2001 Softball Season Outlook

The University of Southern Indiana softball team takes the field with one thought on its mind, improving. The Screaming Eagles want to improve on their 33-20 overall record, 16-6 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, and fourth place finish in the league.

The 2000 season began with the Eagles posting a 1-6 record through the first seven games. However, the team would rebound, reeling off a school-record 16 consecutive wins.

The Eagles were showing their potential. But injuries to key players hampered plans for the school’s third trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament as USI lost two straight games in the GLVC Tournament.

Despite the frustration that last season brought, the Eagles have plenty of reasons to be optimistic in the 2001 season. Sixth-year Head Coach Beth Watson will have six of the Eagles’ top eight hitters, including three All-GLVC performers, to work with.

That list includes senior pitcher Katie Roberts (Lafayette, Indiana) and senior outfielder Nicole Vine (Whiting, Indiana).

Roberts earned second-team all-region and first-team all-conference honors after finishing in a tie for fifth in the conference with a team-high 16 wins. Roberts enters the season ranked second at USI in career wins (53), second in career shutouts (23), second in complete games (73), and third in career strikeouts (410).

If Roberts can match her win total from last season, she will surpass Amy Stetler for most career wins at USI.

In 2000, Roberts was second on the team and 10^th in the GLVC with a 1.24 ERA while her team-low .118 opponent batting average was tied for fifth in the league.

Roberts also will bring offensive support to the USI lineup. She was third on the squad with a .326 batting average while her 29 RBIs were second on the team in 2000.

Vine earned second-team All-GLVC honors after hitting .325 and finishing in a tie for third in the GLVC with a team-leading five triples. Vine recorded 61 putouts and two assists last season while committing one error.

Despite playing with a thumb injury near the end of the 2000 season, pitcher/infielder Rachel Bowling (Middleton, Indiana) was named co-GLVC Freshman of the Year and earned first-team All-GLVC honors after leading the team with a .372 batting average. Her 27 RBIs was third on the team while three of her team-leading five homeruns were grand slams.

Although Bowling had a team-best 1.12 ERA (8^th in the GLVC) in seven starts, she will concentrate most of her time at first base, replacing two-year starter Brenna Foutz. However, she could see some action on the mound if needed.

Despite being young in some positions, USI will be a strong defensive team. The Eagles finished the 2000 season ranked second in the GLVC in team fielding percentage (.965) and fifth in the league with a 1.85 team ERA.

Sophomore shortstop Jenny Duell (Lafayette, Indiana) returns to solidify the defense after a knee injury hampered her freshman season. Duell had a .941 fielding percentage and recorded 45 assists in 24 games.

Duell’s talents will provide offensive support as well. She is fourth among returning players with a .296 batting average and drove in five runs last season.

Junior third baseman Molly Blackford (Newburgh, Indiana) and sophomore infielder/catcher Dusty Onyett (Petersburgh, Indiana) also are returning to the USI lineup. Blackford drove in 20 runs and hit .260 as a sophomore.

Blackford has started 105 consecutive games and will provide consistent play at third base. Onyett compiled a .270 batting average as a freshman and will give the Eagles experience behind the plate.

Sophomore hurler Tasha Collins (Indianapolis, Indiana) will build upon the progress made in her freshman season. Collins was second on the team with eight wins and 97.1 innings pitched.

Sophomores Ginnie Roberts (Lafayette, Indiana) and Stacy Beedie (Bedford, Indiana) round out the returnees. Roberts, who is the younger sister of Katie Roberts, started 29 games and will see time in the outfield this season with Beedie contributing in the infield.

Coach Watson had a successful recruiting year, adding seven new faces to the roster. Heading the list is a couple of junior college transfers from Wabash Valley Junior College.

Junior catcher Elanie Hurt (Newburgh, Indiana) hit .385 a year ago at WVJC and was named to the NJCAA Region XXIV All-Region Team in 1999. Hurt, who might miss some time due to an ankle injury, will compete for the starting catching job.

Joining Hurt is junior pitcher Danielle Garnett (Griffith, Indiana), who brings an impressive resume to the Eagles’ pitching staff. She was the All-Great Rivers Conference Freshman of the Year in 1999 and the Player of the Year in 2000. A two-time All-NJCAA Region XXIV performer, Garnett recorded a .067 earned run average in 2000.

The Eagles will have five freshmen, including catcher/outfielder Kristen Houseworth (Martinsville, Indiana). Houseworth was an All-State and All-District performer at Martinsville High School and holds the record for doubles in a season (7) and career RBIs (43).

She was an IHSAA All-Metro West Team Honorable Mention selection in 1998, 1999, and 2000. Houseworth will spend time catching and will see action in the outfield.

Joining Houseworth in the incoming freshman class of 2001 are infielders Brook Biggs (Osceola, Indiana) and Monica Tepe (Granger, Indiana), as well as outfielders Jessica Brown (Evansville, Indiana) and Lacey Haynes (Booneville, Indiana).

Biggs and Tepe were members of the 1999 Class 3A State Championship team at Penn High School in Mishawaka, Indiana. Tepe had a perfect fielding percentage in 232 attempts in 1999, and earned first-team All-Conference and third-team All-State honors in 2000. Biggs was a three-time All-Conference selection and an All-State honorable mention selection in 2000.

Brown was a member of the 2000 regional championship and state finalist team at Evansville’s Memorial High School while Haynes was a three-time All-Big Eight Conference and two-time All-State selection at Boonville High School.

USI will be tested early as it opens the season with three nationally competitive tournaments. The Eagles’ will host the USI Spring Classic February 24–25. NCAA regional tournament participants, Grand Valley State University and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, will compete in the USI Spring Classic.

The Eagles will travel to Irving, Texas, March 2-4, to participate in the Division II Lead-off Classic. USI will wrap up its tournament schedule in Osceola, Florida, as they play 10 games in the Division II Rebel Spring Games Monday, March 5-Sunday, March 11.

The Eagles will face five teams that were ranked in the final NFCA Division II Top 25 last season, including the GLVC runner-up Lewis University. USI will start conference play Tuesday, March 20 when Kentucky Wesleyan College comes to town.

Three of USI’s toughest doubleheaders will take place at home. SIUE comes to Evansville on March 28 while Lewis University and the defending GLVC Champion University of Wisconsin-Parkside will be in town April 13 and 14, respectively. In all, USI will enjoy 11 home dates.

The Eagles also will participate in the GLVC/Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Challenge in Battle Creek, Michigan, April 20-22. The GLVC tournament is scheduled for May 4-6, at Wisconsin-Parkside.

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