University of Southern Indiana Women's Softball

(Updated May 15, 2025) Head Coach Sue Kunkle heads into her 25th year leading University of Southern Indiana Softball in 2025-26. Kunkle is USI's all-time winningest coach with a 691-490-1 (.585) overall record. In addition, Kunkle has seen seven different student-athletes garner 18 total All-America honors, two Midwest Region Pitcher/Player of the Year accolades, 29 different players earn 61 total All-Region awards, three GLVC Player/Pitcher of the Year awards, two OVC Player/Pitcher of the Year awards, and 52 student-athletes collect 90 total All-Conference accolades. USI also has gotten the job done in the classroom under Kunkle, with four players earning five total Academic All-America honors, 26 different student-athletes notching 38 Academic All-District awards, 91 different players receiving 215 Academic All-GLVC honors, and 23 student-athletes earning 38 OVC Academic honors. In 2025, USI's third year of reclassification to Division I, the Screaming Eagles battled to a fourth-place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference for the second consecutive season. Kunkle and the Eagles not only earned their third consecutive OVC tournament berth but also won an OVC tournament game for the third year in a row. Kunkle also joined the inaugural coaching staff of the Blaze, a professional softball team in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, in 2025. Kunkle helped coach some of the best softball players in the world during a two-month summer schedule. Kunkle and the Screaming Eagles gathered more wins in the second year of the D-I transition in 2024, surpassing the win totals from 2023. In the 2024 campaign, USI went 25-22 overall and 16-11 in the Ohio Valley Conference. As the 4-seed in the OVC Championship Tournament, Southern Indiana made a run into the semifinal-round, coming up just a game short of a championship-round appearance. Plus, Kunkle helped coach pitcher Josie Newman to a 2024 OVC Pitcher of the Year selection as well as First-Team All-OVC and OVC All-Tournament honors. Kunkle and the USI coaching staff also saw three other Screaming Eagles receive All-OVC honors and one other Screaming Eagle named to the OVC All-Tournament Team in 2024. In 2022-23, Kunkle led the Screaming Eagles into their inaugural season as an NCAA Division I program and as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. USI made the jump from NCAA Division II and the Great Lakes Valley Conference after the 2022 season. Kunkle guided USI to a 21-23 overall record and a 13-9 conference record in 2023, leading to a third-place finish in the program's first season in the OVC. The 2023 season featured many historic firsts in the first season as an NCAA Division I program for USI Softball, including the first D-I win in the very first game in February against the University of Wisconsin Green Bay and the first OVC win in mid-March against Morehead State University. Plus, the program won its first OVC Tournament game against Tennessee State University under Kunkle. Additionally, Kunkle saw utility Allie Goodin be named 2023 OVC co-Player of the Year and to the OVC All-Tournament Team in the team's first OVC season. Goodin also garnered All-OVC First Team honors alongside pitcher Josie Newman, who received OVC Pitcher of the Week three times during the 2023 campaign under Kunkle and her coaching staff. Before transitioning to Division I, the Eagles were consistently one of the most competitive teams in the GLVC--one of the top conferences in Division II softball--under Kunkle. USI posted two first-place finishes and one second-place finish in the GLVC Tournament as well as three third-place finishes and two fourth-place finishes in the league's postseason tournament. The 2022 GLVC Coach of the Year and her squad had a historic 2022 season that saw the Eagles go 49-13 overall and 26-2 in GLVC play. Her staff was named NCAA II Midwest Region Coaching Staff of the Year for the third time after the Eagles won the GLVC regular-season, GLVC Tournament and NCAA II Midwest Region titles, marking the first time in program history USI has won all three championships in the same season. Additionally, Kunkle's Eagles set numerous records including most wins in a single-season, most GLVC wins in a single season and best start to GLVC play (16-0). USI, which had its best 40-game stretch (37-3) in program history, tied the program record for consecutive wins (18) and