University of Evansville senior outfielder Jim Viscomi (Aurora, Ill./Glenbard East) has been named this week’s State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Player of the Week after swiping a league-best six stolen bases and hitting .455 with his first career home run over the weekend at East Tennessee State.

Viscomi, who missed nearly the entire 2008 season after fracturing his knee cap in last year’s season opener, stole more bases than five of the eight other MVC teams on the weekend, despite UE playing just two games due to weather.  Viscomi went a perfect 6-for-6 in the stolen base department as UE’s lead-off man, swiping three bases each day against ETSU.  He opened the 2009 season with a single and then proceeded to steal the next three bases, including home as part of a double-steal, to score UE’s first run of the year.  Viscomi then launched his first career home run at UE in his next at-bat, and finished the season-opener going 3-for-6 at the plate with two runs scored and two RBI.

Viscomi once again kick-started the UE offense on Saturday, as he doubled to lead-off the third inning and then stole the next two bases, including a straight steal of home on a pick-off attempt, to ignite a five-run frame for the Purple Aces.  Viscomi went 2-for-5 in Saturday’s second game of the year, while knocking a double, swiping three bases, and scoring two runs.

In the two-game set against ETSU, Viscomi went 5-for-11 at the plate with a double, a home run, and two RBI, while pacing the Purple Aces in hits (five), runs scored (four), and stolen bases (six) as UE’s lead-off batter.  Viscomi and the Purple Aces will conclude a three-game season-opening road trip through Tennessee on Wednesday afternoon, as UE (0-2) will travel to Martin, Tennessee to battle the University of Tennessee at Martin Skyhawks (1-2).  First-pitch has been moved up to 2:00 p.m. central time to allow for enough daylight for the game.  The Purple Aces will then return home to Evansville beginning on Friday to host long-time rivals Butler, Saint Louis, and Eastern Illinois in the 2009 Dunn Hospitality Diamond Classic.  UE will begin tournament play Friday night at 5:00 p.m. against Butler.