Game Notes • Live Stats • Video Streaming • Live Audio
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville softball team will bring in No. 16 Missouri for a doubleheader Wednesday at James and Dorothy Cooper Stadium. First pitch of the midweek matchup is set for 4:00 CDT.
Wednesday’s games mark the third time this season that the Aces have played a team that was ranked in the NFCA/USA Today Top 25. Evansville faced off against then-ranked No. 7 Tennessee on March 3 before playing a three-game series against No. 19 Texas Tech on March 11-13.
The midweek doubleheader will also mark the second time that head coach Mark Redburn has gone head-to-head against the Tigers. Prior to taking the head coaching position at UE, Redburn served as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Mizzou from 2007-09.
The Aces (7-25) are coming off three losses to Drake in last weekend’s Missouri Valley Conference series in Des Moines, Iowa. Evansville dropped two one-run games, including a heartbreaking 7-6 loss in the ninth inning of Sunday’s finale.
Senior Jen Stahhut leads the Aces’ offense, ranking fifth in the MVC and batting .355 on the year with 33 hits and 17 runs batted in. Stahlhut finished the weekend going 4-for-9 at the plate, belting her second home run of the season and picking up four runs scored against Drake.
As a team, Evansville is hitting .238 on the season with a .958 fielding percentage. The Aces lead the Valley ls with 15 double plays turned this season and are ranked 10th among NCAA Division I schools with an average of .46 twin double plays per game. Sophomore Alicia Betancur and junior Amy Gaertner are ranked first and second, respectively, in the MVC with 11 and eight double plays fielded this season.
Scouting the Tigers
No. 16 Missouri (28-5, 5-1 Big 12 Conference)
The Missouri Tigers enter the midweek matchup after splitting a Big 12 series with Baylor last weekend. Missouri owns a team batting average of .301 with 40 home runs on the season. Five Tigers are hitting above .300 with Ashley Fleming leading the lineup with a .419 average at the plate and a team-high eight home runs. Rhea Taylor enters the doubleheader with a .374 batting average and is 22-for-24 in stolen bases.
In the center circle, the Tigers are led by two-time 2011 Big 12 Pitcher of the Week Chelsea Thomas. Thomas has collected a 0.58 ERA on the mound, allowing just nine earned runs and tallying 174 strikeouts in 108.0 innings pitched. Kristin Nottelmann serves as the second arm on staff, posting a 1.91 ERA in 69.2 innings pitched with 79 strikeouts on the season.
