Series Notes (PDF)
Free Live Game Audio (Courtesy of WUEV)

The University of Evansville baseball team will continue on its current six-game road trip this weekend, as the Purple Aces will head west to Springfield, Missouri to battle the hot-hitting Bears of Missouri State University in a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series.  Due to expected cold temperatures on Friday night, the series will now open at 4:00 p.m. in a game that can be heard live in Evansville on 91.5 F.M.-WUEV.

Evansville won its fourth non-conference game in a row, and second game in a row overall, on Wednesday afternoon, as the Purple Aces held off Murray State, 6-5, in Murray, Kentucky.  Sophomore Andy Pascoe continued his hot hitting Wednesday, as he went 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored, and two RBI.  Pascoe has been on fire during the month of April, hitting a blistering .552 (16-for-29) over the last seven games with two home runs and 11 RBI.  He is currently in a stretch of going 10-for-12 at the plate, and had a string of 10-straight plate appearances reaching base snapped in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s game at Murray State.

Pascoe’s hot hitting has helped the Evansville offense surge to a .300 team batting average during the month of April.  UE has won four of its last seven games to move to 6-24 overall and 1-8 in the MVC entering this weekend’s series. 

Missouri State, meanwhile, will bring a 19-11 overall record and 5-4 Valley mark into Friday’s opener after dropping an 8-4 decision to nationally-ranked Missouri on Wednesday night.  The Bears boast one of the nation’s most prolific offenses, as Missouri State will bring a .320 team batting average into this weekend’s series.  Missouri State features four of the MVC’s Top 10 hitters in terms of average right now in senior outfielder Ben Woodbury (.420/0/22), sophomore designated hitter Ben Carlson (.400/8/31), junior third baseman Brayden Drake (.394/5/34), and senior outfielder Nolan Keane (.369/3/30).

Sophomore LHP Sean McCarthy (0-5, 5.29 ERA) will draw the start in Friday’s series opener against Missouri State sophomore RHP Tim Clubb (4-0, 2.81 ERA).  Junior RHP John Foley (2-2, 4.99 ERA) is expected to oppose MSU sophomore LHP Buddy Baumann (2-3, 6.61 ERA) in Saturday’s 2:00 p.m. contest.  The series will conclude on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.  All three games of the weekend series can be heard on 91.5 F.M.-WUEV.