set program records for triples (28), runs (353), RBI (327) and doubles (96). USI, which hosted the NCAA II Midwest Region #1 Tournament as well as the NCAA II Midwest Super Regional for the second time, advanced to the NCAA II Softball Championship for the third time in five years. The Eagles fell to eventual national champion Rogers State University (Oklahoma) and then No. 1-ranked University of Texas at Tyler before finishing the 2022 season ranked No. 6 in the final NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll. Kunkle, a three-time GLVC Coach of the Year who led USI to the NCAA II Tournament five straight years and six times in seven seasons prior to the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, directed her squad to a 16-21 overall record, 13-15 GLVC, during an injury-plagued 2021 campaign. She had the Eagles humming in 2020 as USI had the best overall record in the GLVC and one of the top marks in the Midwest Region when it finished the COVID-19-shortened season 15-4 and ranked No. 19 in the final NFCA Top 25 Coaches' Poll. USI finished the 2019 season with a 35-21 overall record and a 19-7 record in GLVC play. The Eagles, who finished the year ranked No. 25 in the final NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll, advanced to the finals of the NCAA II Midwest Region #1 Tournament before falling to eventual Midwest Region champion Grand Valley State University. In 2018, Kunkle led the Eagles to their first-ever NCAA II National Championship. Her squad was 27-22 overall and 15-13 in the GLVC before erupting for an unprecedented run that saw the Eagles go 14-1 in the postseason, capture their first GLVC Tournament title since 1998, their second straight NCAA II Midwest Region title, and USI's first-ever team national championship in a women's sport. USI finished the 2018 campaign with a 41-23 record, marking the second straight 40-win season and third in program history, and was the unanimous No. 1 team in the country in the final NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll. Kunkle and her assistant coaches were named the NFCA Division II National and Midwest Region Coaching Staff of the Year for their efforts. . Additionally, Kunkle became the first coach in history to surpass the 500-win plateau at USI when the Eagles defeated Indianapolis in the first round of the 2018 GLVC Tournament. In 2017, Kunkle led USI to its third straight NCAA II Tournament appearance and fourth in five years. She was named the GLVC Coach of the Year and her staff was named the NFCA Midwest Region Coaching Staff of the Year after leading the Eagles to a 46-14 overall record and a 19-7 mark in GLVC play. Kunkle also led USI to a share of the GLVC regular-season championship in 2017 and the No. 1 seed in the GLVC Tournament. USI also hosted the NCAA II Midwest Region #2 Tournament as well as the NCAA II Super Regional before finishing the year ranked No. 7 in the final NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll--the Eagles were ranked as high as No. 5 during the regular season. Under Kunkle, a record three Eagles earned All-America accolades in 2017, led by GLVC Freshman of the Year and Division II Conference Commissioner's Association Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year Jennifer Leonhardt. Her squad set program records for most at-bats (1,693) and hits (540) and boasted the top team ERA (1.86) in the GLVC. The first coach in USI history to reach the 400-win plateau, Kunkle led her squad to a 35-21 overall record and a 21-9 mark in GLVC play in 2016. Her squad finished third in both the GLVC regular-season standings and the GLVC Tournament before making its third trip to the NCAA II post-season in the last four years. Head Coach Sue Kunkle (middle) and assistant coaches MacKenzi Dorsam (left) and Lexi Reese (Right) were named the 2018 NFCA Division II Coaching Staff of the Year. USI had a banner year at the plate in 2016, where it broke records for home runs (53), doubles (93), runs scored (308), and RBIs (278). That came on the heals of a 2015 season that saw the Eagles set school records for home runs (42), RBIs (231), and winning percentage (.780). After a rough 2014 season, Kunkle's Eagles made a huge turnaround as they finished 2015 with a 39-11 overall record and a 22-6 mark in GLVC play. Her squad advanced to the NCAA II Midwest Region #1 Tournament, where they finished second to the then No. 1 ranked team in the nation in the University of