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After a year’s hiatus, the University of Evansville baseball team will renew its traditional rivalry with Big East Conference power Louisville on Tuesday afternoon, as the Purple Aces will travel east to Louisville’s Jim Patterson Stadium to continue a six-game road trip. First-pitch is set for 2:00 p.m. and Tuesday’s game can be heard live on 91.5 F.M.-WUEV.
Evansville will bring a 7-11 overall record into Tuesday’s contest. The Purple Aces are currently 2-2 on its six-game road trip, which will conclude Wednesday night at Austin Peay. Evansville has won three out of the last five games overall, thanks to a pitching staff which has held the opposition to a .257 batting average over the last five contests. Offensively, sophomore third baseman Cody Fick continues to pace the UE attack with a .388 batting average, which is good enough for fifth-best in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Louisville, meanwhile, will bring a 14-6 overall record into Tuesday’s game, after winning two out of three games from Georgetown over the weekend in the Big East Conference opener for both teams. The Cardinals were the unanimous favorites to win the Big East during the preseason, and their lineup features one of the nation’s most feared hitters in junior third baseman Chris Dominguez. Dominguez, the Sporting News Preseason National Player of the Year and a fifth-round draft pick of the Colorado Rockies last season, will bring a team-best .400 batting average into Tuesday’s game with seven home runs and 31 RBI. As a team, Louisville has already launched 24 home runs in 20 games, 15 of which have been played at home (13-2 home record).
Tuesday’s game will mark the 72nd all-time meeting between UE and Louisville on the diamond, with the Purple Aces holding a 38-33 all-time series advantage. The Purple Aces swept a home-and-home series from Louisville in 2007 the last time the two teams met. Junior RHP Jared Baehl (0-0, 5.93 ERA) is expected to get the start Tuesday for the Purple Aces, while Louisville is expected to send freshman RHP Mike Nastold (1-0, 6.35 ERA) to the mound.
