 2; 6 with 3; 1 with 4). Senior first baseman/designated hitter Tucker Ebest has a team-high 14 multi-RBI games. Sophomore infielder Caleb Niehaus has the top RBI game of the season with five versus Southeast Missouri State University.
 
In the OVC statistically. USI, as a team, is fifth in the OVC in pitching with a team 6.02 ERA and sixth in the league in hitting with a .278 team batting average. Senior outfielder Ren Tachioka is third in the OVC with a .388 batting average, while freshman right-hander Grant Parson is fifth with a 3.90 ERA and sixth with 60 strikeouts.
 
In OVC Games Only. USI is fifth in the league with a .303 team batting average and sixth with a 5.97 team ERA in OVC games only.
 
MTSU in 2024. The Blue Raiders of MTSU are 19-32 overall in 2024 and are 5-5 in the last 10 games. MTSU, who took two of three from Jacksonville State University last weekend, is 11-20 since playing the Eagles in March.             
 
USI vs. MTSU. USI owns the first and only meeting between the two programs, defeating MTSU, 12-9, in March. Junior catcher Logan Mock led the USI hitters in the win, going four-for-four with three RBIs and two doubles.    
 
Western Illinois in 2024. The Leathernecks of Western Illinois University are 13-34 overall and 8-16 in the OVC after losing two of three to Southeast Missouri State University. WIU has won three of the last 10 games, entering this week.   
 
USI vs. WIU. The all-time series between USI and WIU is tied, 3-3, after the Eagles took three of four from the Leathernecks to open the 2023 season.