The University of Evansville softball team will welcome Wichita State to Evansville this weekend as the Aces and Shockers will face off in Missouri Valley Play. The Aces and Shockers will meet in a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday.

The Shockers (23-12, 5-2) come into play this weekend on a four-game winning streak in Missouri Valley play. They swept Southern Illinois in three games last weekend and picked up a midweek win over Missouri State. The Shockers are led by MVC Pitcher of the Week, Ashly Bright, who tossed a one-hit shutout over the Bears and struck out 13.

The Aces (14-8, 2-1) are coming off a 7-4 loss to the Indiana Hoosiers on Wednesday. The big blow for the Aces was a fourth inning grand slam off the bat of Indiana’s Tory Yamaguchi. Brittany Herald picked up her third home run of the season and Jacki Bradley had an RBI triple, despite taking the loss on the mound.

Going into the game, the Aces were ranked 15th nationally for their .976 fielding percentage.

Herald leads all hitters at the plate with a .391 average and is ranked at 35th in the nation for the toughest to strikeout. The senior has just three strikeouts in 69 at bats. This season, the top of the Aces' lineup has helped lead the team to an MVC second-best .281 batting average. The top three hitters in the Aces lineup, Krista Price (.329), Kristen Shirk (.328), and Herald (.391), have combined to hit .350 with 69 hits and have scored 58 runs in 22 games.

After Wednesday’s game, the Aces are now second in the MVC with a .281 batting average and are first with a .429 slugging percentage. In the 21 games the Aces have played this season, they lead the?Missouri Valley Conference in runs per game (5.41) and RBI?per game (4.82).

The first game of the doubleheader on Saturday at Cooper Stadium is scheduled for noon. Sunday’s first-pitch is also schedule for noon. Live stats for all three games will be available at www.GoPurpleAces.com. Sunday's game can be heard live on 91.5 F.M.-WUEV, or by clicking here.