EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball opens its 2026 home and Ohio Valley Conference schedule with a three-game series against Tennessee State University on Sunday and Monday at USI Softball Field.
The series was originally scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, but it was pushed back a day due to rain in the local forecast. Sunday is slated for a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m., with the series finale on Monday at Noon. It is also Educators Appreciation at USI Softball Field, as USI Athletics invites all USI professors and educators to come out and support the Screaming Eagles.
USI Softball (3-14) is looking to get back in the win column after a five-game skid, while Tennessee State (0-10) enters OVC play without a win this season.
The Screaming Eagles lead the all-time series against the Tigers, 7-3, which includes a 1-1 split in last year's series meeting at Tennessee State.
USI is coming off a trip to Tennessee last weekend to Austin Peay State University and Belmont University for the Governors Classic. USI fell in five games against Austin Peay, Ohio University, Belmont, and Central Michigan University.
On the season, freshman outfielder
Katelyn Marx leads the team with a .340 batting average and is tied for a team-best 10 runs scored alongside senior outfielder
Caroline Stapleton, who is hitting .333. Junior infielder
Sydney Long paces the squad with seven RBIs. On the pitching side, freshman right-hander
Anna Kemp tops the team with 34 strikeouts in 41.1 innings pitched and has a 4.57 ERA.
Tennessee State heads into the OVC-opening series coming off a 0-4 mark last weekend at the Mercer University Invitational. The Tigers fell to Presbyterian College, Columbia University, and twice against Mercer.
The Tigers' leading hitter this season is junior infielder Jace Jackson, who is batting .414 with a 1.140 OPS and has five RBIs. Senior outfielder Jasmine Blackburn has a team-high seven RBIs. In the pitching circle, sophomore left-hander Kristian Holder has a 5.79 ERA in 19.1 innings pitched, making five starts in seven appearances.
The three-game series between USI and Tennessee State can be seen with an ESPN+ subscription. Additional coverage and live stat links are available on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.
