EVANSVILLE, Ind. – With a 17-9 record and cruising with a five-game win-streak, the University of Evansville baseball team will open Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend with the visiting Southern Illinois Salukis. The three-game series begins Friday at 6:00 p.m. CDT at Braun Stadium, and continues Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

Fri., April 8	vs. Southern Illinois	6:00 p.m.	Live Stats	Listen (91.5 FM)	Watch
Sat., April 9	vs. Southern Illinois	2:00 p.m.	Live Stats	Listen (91.5 FM)	Watch
Sun., April 10	vs. Southern Illinois	1:00 p.m.	Live Stats	Listen (91.5 FM)	Watch

LAST OUTING/RESULTS
Wed. 4/6/11 - Evansville 5, SIU Edwardsville 3
Evansville built a 5-0 lead, piloted by the pitching of sophomore Josh Biggs and home runs by senior Cody Fick and junior Trentt Copeland, as the Aces held off SIU Edwardsville for a 5-3 win Wednesday night at Braun Stadium. Biggs (1-0) threw six scoreless innings on the mound to earn his first win of the season, allowing three hits, two walks, while striking out four. The sophomore did not allow a single SIUE player past first base. Fick led Evansville at the plate with his 3-for-3 performance, including two runs scored and two runs batted in on a home run and two singles.

Tue. 4/5/11 – Evansville 24, Austin Peay 3
The Aces’ offense exploded in the third inning, scoring 13 runs, including back-to-back home runs by seniors Greg Wallace and Cody Fick, as the University of Evansville went on to defeat Austin Peay, 24-3, Tuesday night in Clarksville, Tenn. Evansville tagged the Governors for 20 hits, including seven doubles and four home runs; two for Fick, and one each for Wallace and senior Ryan Oesterle. The Aces also tallied a season-high 18 RBI, led by Wallaces’ four. Freshman Ryan Billo (2-0) earned the win, throwing five innings, allowing a run on five scattered hits, while striking out five. Classmates Sam Bohon and Tyler Miller split the remaining innings. Miller pitched a perfect eighth and ninth innings, striking out four-of-six batters faced.

PITCHING PROBABALES
1: RHP Kyle Lloyd (2-2, 5.15 ERA) vs. RHP Camerson Maldonado (2-4, 6.61 ERA)
2: LHP Cole Isom (3-2, 4.26 ERA) vs. LHP Cody Forsythe (2-3, 2.61 ERA)
3: RHP Cody Fick (5-0, 1.91 ERA) vs. LHP Brad Drust (0-2, 4.60 ERA)

SCOUTING THE SALUKIS
Southern Illinois (8-19, 0-0 MVC) comes off Wednesday’s 9-0 victory over Murray State. The Salukis hit three home runs and got six shutout innings from senior pitcher Andrew Bever in route to the win. Southern's three home runs are the most in a game this year and it is just the second time the Salukis have had a multi-home run game. SIU is 4-6 in the last 10 games and 2-3 in the last five, falling to Murray State, 5-2, in a home-and-home series sandwiched around a three-game series with Kennesaw State in which the Salukis went 1-2. As a team, SIU owns a .267 batting average led by Chris Murphy (.319), Wes Neece (.311), and Jordan Sivertsen (.301). Sivertsen leads the club with four home runs, seven doubles, and 22 RBI on the season. The Salukis pitching staff has a combined 4.45 ERA, piloted by Cody Forsythe (2-3, 2.61 ERA) who is scheduled to start Saturday’s game. As a team, SIU has only stolen 16 bases (16-25) compared to UE’s 58.

ALL-TIME SERIES
The Aces trail the all-time series with Southern Illinois, 55-88. Playing in Carbondale last year, Evansville went 1-2 against the Salukis, winning game one 14-2, then falling 8-6 and 6-4 in the final two contests. Cody Fick’s grand slam in the eighth inning of the first game keyed a nine-run explosion for the Purple Aces, and UE tied a school single-game record with eight doubles, as the Aces cruised to a 14-2 run-rule victory in eight innings over SIU. Despite losing the series, Fick (6-for-12, HR, 7 RBI), Trentt Copeland (5-for-12) and Nate Smith (5-for-12, 4 2B, 4 RBI) hit especially well versus SIU and look to repeat that performance this weekend.

