Games #45-47
Lindenwood (23-21, 14-10 OVC)
at Southern Indiana (14-23, 11-11 OVC)
Game Information:
Dates: Saturday, May 3rd - Sunday, May 4th
Location: Evansville, Ind.
Venue: USI Softball Field
Start Times: 12:00 p.m. CT (Sat.) / 12:00 p.m. CT / 2:30 p.m. CT (Sun.)
All-Time Series: 2-9
Last Meeting: L, 1-2
Weekend Links:
Live Stats: Link
Watch (Game 1): Link
Watch (Game 2): Link
Watch (Game 3): Link

On-Tap
Lindenwood softball concludes their 2025 regular season with their final road trip to Ohio Valley Conference opponent Southern Indiana for a three-game series. The Lions currently have a 8-7 road record this season including a 6-3 mark in conference play.

Southern Indiana is a familiar foe to the Lions as they both were members of the GLVC before joining the Division I ranks during the 2022-23 academic year. Lindenwood has a all-time record of 2-9 against the Screaming Eagles with just one win at the Division I record. LU is currently on a five-game win streak in OVC play which is the longest current streak in the conference.

As the Lions close the regular season, they sit in fourth play with a 14-10 mark in OVC play. Lindenwood will clinch a top-four seed in the OVC Championships next week in Peoria, Ill. with a single win at Southern Indiana. The Screaming Eagles are currently in fifth place with a 11-11 record in OVC action.

All three games this week will be streamed on ESPN+. First pitch for game one is set for 12:00 p.m. CT on Saturday, May 3rd followed by a double header on Sunday, May 4th starting at 12:00 p.m. CT. 

Tennessee Tech Recap
Lindenwood softball picked up their first OVC sweep of the season as they ended their 2025 home schedule last weekend against Tennessee Tech. The Lions ended the 2025 season playing 25 games at home, the most in the conference. They had a 13-12 record at home including a 8-7 mark against OVC teams.

Nicole Henson played in all three games last week against the Golden Eagles hitting .667 with four hits and a single RBI. Tori Hatton and Hanna Johanning both had solo home runs for the Lions as they took all three games from Tennessee Tech.

In game three of the series, the Lions trailed 3-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning. After Johanning's first home run of the season to put the Lions on the board, Hatton and Jolie McMinn posted back-to-back RBI to tie the game. Mya Bethany ended the game with a single to second base bringing home the game winning run.

Ryleigh Owens posted a 0.00 ERA against TTU across three games. She pitched in 8.1 innings allowing five hits and a single unearned run. Samantha Roulanaitis also went 1-0 pitching in relief allowing a single hit across 1.2 innings of work.

OVC Preseason Poll
The Redhawks of Southeast Missouri State were selected as the 2025 Preseason favorite, garnering nine first-place votes and finishing with 152 points after claiming the OVC Tournament Championship last season. They were followed by Southern Indiana who received six first-place votes (140 points) and 2024 OVC Regular Season Champion Eastern Illinois with five first-place votes (139 points).

Tennessee State follows the top three ranking fourth with 107 points followed by Tennessee Tech (82), Lindenwood (80), UT Martin (74), SIUE (73), Morehead State (30) and Western Illinois (23). There are a total of 27 conference games this season with each team playing the other schools three times.

2025 Statistical Leaders
Batting Average: Nicole Henson (.354)
Hits: Jolie McMinn (37)
RBI: McMinn (31)
ERA: Avery Wapp (2.52)
Strikeouts: Wapp (118)

Head Coach Erin Brown
Erin Brown is entering her fourth season as the head coach of the Lindenwood softball team in 2025. 

Brown led the Lions to an OVC Tournament appearance after guiding Lindenwood to a 25-25 record. Lindenwood had an impressive home record in 2024 going 12-5 at Lou Brock Sports Complex. Irelynn West earned First Team All-conference honors while Amanda Weyh earned Second Team. Under Brown, the Lions swept cross-town rivals Saint Louis in two games during a home-and-home series. The Lions went 13-14 in OVC play. Brown also coached five CSC Academic All-District players.

In 2023, the Lions went 16-32, including an 8-15 mark against OVC competition. Lindenwood finished with a winning record at home (12-10) and swept eventual conference champion Eastern Illinois late in the year at Lou Brock Sports Complex. Irelynn West and Dallis Darnell earned all-conference honors with West being a second-team selection and Darnell being named to the all-newcomer team. 

Up Next
The OVC Championships start next week in Peoria, Ill. starting on May 7-10 at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex. It marks the second-straight year the event will be held at the facility. Overall it will mark the 31st OVC Softball Championship. The updated bracket will be released after all games are played on Sunday.