2004 Season Outlook
Talented group has Eagles thinking championship in 2004

When the University of Southern Indiana softball team takes the field in 2004, it will have two goals on its mind—win the Great Lakes Valley Conference championship and advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament.

Those goals are within reach this season as the Screaming Eagles and Head Coach Sue Kunkle return seven starters, including five first-team All-GLVC performers. That list also includes four All-Region performers, three of which were first team and one which was second team.

Leading the list of returnees for the Eagles is senior catcher Kristen Houseworth (Martinsville, Indiana) as well as senior pitcher/first baseman Shannon Emmons (Boonville, Indiana) and senior shortstop Nichole Pike (Fairfield, Illinois).

Houseworth and Pike earned first-team All-GLVC and All-Region honors in 2003, while Emmons earned first-team All-GLVC and second-team All-Region honors as a junior.

Throughout the last two seasons, Houseworth has arguably been one of the best catchers in the region, not only as an offensive weapon, but also as a defensive standout. In 2003, Houseworth recorded a career-high .371 batting average, six home runs, and 32 runs batted in. She also continued her stellar play from behind the plate as she committed just one error while throwing out 8-of-14 runners at second base.

After playing at third base in 2003, Pike will be making the switch to her natural position at shortstop, a position that has been occupied the last four seasons by the graduated Jenny Duell.

Pike did not have any trouble adjusting to third base in 2002 as she recorded a .962 fielding percentage and was second on the squad with 108 assists. From the plate, Pike was dominating as she recorded a .333 batting average with two home runs, six doubles, a triple, and 27 RBIs.

Emmons made an immediate impact in her first season with the Eagles in 2003. The right-hander led USI with 14 wins and a 1.89 ERA as a junior last season.

Offensively, Emmons hit .383 last season with a team-high 16 doubles to go along with a triple, a home run, and 24 RBIs.

Another of Kunkle’s six seniors, second baseman Brooke Biggs (Osceola, Indiana), also earned first-team All-GLVC honors after hitting .325 with eight doubles and 19 RBIs. Biggs led the GLVC with 16 sacrifice bunts and was second in the GLVC with 21 walks. She led USI with a .434 on-base percentage.

The Eagles are hoping that senior first baseman Monica Tepe (Granger, Indiana) can lift her numbers to that of her freshman and sophomore campaigns when she hit a combined .317 with 50 RBIs and 27 doubles. Tepe, who has been a defensive gem for the Eagles in her first three seasons, hit .248 as a junior.

Defensively, Tepe held stride as she recorded a .997 fielding percentage in 2003. She is USI’s career leader in putouts (909) and is on pace to finish her career as USI’s career leader in fielding percentage (.995).

Rounding out USI’s senior class is outfielder Jessica Brown (Evansville, Indiana). Brown, who recorded a career-high .257 batting average as a junior in 2003, had a strong off-season and will challenge for a starting job in the outfield this season.

USI’s junior class is led by first-team All-GLVC and All-Region outfielder Sunny Oelling (Valparaiso, Indiana). Oelling, USI’s leadoff hitter in 2003 and lone returning junior in 2004, was third in the GLVC with a team-high .401 batting average as a sophomore. She was second in the league with 63 hits and four triples while finishing fourth in the conference with 34 runs scored.

The Eagles’ sophomore class is led by pitcher Missy Grover (Mishawaka, Indiana). Grover struggled out of the gates a year ago, but came on strong in the GLVC Tournament to post a two-hit shutout against Northern Kentucky. She finished the season with a 12-5 record and a 2.56 ERA in 126 1/3 innings of work.

Sophomore pitcher Christie Schubert (Millstadt, Illinois) also should see action in 2004. Schubert saw limited time as a freshman in 2003 as she recorded a 1-0 record and one save in seven appearances. She also struck out seven while walking just one batter.

Red-shirt freshman infielder Jennifer Mullikin (Greenwood, Indiana) also could factor into USI’s starting lineup in 2004. Mullikin hit .391 as a senior at Center Grove High School and will challenge for significant playing time at third base.

Kunkle’s recruiting class is led by junior outfielder Nickole Henson (Princeton, Indiana). Henson will add plenty of speed to USI’s lineup as she stole 56 bases in two seasons at Wabash Valley Junior College. She also hit .453 with 53 RBIs, while scoring 104 runs during her stay at WVJC.

Another junior college transfer for the Eagles is Stephanie Brown (Evansville, Indiana), Jessica Brown’s younger sister. Stephanie Brown adds depth in the outfield for the Eagles after a pair of seasons at Olney Central College.

USI’s freshman class is led by infielder/utility player Kerrie Burton (Kokomo, Indiana) and pitcher/utility player Nikki Nichols (Henderson, Kentucky). Burton is a first-team All-Conference and All-County performer from Northwestern High School, while Nichols is an All-State performer from Henderson County High School.

In the fall of 2003, Kunkle added three more freshman walk-ons. Outfielder Sam Strantz (Indianapolis, Indiana) will challenge for playing time this season after earning All-County and All-City honors in 2003 at Lawrence North High School.

Catchers Lisa Anderson (Chesterton, Indiana) and Alia Whitman (Grabill, Indiana) will provide the Eagles with plenty of depth behind the plate. They also will see action in key pinch-hitting situations.

The Eagles start their 2004 campaign with a trip to Kennesaw, Georgia, to participate in the Owl Classic. In addition to a meeting with host Kennesaw State University, the Eagles will play 2003 NCAA Division II runner-up Georgia College and State University.

After opening up their home schedule with a doubleheader against Purdue University-North Central, the Eagles will travel south for their spring trip that features doubleheaders at Augusta State University, GCSU, and Valdosta State University. In addition, USI will compete in the Florida Southern Tournament, which will pit the Eagles against regional power Ashland University.

USI opens its GLVC schedule with a doubleheader against Quincy University at the USI Softball Field before traveling to South Bend, Indiana, to take part in the GLVC/GLIAC Challenge March 26-28.

This season’s GLVC Tournament will be held April 30-May 2. For the first time in league history, the tournament will be played at a neutral site, with the games taking place at the East Side Centre Sports Complex in East Peoria, Illinois.

The NCAA II Great Lakes Regional Tournament is slated to take place May 6-9, with the NCAA II World Series being held at the Division II Sports Festival in Orlando, Florida, May 11-16.