EVANSVILLE, Ind. — University of Southern Indiana Baseball resumes Ohio Valley Conference action this weekend when it hosts Eastern Illinois University for a three-game series beginning Friday.
The first pitch Friday has been moved up to 4 p.m. due to rain in the forecast.
Following the series opener Friday, the series will continue at 3 p.m. Saturday before concluding Sunday at 1 p.m. Saturday is
USI Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day at the USI Baseball Field with free admission to all University staff members.
USI (19-22, 8-7 OVC) starts the weekend in fifth in the OVC standings, while EIU (21-17, 9-5 OVC) is third. The top eight teams in the OVC advance to the conference tournament at the end of the season. There are four weeks left in the 2025 OVC regular season, including this weekend.
Following the series with EIU, the Eagles return to the road for the next four games. USI will play a non-conference matchup at Illinois State University April 30 and visit the University of Tennessee at Martin for a three-game OVC series May 2-4.
With the ever-changing weather in April, USI encourages fans to watch for potential schedule changes on
USIScreamingEagles.com,
X, and
Facebook. Links to follow the Eagles all season can be found on
USIScreamingEagles.com and the
USI Baseball Schedule.
USI Baseball Notes:
USI walks off versus Bellarmine. The USI Screaming Eagles posted a 10-9 walk-off win over Bellarmine University by scoring four times in the bottom of the ninth to erase a three-run deficit. Senior centerfielder
Khi Holiday singled in the game winner, while sophomore rightfielder
Cameron Boyd kept the Eagles in the game early with a two-run and a three-run home runs.
Boyd has career night vs. Bellarmine. Sophomore outfielder
Cameron Boyd had a career night versus Bellarmine, posting four hits, five RBIs, and two home runs.
USI rallies to win at SLU. On Tuesday, the Eagles rallied with seven unanswered runs in the last three innings to defeat Saint Louis University, 12-5. Junior leftfielder
Hunter Miller and sophomore infielder
Parker Martin led the way with two RBIs each.
USI went 1-3 last week, losing at Northern Kentucky University and dropping two of three in an OVC series at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
USI leaders last week. USI junior catcher
Micajah Wall and sophomore infielder
Parker Martin led the Eagles with .455 (5-11) and .444 (8-18) batting averages. Junior designated hitter
Cole Kitchens also hit .12 over .400 and had five home runs and 12 RBIs in the four games.
USI won first three OVC series. The USI Eagles opened the OVC slate with back-to-back-to-back series wins. USI, which has lost the last two series, won four OVC series all of last season.
Hot Eagles. Sophomore outfielder
Cameron Boyd has been on fire the last five games, hitting .538 (7-13) with five runs scored, two home runs, and six RBIs. Sophomore infielder
Parker Martin follows with a .417 mark (10-24), while junior designated hitter is batting .409 (9-22) with four home runs and nine RBIs.
Kitchens hitting in the clutch. Junior designated hitter
Cole Kitchens has been clutch over the last 10 games, driving in 17 RBIs. He also has six home runs during those 10 games.
USI leaders at the plate. Junior designated hitter
Cole Kitchens leads USI at the plate with a .395 batting average, while posting a team-best 44 RBIs and 10 home runs. The .395 average is the best mark in the OVC, while Kitchens' 44 RBIs rank second in the league. Sophomore infielder
Parker Martin follows with a .369 average, which ranks third in the OVC.
USI in the OVC. USI leads the OVC with a .309 team batting average. On the bump, the Eagles are sixth in the league with a 6.96 ERA. In the 15 games of league action, USI is second in batting (.305) and tied for eighth in pitching (6.77 ERA).
USI non-conference leaders. Junior designated hitter
Cole Kitchens is hitting a team-best .440 (37-84) versus non-conference opponents with 26 RBIs and six home runs in 22 games. Junior first baseman
Kannon Coakley followed by hitting .373 with 15 RBIs and nine doubles.
Martin leads in OVC play. Sophomore infielder
Parker Martin is leading the Eagles and the OVC in conference action with a .444 average (24-54) and a .759 slugging percentage. Martin also has four home runs and 18 RBIs, tying for the team high.
Anderson has three wins in OVC play. Senior right-hander
Ian Anderson leads USI with three wins in OVC play (3-0), all out of the bullpen. Anderson also has two of USI's seven saves this season.
USI hosts EIU this weekend. USI visits Eastern Illinois University this weekend. EIU, which hosts Illinois Wesleyan University on Wednesday, is 20-17 overall, 9-5 OVC. The Panthers are on a five-game winning streak and lead the all-time series with USI 21-9. USI took two of three from EIU last spring.
USI visits Illinois State next week. USI is scheduled to visit Illinois State University (19-19) Wednesday. ISU, which is 2-3 in the last five, visits Southern Illinois University this weekend and the University of Iowa Tuesday before hosting the Eagles. USI leads the series, 1-0-1, in the only meetings in 1977.
