EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Softball makes its final regular-season road trip of 2025 when the Screaming Eagles head to Southeast Missouri State University this weekend for a three-game series in Ohio Valley Conference play.
 
The series against the Redhawks begins with a single game on Saturday at 3 p.m. and concludes with a Noon doubleheader on Sunday from Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
 
With two weekends left in the OVC regular season, Southern Indiana (13-21, 10-9 OVC) sits in a coveted spot in fourth place in the conference standings. Southeast Missouri (21-14, 14-6 OVC) is third in the standings. The third and fourth-place teams would avoid the single-elimination first round at the OVC tournament, which starts May 7.
 
USI is coming off a three-game sweep at home last week against the University of Tennessee at Martin. The sweep was USI's second this season and in OVC play, as the Eagles also swept Tennessee Tech University at home in late March. Southern Indiana shut out UT Martin in the first games of last week's series, including a 1-0, eight-inning win in the series opener, before winning 6-2 in the series finale.
 
Junior outfielder Caroline Stapleton led USI with four hits against UT Martin in the series. Senior pitcher Josie Newman and sophomore catcher Alyssa Mumaw each had three hits. Sophomore infielder Sydney Long topped the squad with five RBIs, including the walk-off RBI in the series opener. Newman went 2-0 in the pitching circle with a 0.93 ERA and 19 strikeouts in two starts against UT Martin. The right-hander tossed two complete games, including an eight-inning shutout in the opener. Freshman pitcher Kylie Witthaus continued to roll in OVC action with a shutout and four strikeouts in the middle game of the series.
 
After a stellar weekend toeing the pitching rubber, Newman was named OVC Pitcher of the Week earlier this week. The senior picked up her sixth career OVC Pitcher of the Week honor after winning the award three times in 2023 and twice in 2024. Newman's first start against UT Martin featured a scoreless pitcher's duel into the eighth inning. Newman hurled all eight innings, striking out 13 hitters and allowing only two hits. The 13 strikeouts were only two shy of Newman's season high and marked the seventh outing this season with 10-plus strikeouts. Newman was in a good rhythm in the series finale to help Southern Indiana complete the sweep of the Skyhawks, striking out six and giving up only two runs in seven innings pitched.
 
Southern Indiana's walk-off victory in the series-opening game against UT Martin was USI's third walk-off win this season. The Eagles have previously won in walk-off fashion this season on a seventh-inning sac fly, a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch that ended a contest via the run rule in six innings, and last week's walk-off RBI single from Long.
 
On the season, three Screaming Eagles are batting .300 or better. Stapleton paces the team with a .355 batting average and 17 runs scored. Freshmen Lilly Brown and Jordan Mackey are also hitting over .300. Mackey leads USI with four home runs and 18 RBIs. Following her five RBIs in last week's series against UT Martin, Long is tied for second on the team with sophomore outfielder Kate Satkoski with 15 RBIs. Both Long and Satkoski are hitting just below .280.
 
Witthaus (5-7) leads the USI pitching staff with a 2.81 ERA and has turned in six consecutive quality starts. The left-hander has three shutouts and eight complete games with 47 strikeouts in 77.1 innings this season. Witthaus is 5-2 with a 1.55 ERA in eight OVC starts. Newman (8-13) has a 4.20 ERA with an OVC-best 171 strikeouts in 125 innings of work. Newman has tossed 16 complete games with a shutout.
 
Southeast Missouri heads into the series coming off a series win against Tennessee Tech last week, taking two of three against the Golden Eagles. Prior to falling in the series finale against Tennessee Tech, the Redhawks had won seven straight games, all of which against OVC opposition. SEMO's only series loss in OVC play was in March against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
 
The Redhawks lead the OVC in hitting with a collective .315 batting average. Senior infielder Sydney Dennis tops SEMO and the OVC with a .436 batting average. SEMO has six players hitting .300 or better. Sophomore infielder Brooklyn Saysoff is the leading run producer for the Redhawks and in the conference with 42 RBIs on the season. SEMO has four players with 20 or more RBIs, including senior catcher Sydney Melton. Melton has a team-high six home runs in 2025. The pitching staff has a team ERA of 3.07 among five pitchers who have split innings pitched. Sophomore Maddie Carney, senior Delaney Kell, and sophomore Tegan Livesay have been the three main starters. Carney and Kell have sub-3.00 ERAs.
 
Southeast Missouri leads the all-time series against USI, 21-4. Last season, the Screaming Eagles took two of three at home against SEMO, with both wins coming by one run. In USI's last trip to Cape Girardeau, the Redhawks won all three contests in 2023.
 
The three-game series can be seen with a subscription to ESPN+ and heard on The Spin 95.7 FM. Additional coverage can be found at usiscreamingeagles.com.