EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball heads out on the road this weekend for the first of back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference road series when the Screaming Eagles visit Tennessee Tech University on Saturday and Sunday from Cookeville, Tennessee.
The three-game set begins with a Saturday doubleheader at Noon and concludes with the series finale at Noon on Sunday.
USI Softball (11-21, 8-7 OVC) looks to move back up the Ohio Valley Conference standings, entering the weekend series in a three-way tie for fifth alongside Lindenwood University and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Tennessee Tech (13-22, 10-5 OVC) heads into the weekend in third place and two games ahead of USI.
USI leads the all-time series against Tennessee Tech, 7-3. Last season, the Screaming Eagles swept the regular-season series at home, but the Golden Eagles won 2-1 when the two teams met in last year's OVC Tournament.
The Screaming Eagles are coming off a home series loss against Morehead State University last week, dropping their second OVC series in a row. USI fell in the first two games before claiming the series finale against Morehead State.
In last week's series, senior outfielder
Caroline Stapleton had a strong offensive series, batting .455 with four runs, two RBIs, and four stolen bases. Freshman outfielder
Katelyn Marx hit .444 with three runs, and freshman infielder
Jadyn Tinsley batted .400 with three RBIs. In the circle, sophomore pitcher
Kylie Witthaus went 1-1 in two complete games with five strikeouts, posting a 1.50 ERA in the series. The two starts were the best back-to-back outings by the left-hander this season.
Over the last two series, Marx and Tinsley have been solid, batting .389 and .368, respectively. Marx also has five runs and two RBIs, while Tinsley has a team-best five RBIs in the last six games. Junior outfielder
Kate Satkoski has a team-best .400 batting average during the same stretch, tallying three extra-base hits and two RBIs. Junior catcher
Alyssa Mumaw has hit .353 with four RBIs in the last two series.
Overall, Stapleton tops the squad with a .337 batting average and 27 runs. Marx is not far behind with a .330 batting average while notching 13 RBIs so far this season. Junior infielder
Sydney Long has a team-best 16 RBIs while hitting just below .300. Long has the team's best active on-base streak, reaching base in 10 consecutive games, which is two games shy of the team's season-best on-base streak of 12 games set earlier this season by Mumaw.
On the pitching staff, Witthaus (3-6) has thrown a team-high 82.1 innings with 41 strikeouts and a 4.68 ERA. Freshman pitcher
Anna Kemp (3-9) leads the team with a 4.47 ERA and 42 strikeouts. Freshman pitcher
Elly Robbins (5-6) paces the squad with five wins.
Tennessee Tech is coming off a midweek home loss against the University of North Alabama, falling 4-3. In the Golden Eagles' previous OVC series last weekend, Tennessee Tech dropped two of three on the road at Western Illinois University. The Golden Eagles are in the middle of a five-game homestand after being on the road for seven straight games.
Sophomores Jailynn Paderez and Ashley Capelouto have been the Golden Eagles' top offensive performers this season. Paderez is hitting a team-best .426 with three home runs and 26 RBIs. Meanwhile, Capelouto is second with a .337 batting average while pacing the squad with seven home runs and 32 RBIs. On the pitching side, senior hurler Addison Abell (3-2) has a team-leading 3.54 ERA in 21 total appearances, including 11 starts, and 61.1 innings pitched. Junior pitcher Emily York (7-10) has a 5.32 ERA while topping the team with 55 strikeouts and 72.1 innings of work.
The three-game series between USI and Tennessee Tech can be seen with an ESPN+ subscription. The Spin 95.7 FM will have radio coverage. Additional coverage and live stat links are available on the USI Softball schedule page on usiscreamingeagles.com.
