• Series Notes (PDF)
• AcesTV's Live Video Coverage Of Friday's Game
• Free Live Audio Of Saturday's Game (Courtesy of WUEV)
• Live Game Statistics
The University of Evansville baseball program will honor one of its all-time greats this weekend, as the Purple Aces will retire the jersey number of former UE star and 14-year Major League veteran Andy Benes on Saturday afternoon as part of the Purple Aces’ three-game series with visiting Arkansas State at Charles H. Braun Stadium. The Benes jersey retirement ceremony will begin at 3:40 p.m. prior to Saturday’s 4:00 p.m. contest between UE and ASU.
Benes pitched at UE from 1986 through 1988 and rewrote the record book in the process. He set single-season UE records for victories (16), complete-games (13), innings pitched (146.0), earned run average (1.42) and strikeouts (188) while earning consensus first team All-America honors and NCAA Player of the Year laurels in 1988 and helping the Purple Aces to their first NCAA Tournament appearance and victory over top-ranked Arizona State. Benes would eventually be selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 1988 Major League Baseball draft by the San Diego Padres and would represent his country as a member of Team U.S.A. in the 1988 Olympic Games, but not before also setting career records at UE for ERA (3.32) and strikeouts (320), two marks which still stand to this day.
From Evansville, Benes would go on to shine on the mound for the Padres, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals during a 14-year Major League career. Benes finished his career with a 155-139 overall record and 3.97 ERA. Benes earned National League All-Star status for the Padres in 1993, and twice was named the Padres’ Clyde McCullough Pitcher of the Year during his seven years with the Major League club. He ranked among the National League’s leaders in victories seven different times, while also ranking among the league’s leaders in strikeouts 10 consecutive years from 1990 through 1999, including leading the league in strikeouts in 1994 with 189 strikeouts.
“Andy Benes is arguably the greatest player to ever wear a Purple Aces’ uniform, and this honor of having his jersey number retired is long overdue,” said UE head coach Wes Carroll, a former Purple Ace himself. “Andy really helped put Evansville baseball on the map in 1988 with the season that he had, earning NCAA Player of the Year honors. Then, to have the type of Major League career that he did is a credit to how good of a player he really is and it just shows what kind of talent this baseball program can produce.”
Evansville will enter Friday night’s 6:00 p.m. series opener with a 17-16 overall record after sweeping a two-game, mid-week series with Murray State this week by scores of 20-17 and 14-5. After starting the year 3-9, Evansville has rebounded to win 14 of its last 21 contests to go above the .500 mark for the first time this season. Leading UE’s offensive attack is junior outfielder Greg Wallace, who currently ranks among the Missouri Valley Conference’s leaders in batting average (7th-.380), slugging percentage (3rd-.655), runs scored (3rd-34), hits (1st-54), RBI (1st-43), doubles (5th-12), triples (2nd-six), home runs (6th-5) and total bases (1st-93). Freshman shortstop Eric Stamets (.341/2/17, 29-32 SBs), sophomore infielder Trentt Copeland (.340/3/23) and junior infielder Cody Fick (.304/8/30) also will bring averages above .300 into this weekend’s series.
Arkansas State, meanwhile, will bring a 22-11 overall record into this weekend’s series after knocking off Southeast Missouri State, 9-6, on Wednesday. The Red Wolves have won 10 of their last 12 games overall, and four games in a row to garner top 30 votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll. Arkansas State currently ranks second in the Sun Belt Conference with an 11-4 conference record, and the Red Wolves rank nationally in both team batting average (44th-.328) and team earned run average (22nd-3.75).
“Arkansas State has been playing extremely well of late, and they are an extremely well-coached ballclub,” said Carroll. “They execute extremely well and they do not beat themselves. They also have some arms that will be among the best that we see this year, so it will be a good challenge this weekend.”
The series will begin on Friday night at 6:00 p.m. and continue on both Saturday (4:00 p.m.) and Sunday (1:00 p.m.) afternoon. Due to parking concerns on campus this weekend with the annual UE Bike Race taking place in UE’s largest parking lot, fans are encouraged to arrive early for the games and are encouraged to look for parking in lots “P” and “N” on the UE campus. Both parking lots are located along Rotherwood Avenue, with “Lot P” being situated at the corner of Rotherwood and Olive Street and “Lot N” being located at the corner of Rotherwood and Walnut Street.
Friday’s series opener can be see live on AcesTV on GoPurpleAces.com, while Saturday’s contest can be heard live on 91.5 F.M.-WUEV.