MVC SCHOLAR-ATHLETE
Senior Jared Baehl has been selected as the Prairie Farms/Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Week, announced by Commissioner Doug Elgin Wednesday. Baehl hit .368 last week with a .632 slugging percentage as Evansville went 4-1, including a three-game series sweep over IPFW. Baehl started every game in left field and recorded a perfect fielding percentage with 12 putouts. He went 3-for-4 with two RBI, a triple, and double in UE’s midweek contest at Saint Louis. The Poseyville, Ind. native recorded at least one hit in each game versus IPFW, going 2-for-4 in game one with a triple, two RBI, and a run scored. He also tallied two hits, two RBI and a run scored in UE’s 14-6 win over the Mastodons. On the season, Baehl is hitting .340 and has also excelled in the classroom with a 3.32 cumulative GPA in Management.

STREAKING
Senior Cody Fick is on an 11-game hitting streak, recording multiple hits in 10 of those 11. Eric Stamets has recorded a hit in 24 of UE’s 26 games, starting the season with a 14-game streak. He went hitless in two games versus Michigan State, and is now on another streak, recording at least one in each of the past 10 games. Senior Jared Baehl has also been seeing the ball well, hitting in each of the past six contests.

STOP! THIEF!
The Aces stole 17 bases last week and a season-high eight in their 11-0 win over IPFW, led by senior Ty Legan’s three and sophomore Eric Stamets’ two. Stamets was successful in four of five attempts this last week, and currently leads the MVC with 19 stolen bases on the season. On the year, UE has swiped 58 bases as a team (58-82), while holding opponents to just 31 (31-42).

HOME RUN CLUB
Welcome Trentt Copeland to the 2011 Aces’ home run club! The junior belted a second inning solo shot against SIUE Wednesday night, his first of the season and fifth of his career. Greg Wallace (6), Cody Fick (6), Ryan Oesterle (4), Jared Baehl (1), and Eric Stamets (1) have also knocked at least one out of the park this spring. Fick’s fourth inning leadoff homer vs. the Cougars and two towering slams at Austin Peay gives him 34 career dingers, passing Ed Kothera (1985-87) on UE’s career leaders list for second all-time. Fick is now six home runs shy of Jeff Starks’ (1979-82) program record of 40. A transfer from Jefferson College, Fick has been able to reach second all-time in just three seasons with the Aces. In 2010, the Freeburg, Mo. native belted 19 home runs, one shy of tying UE’s single-season record.

TURN TWO
UE has made 33 double plays this season, while hitting into just 11. The duo of Stamets at short and Copeland at second has been spectacular, turning two 16 times up the middle this year. Stamets has had a hand in a team-high 19 double plays and leads the club with 90 assists. The sophomore set UE’s single-season assist record last season with 226. As a team, UE broke the program record in 2010 for defensive double plays with 69.

MR. CLUTCH
There is nobody better to have at the plate than Cody Fick when the Aces have ducks on the pond. Fick is a whopping 14-for-15 (.933) when there’s a runner on third and less than two outs, almost always picking up an RBI. With any runners on base, he is hitting .533 (32-for-60) and with runners in scoring position he is 21-for-43 (.488).

HOT BATS
Seven of UE’s players are currently hitting well above .300 on the season. Third baseman Cody Fick (.423), right fielder Nate Smith (.407), centerfielder Greg Wallace (.360), shortstop Eric Stamets (.327), left fielder Jared Baehl (.340), first baseman Ryan Oesterle (.333), and utility player Ty Legan (.300) lead the Aces’ bats.

LET’S GET SOME RUNS
Scoring 185 runs so far this season, the Evansville offense has allowed its pitching staff some room for error. When the Aces hold their opponent to less than six runs, they have a perfect 15-0 record.