EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball will square off against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in an Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader Monday afternoon.
Due to the weekend's rainy weather and wet field conditions at USI, the series has shifted over to the University of Evansville and Tri-State Orthopaedics Field at James and Dorothy Cooper Stadium. The twin bill is set to begin at Noon on Monday. The schedule and game times are subject to change.
Southern Indiana (9-17, 6-5 OVC) looks to build on its four-game winning streak going into the matchup against SIUE (19-14, 9-3 OVC). USI is coming off a three-game home sweep of Tennessee Tech University last weekend.
Last weekend's sweep was USI's first of the season. Southern Indiana also collected its first shutout of the season in the middle game of the series. USI capped off the sweep with a 4-3 walk-off victory in the series finale thanks to a bases-loaded sac fly by freshman
Grace Huffman, who also had a pair of hits in the series. The Screaming Eagles outscored the Golden Eagles 12-4 in the three-game set.
Sophomore outfielder
Kate Satkoski was USI's top hitter last weekend against Tennessee Tech, batting .667 with two runs, a double and a triple, and three RBIs. Senior infielder
Whitley Hunter also tallied three RBIs while hitting .429 in the series. In the pitching circle, freshman pitcher
Kylie Witthaus recorded her first career shutout in the middle game of the series, allowing just four hits with four strikeouts in the outing. Senior pitcher
Josie Newman went 2-0 with two complete games, posting an ERA of 1.00 with 14 strikeouts against Tennessee Tech.
On the season, junior outfielder
Caroline Stapleton is USI's top hitter who meets minimum requirements with a .369 batting average, which ranks top 10 in the OVC. Stapleton has also scored a team-high 16 runs. Freshman first baseman
Lilly Brown is right behind Stapleton hitting .364. Freshman
Jordan Mackey is hitting just below .300 but tops the squad with four home runs and 15 RBIs.
Following last week's strong pitching performances, Witthaus (3-6) has a team-best 3.46 ERA in 56.2 innings with 32 strikeouts. Witthaus has an ERA below 2.00 in conference play and a sub-1.50 ERA in the last three outings, each a quality start. Witthaus has held the opposition to hitting below .200 in the last three starts. Newman (6-10) has a 4.51 ERA this season. Newman has thrown the most innings with 94.2 innings pitched, including 12 complete games. Newman has an OVC-high 135 strikeouts.
Stapleton has been a tone-setter at the top of the lineup all season and enters the SIUE series on a career-best nine-game hitting streak. Stapleton is hitting .448 with six runs, two RBIs, and a .515 on-base percentage during the current hitting streak.
Hunter is also working on a sizable streak after reaching base in the last 14 games, a career long for the senior. Hunter, who is batting over .300 as well, has a team-high 14 walks, four hit-by-pitches, and a team-best .458 on-base percentage. Hunter's on-base percentage is good for top five in the OVC. During the 14-game on-base streak, Hunter is batting .387 with nine runs and seven RBIs while reaching base at a .563 clip. Hunter's OPS during the stretch is 1.176.
SIUE is coming off a midweek victory against Saint Louis, winning 6-5 after trailing 4-0 early in the contest. In their last OVC series, the Cougars dropped two of three against Lindenwood University. Both losses to Lindenwood were by scores of 1-0. SIUE won its first eight conference games but has gone 1-3 in its last four OVC games.
The Cougars have one of the top offenses in the Ohio Valley Conference, leading the league in runs scored (177) and home runs (29). Collectively, SIUE is hitting .293. Senior infielder Kaylynn Salyars is the team's leading hitter with a .392 batting average and a 1.015 OPS. Senior Emma Henderson is second in the OVC in home runs with eight. She also has a team-leading 30 RBIs. Senior outfielder Lauryn Yslava is hitting .321 with a team-high 29 runs scored and has driven in 22 runs.
On the pitching side, SIUE is headlined by freshman pitcher Avery Arwood (6-6) and Emma Henderson (5-4). Arwood has a 3.51 ERA in 14 starts and 79.2 innings with 46 strikeouts. Henderson has posted a 4.73 ERA in 10 starts and 53.1 innings of work with 50 strikeouts.
SIUE leads the all-time series against USI, 55-25-1. The Screaming Eagles won the road series at SIUE last season, taking two of three games. After SIUE won a marathon 16-inning series opener 2-1, USI won the middle game, 4-2, and series finale, 2-1, to claim the series. USI also knocked off SIUE in the opening round of the OVC tournament last season, 4-0.
Live stats and additional coverage links can be found through USI Athletics social media platforms and at usiscreamingeagles.com.