Missouri-St. Louis. The 2014 team finished the season with a 22-23 overall record and a 12-22 mark in GLVC play. Her squad lost 14 games by two runs or less, including 11 contests by one run. In 2013, Kunkle directed the Eagles to the NCAA II Tournament for the fourth time in the program's history. USI finished the season with a 30-22 overall record and a 17-15 mark in GLVC play. Kunkle became the first coach in USI history to record 300 wins when her squad defeated Wisconsin-Parkside in the final weekend of the 2012 regular-season. Her Eagles finished 2012 with a 27-21 overall record, a 16-16 GLVC, and were fourth in the nation in team GPA. In 2011, Kunkle led the Eagles to a 21-22 overall record, 10-15 in the GLVC. Her squad was 19-26 overall, 15-12 in the GLVC, in 2010 and advanced to the GLVC Tournament after a brief one-year hiatus in 2009. USI finished the 2009 season on a strong note after starting the year with 11 straight losses. The team showed how good it could be when they swept the eventual NCAA II Midwest Region champion University of Indianapolis to close out the campaign. During the 2009 season, Kunkle's squad defeated NCAA II Championship Series participant Le Moyne College and NCAA II Midwest sub-regional host Ashland University. In 2008, Kunkle led USI to a 31-23 overall record, 14-10 GLVC, and had the Eagles on the brink of an NCAA II Tournament berth. USI overcame injuries in 2007 to post a 31-24-1 overall record, 13-10-1 GLVC, finishing fourth in the GLVC. Like most of Kunkle's squads, the 2007 version had a strong finish as it went 9-4-1 in the final 14 games, just missing a berth in the NCAA II Great Lakes Region Tournament. In 2006, Kunkle guided the Eagles into the NCAA II Great Lakes Region Tournament for the first time since 1998. Her squad went 39-18, 17-5 GLVC, finishing third in the NCAA II Great Lakes Region Tournament. Kunkle was named the GLVC Coach of the Year after USI's second-place finish in the GLVC during the regular season. In 2005, Kunkle's squad overcame a rough start before winning 30 of its last 42 games to finish with a 30-20 record, including a 10-8 mark in GLVC play. In the process of their strong finish, the Eagles set a school record for consecutive victories, stringing together 18 consecutive wins on the heels of an 0-8 start. Despite an up-and-down conference season, Kunkle's squad rebounded to win three straight elimination games in the GLVC Tournament before falling to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. In 2004, Kunkle's Eagles battled some of the top teams in Division II and jumped out to an 8-0 start in conference play before finishing the campaign with a 26-24 overall record and an 11-7 mark in the GLVC. Kunkle directed the Eagles to a 27-18 overall record and a 13-7 mark in the GLVC in 2003. That squad produced six All-GLVC and four All-Great Lakes Region performers. During her first season, Kunkle led the Eagles to a second-place finish in the GLVC Tournament and to within an eyelash of a berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament. Kunkle also set the USI record for wins by a first-year coach with a 31-18 overall record, 10-7 in the GLVC. She also has coached two USA Athletes International squads. Kunkle led her first squad to a first-place finish in Holland in the summer of 2005 and her second squad to a third-place finish in Australia in 2006. Kunkle took over the USI softball program in 2001 after a tenure at the University of Akron. She helped develop some of Akron's best hurlers, including 1998 UA Female Athlete of the Year Shelby Howell (1995-1998), and was responsible for recruiting and coordinating the team's travel arrangements as well as organizing the Zips camps and clinics, the Dugout Club, and alumni relations. Beginning her coaching career as a volunteer assistant at California University of Pennsylvania, Kunkle gained a year of coaching experience at Morehead State University before being named assistant coach at Bethel Park. A four-year starter at California, Kunkle became the winningest pitcher in school history with a career record of 54-12 from 1990-94. The Vulcans earned PSAC West Championships in Kunkle’s last three seasons, and were the conference’s overall champs in 1991. An All-Region pitcher as a junior, she earned All-Conference and All-Regional Tournament honors as a senior, while leading her team to a regional championship and California's first-ever appearance in the Division II College World