EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball goes on the road for the first time in Ohio Valley Conference play this week when the Screaming Eagles head to Western Illinois University for a three-game set on Friday and Saturday from Macomb, Illinois.
The series was originally scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, but it was moved up a day due to rain in the Sunday forecast. Friday's series opener is slated for 2 p.m., while Saturday's doubleheader is scheduled for a Noon start.
USI Softball (6-14, 3-0 OVC) is looking to build on a strong start in Ohio Valley Conference play, while Western Illinois (5-13, 0-2 OVC) enters the OVC series on a six-game losing streak.
Western Illinois leads the all-time series against USI, 5-3. The Leathernecks took two of three games at USI last season.
USI is coming off a series sweep against Tennessee State University to open OVC play last week. The Screaming Eagles won 10-4 in the opener, 6-5 in nine innings in the middle game, and 6-1 in the series finale.
In last week's home sweep of the Tigers, junior outfielder
Kate Satkoski led the USI offense by hitting .500 with two runs and two RBIs. Six Screaming Eagles had multiple RBIs in the series. Freshman infielder
Abbey Booher had three RBIs, including the walk-off game-winner in the 6-5 nine-inning victory. USI's pitching staff had a strong series, posting a collective 1.52 ERA with 20 combined strikeouts.
On the season, freshman outfielder
Katelyn Marx qualifies as the leading hitter for USI with a .333 batting average and is second with 12 runs scored. Freshman infielder
Jadyn Tinsley has been on the uptick as of late, batting her way up to a .346 average. Junior infielder
Sydney Long leads the squad with nine RBIs. On the pitching side, freshman
Anna Kemp tops the team with a 4.06 ERA, 50 innings pitched, and 40 strikeouts.
Western Illinois began the conference season with a pair of setbacks against Southeast Missouri State University last Monday, falling 4-3 and 14-2. The series opener was canceled, and the series was forced to move to Marion, Illinois.
The Leathernecks are hitting nearly .300 as a team, with freshman utility Angie Ortiz pacing the squad with a .417 batting average. Ortiz also has 11 RBIs. Junior infielder Payton Brown is batting .375 with a team-best four home runs and 19 RBIs. Sophomore pitcher Libby Spaulding (3-6) headlines the pitching staff with a 3.74 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 43 innings pitched.
The three-game series between USI and Western Illinois can be seen with an ESPN+ subscription. Additional coverage and live stat links are available on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.
