EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- The University of Evansville baseball team hits the road this weekend, taking on the Arkansas State Red Wolves for a four-game series. Originally scheduled to play three games, Saturday’s single contest has been turned into a doubleheader after UE had to cancel a game at MTSU last weekend due to poor weather conditions. The Aces take the field Friday at 6:00 p.m. CST, Saturday at 1:00 p.m. for the twin bill, and Sunday at 1:00 p.m.



University of Evansville (1-1, 0-0 Missouri Valley) at Arkansas State (1-3, 0-0 Sun Belt)

CATCH THE ACTION        Live Stats      Game Notes

Friday	at Arkansas State	6:00 p.m. CT Jonesboro, Ark./Tomlinson Stadium
Saturday	at Arkansas State	1:00 p.m. CT (DH) Jonesboro, Ark./Tomlinson Stadium
Sunday	at Arkansas State	1:00 p.m. CT Jonesboro, Ark./Tomlinson Stadium

PITCHING PROBABLES
Game 1 - Friday
So. LHP Cole Isom (0-1, 1.50 ERA) vs. Sr. RHP Jacob Lee (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Game 2 - Saturday
Jr. RHP Sam Johns (0-0, 5.40 ERA) vs. Jr. RHP Daniel Wright (0-1, 3.60 ERA)
Game 3: Saturday
Jr. RHP Kyle Lloyd (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. So. RHP Bradley Wallace (0-0, 13.50 ERA)
Game 4: Sunday
Fr. LHP Kyle Freeland (No Stats) vs. Jr. RHP Morgan Croft (0-0, 36.00 ERA)

ALL-TIME SERIES
Evansville leads the all-time series, 5-1, going 2-1 in last year’s three-game series in Jonesboro and swept ASU 3-0 at Charles Braun Stadium in 2010.
 
SCOUTING THE RED WOLVES (1-3, 0-0 SBC)
Arkansas State comes off an 11-3 midweek win over Murray State. The Red Wolves were picked seventh in the 2012 preseason Sun Belt Conference baseball poll. Six starting position players return from the 2011A-State team that finished 27-31-1 and won two games at the SBC Tournament, including starting pitcher Jacob Lee and outfielders Ryan Emery, Michael Faulkner and Logan Uxa. 
 
LAST TIME OUT
UE comes off a 1-1 opening weekend, falling at Belmont, 2-0, but bounced back to top Lipscomb, 4-3, last Saturday. The Aces’ game at Middle Tennessee was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.
 
ISOM OUTING
Sophomore southpaw Cole Isom tossed six strong innings, allowing just one run on one hit, but suffered the loss as Belmont shutout Evansville, 2-0, in the Aces season-opener. Isom held the Bruins hitless through the first five innings, allowing just two base runners – a walk in the first and hit batter in the third – with three perfect frames. The Hopkinsville, Ky. native finished with four strikeouts and limited the opposition to a .056 batting average in his first outing of the season.
 
SOLID STAMETS
Junior Eric Stamets finished opening weekend with a .400 batting average and team-high .667 on-base percentage. He was also successful in all three stolen base attempts. Against Belmont, Stamets led the Aces’ offense, going 1-1 with three walks. At Lipscomb, Stamets served as UE’s offensive spark, putting the Aces on the board for the first time this season with an RBI single up the middle. He also started the three-run seventh inning rally that led to UE’s first win of the season, leading off with a walk and scored the first run of the frame.
 
PEARSON GOES STREAKING
Carried over from last year, catcher Chris Pearson has recorded hits in four consecutive games. Pearson was UE’s only player to log multiple hits in the season-opener at Belmont (2-4) and went 1-for-3 at Lipscomb. He leads UE with a .429 batting average. Eric Stamets also tallied a hit in each game last weekend.
 
CHALK IT UNDER WINS
UE used a three-run rally in the top of the seventh inning to overcome Lipscomb University, 4-3, last Saturday afternoon in Nashville. Middle reliever Kyle Lloyd (1-0) earned the win, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and struck out one. Josh Biggs picked up the save. Right-hander Sam Johns got the no-decision, tossing 5.0 innings, allowing three earned runs, seven hits, two walks, while striking out two. Trailing 3-1 heading into the seventh, Eric Stamets scored the first run on Kevin Kaczmarksi’s double to right-center after leading off with a walk. Kaczmarski advanced to third on Trentt Copeland’s groundout and Pearson walked to put runners on the corners with one out. Jake Mahon’s sacrifice bunt, plated the freshman centerfielder, and freshman Kyle Pollock’s double down the left field line brought in Pearson from second to give UE the go-ahead run and a 4-3 advantage.
 
A RARE SHUTOUT
In 198 total games, UE has been shut out just two times, including the Aces’ 2-0 season-opening loss at Belmont (2/17). Getting shut out just once last season – a 4-0 loss vs. Creighton (5/14/11) – Evansville scored at least one run in every game in the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
 
RETURNS TO THE HILL
Right-handed pitchers Sam Johns and Zach Taylor are back in commission this season after both suffering season-ending injuries in the first inning of UE’s first two games in 2011. After getting elbow surgery last spring, Johns made his return to the mound vs. Lipscomb, hurling 5.0 innings and got the no-decision. Taylor took a line drive to the ear in his first start last year (at Memphis 2/19). He has yet to see game action, but is expected to fill the long-reliever role this season.
 
PITCHERS GALORE
Evansville returns 12-of-13 pitchers from last season and also adds three newcomers to the staff, including Kyle Freeland, a 35th round pick by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2011 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Freeland is scheduled to start Sunday’s game.
 
CLOSE CALLS
Carried over from last season, Evansville’s last five games have been decided by two runs or less. The Aces ended the 2011 season with three tough one-run losses, including falling 2-1 to Wichita State and 4-3 (11 inn.) to Illinois State in the MVC Tournament. Topping Lipscomb by one, UE looks to keep momentum on its side heading into the weekend.
 
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE
For the second consecutive year, shortstop Eric Stamets was named to the Missouri Valley Conference preseason all-conference team, voted on by the league’s eight head coaches. Stamets, a junior from Dublin, Ohio, projects to be one of the best shortstops in the nation this year. Last season, Stamets hit .292 with a team-high 51 runs scored and 27 stolen bases. Defensively, he led the Aces with 181 assists and helped the squad to a program-best .977 fielding percentage with a record-low 48 errors as a team. In addition, Stamets turned heads in the summer, playing for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks and was named a Cape Cod League All-Star. Stamets was a consensus Freshman All-American and the MVC Freshman of the Year in 2010.