No. 7 Golden Eagles open OVC tourney Wednesday vs. No. 6 Southern Indiana
PEORIA, Ill. – Win or go home. That’s the order of the day as Tennessee Tech gets set to take on Southern Indiana on Wednesday morning at 10 AM in the opening game of the 2026 Ohio Valley Conference Softball Championships at Peoria’s Louisville Slugger Sports Complex. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).
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By Thomas Corhern, TTU Athletics Media Relations
PEORIA, Ill. – Win or go home. That's the order of the day as Tennessee Tech gets set to take on Southern Indiana on Wednesday morning at 10 AM in the opening game of the 2026 Ohio Valley Conference Softball Championships at Peoria's Louisville Slugger Sports Complex.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).
With the contest being an opening round contest, it is a single elimination game with the winner advancing to a 3 PM showdown with SIUE. The loser will see its season come to an end.
In a way, it almost seems like fate that the Golden Eagles are set to take on Southern Indiana with the two teams squaring off in elimination games for the third season in a row. Last year, Tech won 2-1 over the Screaming Eagles in the elimination bracket. In 2024, the Golden Eagles saw their season end in a 10-inning, 10-9 loss to USI.
Tech hosted the Screaming Eagles this season and the visitors took two out of three games as the Golden Eagles won the opener 4-3, then fell 3-0 and 2-1 in the other two games, starting an 11-game conference losing streak to close out the regular season.
However, with the start of the conference tournament, it's a brand new campaign and anything can happen once the postseason begins.
USI (14-30) is batting .254 as a team, posting 50 extra-base hits with 40 doubles, five triples and five home runs, driving in 134 RBI and scoring 145 runs. Katelyn Marx, the OVC Freshman of the Year, is batting .324 with five doubles, three triples, 13 RBI, 14 stolen bases and 30 runs scored. Caroline Stapleton was a second-team All-OVC selection after hitting .343 with three doubles, a triple, 11 RBI, 31 runs scored and 13 stolen bases.
In the circle, the Screaming Eagles have a 4.47 staff ERA with opponents hitting .297. Anna Kemp (3.94 ERA) and Elly Robbins (4.82 ERA) both have five wins, while Kemp leads the team with 61 strikeouts.
Tech had four all-conference selections, including designated player Sofia Carroll on the first team, as well as third baseman Jailynn Paderez, second baseman Ashley Capelouto and utility Abbee Klinefelter on the second-team squad.
Tech (16-33) is batting .266 as a team with 94 extra-base hits – 61 doubles, nine triples and 24 home runs – with 211 runs scored and 188 RBI. Paderez (.372) has 28 RBI, Capelouto (.344) has 12 doubles, eight home runs and 39 RBI. Carroll (.315) has 31 runs scored and 22 RBI with two home runs. Klinefelter (.287) has 11 runs scored and 18 RBI.
In the circle, the Golden Eagles have a 4.65 ERA with opponents hitting .312. Emily York (4.40 ERA) has eight wins and 77 strikeouts, while Faith Rush (3.85 ERA) and Addison Abell (5.14 ERA) each have three victories.
Photo | Jim Dillon