Series. Kunkle earned a bachelor's degree in education from California-Pennsylvania in 1994. She received her master's degree in sports science and coaching at Akron in 2001. Kunkle at USI Year Overall Record GLVC Regular Season GLVC Tournament Finish 2002 31-18 10-7 (4th) Second 2003 27-18 13-7 (4th) Fifth 2004 26-24 11-7 (4th) Third 2005 30-20 10-8 (5th) Third 2006 39-18 17-5 (2nd) Fourth 2007 32-24-1 13-10-1 (5th) Fourth 2008 31-23 14-10 (5th) Seventh 2009 18-33 8-15 (11th) N/A 2010 19-26 15-12 (8th) Seventh 2011 21-22 10-15 (9th) N/A 2012 27-21 16-16 (6th East) N/A 2013 30-22 17-15 (4th East) Seventh 2014 22-23 12-22 (6th East) N/A 2015 39-11 22-6 (3rd) Seventh 2016 35-21 21-9 (3rd) Third 2017 46-14 19-7 (t-1st) Fifth 2018 41-23 15-13 (t-5th) First 2019 35-21 19-7 (3rd) Seventh 2020 15-4 N/A N/A 2021 16-21 13-15 (10th) N/A 2022 49-13 26-2 (1st) First DII 628-420-1 301-207-1 Year Overall Record OVC Regular Season OVC Tournament Finish 2023 21-23 13-9 (3rd) Fifth 2024 25-22 16-11 (4th) Third 2025 17-25 13-11 (4th) Fifth DI 63-70 42-31 Totals 691-490-1 343-238-1 Accomplishments NCAA II National Champions (2018) NCAA II Regional Champions (2017, 2018, 2022) NFCA Division II National Coaching Staff of the Year (2018) NFCA Midwest Region Coaching Staff of the Year (2017, 2018, 2022) NCAA II Tournament Appearances (2006, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022) GLVC Tournament Champions (2018, 2022) GLVC Coach of the Year (2006, 2017, 2022) GLVC Regular Season Champions (2017, 2022)

USI announced the hiring of Cameron Kainer (KI-ner) as the head coach of the new Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving program in August of 2021. The Swimming & Diving programs started competing in 2022-23 under Kainer.  The 2025-26 season saw the Screaming Eagles rise to new heights. The women's team placed seventh for the second-straight year, but posted a new team record of five dual meet wins. The men's squad posted a program-best sixth at the Summit League Championship and tied a school record with three dual match wins.  In 2023-24, Kainer helped produce improvements to the squad that included sweeping Summit League Conference rival Eastern Illinois and fifth place finishes in the ultra-competitive A3 Performance Invitational for both squads. Kainer also helped the Eagles make improvements at the Summit League Championships as both teams finished seventh.   During the inaugural season in 2022-23, Kainer helped lead the Eagles to three dual meet victories with the programs first win coming against Valparaiso. Kainer also helped take both teams to their first Summit League Championships where both teams would have a strong showing and place eighth.  Kainer comes to USI from the University of Alaska Fairbanks where he was the head coach in 2020-21. In his only season with the Nanooks, he led Alaska Fairbanks to its first dual-meet win since 2018-19 and a 2-1 dual-meet record. The ‘Nooks also placed seventh in the Pacific Coast Swimming Conference (PCSC) Championships.   Prior to making the move to Alaska Fairbanks, Kainer served as the men’s and women’s swimming and diving head coach at his alma mater, the University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB), from 2013 to 2020. He was an impressive 52-20 in overall in dual meets (27-11 in men’s; 25-9 in women’s).   Under Kainer’s leadership, the UTPB Falcons broke all men’s and women’s swimming records and produced 24 NCAA Division II “B-Cut” times. He also helped direct UTPB to 38 PCSC Championship “A-Cut” finalists and the 2013 conference championship.   Following UTPB’s move to the New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference, Kainer’s squad tallied 70 “A-Cut” finalists and over 120 recorded UTPB top-10 times. Kainer began his coaching career as an assistant coach at St. Lawrence University (2010-12) and Florida Institute of Technology (2012-13), in addition to serving as the head swim coach and aquatic director at Northwood Country Club (2012) and the Nitro Swimming national development coach (2013).   The native of Leander, Texas, is a 2010 UTPB graduate with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a 2012 graduate from St. Lawrence University with a master’s degree in educational leadership. Kainer, in the pool, was a two-year UTPB captain and competed in the 500-Freestyle, 1,000-Freestyle, 1,650-Freestyle, and 400-Individual Medley. He also was president of the UTPB Student Athlete Advisory Committee.  

