Series Notes (PDF)
Free Live Game Audio (Courtesy of WUEV)
The University of Evansville baseball team will venture north this weekend to battle the cold temperatures of Waterloo, Iowa and the hot bats of the University of Northern Iowa Panthers in a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series at Waterloo’s Riverfront Stadium. All three games can be heard on 91.5 F.M.-WUEV.
With temperatures expected in the low 40s all weekend and snow falling on Thursday, the three-game series is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon, and continue with afternoon contests on both Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.). WUEV’s coverage of the series will begin approximately 15 minutes prior to first pitch with the “On Deck Pregame Show.”
Evansville enters the weekend series in a three-way tie for fifth place in the MVC standings with a 1-2 conference record and 2-18 overall mark. The Purple Aces are hoping to bounce back from Tuesday night’s 10-1 loss against Western Kentucky in which UE could muster just five base hits. Valley play has treated the UE offense well so far this year, as the Purple Aces have hit .339 in three league games, while carrying a .255 overall team batting average into the series.
Northern Iowa enters this weekend’s series trying to bounce back from a tough mid-week loss itself, as the Panthers dropped a 9-4 decision to Division III Wisconsin-Platteville on Wednesday night. This weekend’s series will be the first Valley weekend of the year for UNI, which stands at 10-9 overall and had a six-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday. The Panthers will bring an overall team batting average of .304 into the series with UE, led by junior infielder Brandon Douglas, who is tied for the MVC lead in doubles with eight this year, while hitting .354.
Evansville leads the all-time series over UNI, 26-25, including taking two out of three games from the Panthers at Braun Stadium last year. Evansville will send sophomore LHP Sean McCarthy (0-3, 6.63 ERA) to the mound in Friday’s series opener. He is expected to be opposed by UNI junior LHP Nick Kirk (2-3, 4.91 ERA).
