January 26, 2004
The first pitch for 2004 USI baseball is February 23
Schedule highlighted by 40 conference games
The first pitch of the 2004 University of Southern Indiana baseball season will be Monday, February 23, when the Screaming Eagles host Brescia College to begin the 55-game schedule. USI will begin the season with a short two-game homestand before going on the road for 10 straight.
After the spring trip, the Eagles open the new 40-game GLVC schedule with a four-game series with Quincy University Saturday and Sunday, March 13-14. USI’s conference home schedule includes a doubleheader with Bellarmine University (March 17), the University of Missouri-St. Louis (March 24), Kentucky Wesleyan College (March 31), and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (April 3) and a four-game series with Saint Joseph’s College (April 24-25).
UMSL will begin the year as the highest ranked GLVC team, ranking 10th in the Collegiate Baseball Top 40 preseason poll. SIUE and the University of Wisconsin-Parkside also received votes for the poll.
Also new to the schedule for 2004 is a USI-University of Evansville benefit game at Braun Stadium on Evansville’s campus Thursday, March 18. Part of the proceeds from the game will go to benefit the Tri-State Hot Stove League that supports youth sports and organizations in the Evansville and Tri-State area.
Tickets, which are $5 each, can be purchased in the USI Ticket Office, the USI Baseball Office, or from any current USI baseball player.
A new look University of Southern Indiana baseball team will take to the field in 2004.
USI Head Coach Mike Goedde starts the 2004 campaign with 14 new players to replace eight graduating seniors that included five starting position players and three pitchers. The Eagles all-time winningest coach, with a record of 281-232 (.548) in 10 seasons, will have the challenge of combining the newcomers with his 18 returning players in 2004.
Of the 18 returning players, the Eagles are led by second team All-GLVC performers Matt Keener (Newburgh, Indiana), a junior utility player, and Noah Wetzel (New Salisbury, Indiana), a junior centerfielder. Keener hit .307 with 24 RBIs, while Wetzel hit .278 with a team-high 24 stolen bases.
Keener also was one of USI’s top hurlers, finishing the season with a 4-1 record and a 2.76 ERA.
Ray Simmons, USI Sports Information
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