Alyssa Rivera, a former softball student-athlete at Auburn University and current professional and international athlete, joined the USI Softball staff in August 2024. Rivera primarily assists with hitting and outfield defense for the Screaming Eagles. In Rivera's first season with USI in 2025, Rivera helped coach USI to a second consecutive fourth-place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference and a third consecutive berth into the OVC tournament. Before arriving at USI, Rivera coached three seasons at Hampton University. While at Hampton, Rivera assisted with outfield training, baserunning, and hitting. Rivera also oversaw all team operations including travel and budgeting. Rivera's professional playing career features experience with the Texas Smoke of Women's Professional Fastpitch, winning the first-ever WPF championship in 2023, and with Cidra Bravas in Puerto Rico from 2019 to the present day. 2022 Cidra Bravas was crowned the 2022 Liga de Softball Superior Nacional Femenino champions. Rivera also has national team playing experience, starting in 2017 as a Gold Medalist at the World Championship with the USA Junior Women's National Team. Rivera has also played for the Puerto Rico Women's National Team since 2019. She is a 2019 Bronze Medalist (Pan American Games), a 2023 Silver Medalist (Pan American Games), and a 2023 Gold Medalist (Central American Games) with the Puerto Rico National Team. Rivera was named to WBSC America's All-Pan Am Team at the Pan American Games in the fall of 2023. Rivera played for Auburn University from 2016-2021. While at Auburn, she became one of the most decorated hitters in program history. She is one of just six student-athletes in program history to record at least 200 career hits, 120 RBI, and 110 runs scored. She was tabbed by Softball America as one of the Top 100 Players of 2020, while also appearing in Softball America's 2020 Power Rankings at no. 2 and no. 10, respectively. Rivera ranks top 10 in Auburn's record books in eight different categories, including stolen bases (t-3rd), stolen base percentage (t-7th), multi-RBI games (8th), games played (t-8th), RBI (9th), total bases (9th), multi-hit games (t-9th), and hits (10th). Academically, Rivera made Auburn University's Dean's List, All-SEC Academic Team, SEC Academic Honor Roll, and was named an NFCA All-American Scholar Athlete. Upon graduation, Rivera became a lead instructor for ProSwings, where she gave private hitting and defensive lessons. She also assisted with ProSwings college exposure camps and tournaments. Rivera received her Bachelor’s degree in Business Management while pursuing a minor in Entrepreneurship and Family Business in May of 2020 from Auburn University. Given her extra year of eligibility due to COVID, she received her second Bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing in May of 2021.

MacKenzi Dorsam '15 M'18 begins her 11th year as an assistant coach for the University of Southern Indiana softball team in 2025-26 after a stellar career with the Screaming Eagles. During her first 10 years with the Eagles' staff, Dorsam has helped the Eagles transition to the NCAA Division I level and to the Ohio Valley Conference in 2023, make five NCAA II Tournament appearances (her fifth year was shortened due to COVID-19), a 300-185 overall record, three NCAA II Midwest Region titles and the 2018 NCAA II National Championship. She was a member of the NFCA Midwest Region Coaching Staff of the Year in 2017, 2018, and 2022 and was part of USI's NFCA Division II National Coaching Staff of the Year in 2018. Dorsam, a two-time All-American as well as a first-team Academic All-American, concluded her four-year career ranked first all-time at USI in walks (82), second in runs scored (142), third in home runs (24), and fourth in RBIs (126). Her 15 home runs and 50 RBIs in 2015 were the second-most in a single-season in program history. The 2015 GLVC Player of the Year as well as the Daktronics Midwest Region Player of the Year, Dorsam had a knack for reaching base throughout her career. She reached base safely in 163 of 188 career games, including 128 of 146 games in her final three seasons. Dorsam was inducted into the USI Athletics Hall of Fame in 2026. A native of Dubois, Indiana, Dorsam earned her bachelor's degree in health services from USI in 2015. She earned her master's degree in sports management from USI in 2018. Head Coach Sue Kunkle (middle) and assistant coaches MacKenzi Dorsam (left) and Lexi Reese (Right) were named the 2018 NFCA Division II Coaching Staff of the Year.  

