EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team continues its non-conference road schedule Wednesday, taking on the University of Tennessee Martin Skyhawks. First pitch is set for 4:00 p.m. CT at Skyhawk Field.

Wednesday

at UT Martin

4:00 p.m. CT Martin, Tenn./Skyhawk Field

Feb. 24 At Arkansas State, 2-4 L
Feb. 25 At Arkansas State, 4-5 L
Feb. 25 At Arkansas State, 5-1 W
Feb. 26 At Arkansas State, 2-3 L

THE SERIES: Evansville leads the series 8-2, sweeping the Skyhawks, 2-0, in a home-and-home series last season. UE won 16-3 on March 1, 2011 in Martin, Tenn. and 18-6 on March 23, 2011 at Charles Braun Stadium. UE will see the Skyhawks again later this season, hosting UTM March 13th.

ABOUT EVANSVILLE: The Aces enter Wednesday with a 2-4 record with all four losses being decided by two or less runs. UE comes off a 1-3 weekend at Arkansas State with right-handed pitcher Kyle Lloyd picking up his second win of the year in Saturday’s, 5-1, nightcap victory. Offensively, four UE players are hitting over .300, including Jason Hockemeyer (.385), Eric Stamets (.333), Tim Bodine (.333) and Andy Lasher (.313). As a team, UE is batting .234, while the pitching staff boasts a 2.34 ERA.

SCOUTING THE SKYHAWKS: UT Martin comes off a 2-1 series win over Butler, winning games one (5-0) and two (5-4), and falling 13-5 Sunday afternoon. For the first time in Skyhawk history, UTM swept the Ohio Valley Conference’s weekly awards, as junior right-hander Alec Mills and senior outfielder Jordan Owen earned Pitcher and Player of the Week, respectively. Offensively, the Skyhawks are led by Owen (.407), Wade Collins (.375), Phil Sorenson (.300), Sonny Mastromatteo (.300), and Nico Zych (.300). The squad is hitting .246, while the pitching staff owns a 6.13 ERA as a whole.

WHAT’S ON DECK: Evansville has its home-opener this week, hosting the Dunn Hospitality Diamond Classic at Charles Braun Stadium, Friday through Sunday. IPFW and Eastern Illinois will be the other teams in attendance. UE will open the tournament vs. IPFW Friday at 11:00 a.m. CT.

KINGS OF THE HILL: In 50 innings of work, Evansville’s experienced pitching staff has recorded a miniscule 2.34 earned run average. All 10 hurlers who have made at least one appearance boast a 4.50 ERA or lower. Kyle Lloyd (2-0, 8.2 IP), Josh Biggs (2.0 IP), Ryan Billo (1.1 IP) and Peter Spear (1.0) all have yet to give up an earned run.

WELCOME HOCKEMEYER: Playing his first games in an Aces uniform last weekend, junior transfer Jason Hockemeyer started all four games at first base in UE’s four-game series at Arkansas State. He recorded a perfect fielding percentage, logging a team-high 38 putouts and four assists. Hockemeyer also led UE offensively with a .385 batting average (5-for-13) and .615 slugging percentage. In UE’s first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, Hockemeyer lined a leadoff double in the sixth and scored in the frame to temporarily give UE the lead. In the 5-1 nightcap victory over the Red Wolves, Hockemeyer belted a two-out RBI triple to cap UE’s four-run first inning.

LLOYD EXPRESS: Junior Kyle Lloyd earned his second win of the season in as many outings, as the Aces topped Arkansas State, 5-1, Saturday evening. Lloyd started and tossed six scoreless innings, allowing six hits, just one walk, while striking out three. Lloyd (2-0, 0.00 ERA) has yet to allow a run this season.

EARLY RUNS: Evansville has scored first in 4-of-6 games this season, with 41.2 percent (7-of-17 run) of their offensive output occurring in the first inning. The Aces are 1-3 when they start with the lead and 1-1 when the opposition crosses the plate first.

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 (0-0, 4.00 ERA) and Zach Taylor (0-1, 4.50 ERA) 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). In his first appearance since the incident, Taylor came out of the bullpen in UE’s second game at Arkansas State and took the loss, throwing four innings, allowing two runs, two hits, three walks, while striking out two.

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.

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.