Alyx Koert joins the Screaming Eagles staff after being hired in April 2024 as the assistant coach, working alongside Head Coach Cameron Kainer.  The 2025-26 season saw the Screaming Eagles soar to new heights. The women's team secured seventh place for the second consecutive year but achieved a new team record with five dual meet wins. The men's squad earned a program-best sixth place at the Summit League Championship and matched a school record with three dual match wins. Koert joined the Eagles from Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina where she was the Men's and Women's Swimming Graduate Student for two years. In August of 2023, Koert was promoted to Men's and Women's Swimming Assitant Coach.  In those three years, Koert coached seven student athletes to NCAA Division II National B-Cut time standards. She guided the Bears to 26 team records over the three years along with helping two student-athletes reach the NCAA Division II National Championships. Prior to her hiring at Lenoir Rhyne, Koert competed for the Bears swimming program in the distance freestyle events and the 200-yard backstroke currently holding school records in the 1,000-yard and 1,650-yard freestyle events.  Koert, who competed for four years at Lenoir-Rhyne University achieved NCAA Division II National B-Cut time standards in both the 1,000-yard and 1,650-yard freestyle events in the 2015-2016 season. In 2017-2018, Koert achieved NCAA Division II National B-Cut time in the 1,650-yard freestyle while finishing third in the event at the 2018 Bluegrass Mountain Conference Championships.  Koert grew up in Naples, Florida where she attended Barron Collier High School. 

Andy Brown was appointed the USI Director of Compliance in August of 2022, also joining the USI Swimming & Diving staff as a diving coach. The 2025-26 season saw the Screaming Eagles soar to new heights. The women's team secured seventh place for the second consecutive year but achieved a new team record with five dual meet wins. The men's squad earned a program-best sixth place at the Summit League Championships and matched a school record with three dual match wins. Brown's men's and women's divers took third at the Summit League Championships in the men's division.    In 2023-24, Brown helped the Eagles make significant improvements with fifth place finishes for both squads at the A3 Performance Invitational. He also guided USI to earn seventh place in the Summit League Championships. Brown helped coach the programs first A-Finalist diver at the Summit League Championships In 2022-23, Brown helped with the instruction of the inaugural season for USI Swimming & Diving. Brown helped the team to three dual meet victories with the programs first win coming against Valparaiso. Brown also played a key role in the teams first Summit League Championships where both teams had strong showings, both placing eighth.  Brown comes to USI after spending the last nine years at the University of Evansville as the director of compliance and student-athlete Service (2020-22) and as a swimming & diving assistant coach.   In the pool, Brown helped the Purple Aces divers earned three NCAA zone qualifiers, one honorable mention All-America award, a Missouri Valley Conference Diver of the Year honor, a one-meter MVC championship, 12 honorable mention All-MVC accolades, and one Mid-American Conference second-team awards.   Brown earned a bachelor’s degree in athletic training at Evansville in May 2005 before moving on to earn his master's in higher education athletic administration from Southeast Missouri State University in 2007.   Before coming back to the collegiate ranks at Evansville, Brown worked at Pine Creek and Liberty High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado. while also assisting the diving programs at Cape Girardeau Public Schools (Cape Girardeau, Missouri), Fremont Public Schools (Fremont, Michigan) and Evansville North High School.