EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team opens its home schedule this weekend with the Dunn Hospitality Diamond Classic. The Aces welcome Eastern Illinois, a participant last year, as well as IPFW to Charles H. Braun Stadium this weekend. Play kicks off Friday at 11:00 a.m. CT when UE takes on the Mastodons. IPFW and EIU will play each other at 3:00 p.m.

CATCH THE ACTION (Tickets are $7 for Adults, $5 for Youth/Seniors)

Friday	Evansville	IPFW	11:00 a.m. CT	Live Stats	Audio (91.5FM-WUEV)	Video
Friday	IPFW	EIU	3:00 p.m.	Live Stats
Saturday	Evansville	EIU	11:00 a.m.	Live Stats
Saturday	Evansville	IPFW	3:00 p.m.	Live Stats
Sunday	Evansville	EIU	1:00 p.m.	Live Stats	Audio (91.5FM-WUEV)

 
PITCHING PROBABLES
Friday
Evansville vs. IPFW (11:00 a.m.)
UE: LHP Cole Isom (0-2, 2.25 ERA)
IPFW: RHP Charles Weaver (0-1, 4.50 ERA)

IPFW vs. Eastern Illinois (3:00 p.m.)
IPFW: LHP Jason Kalber (2-0, 4.38 ERA)
EIU: LHP Christian Slazinik  (1-1, 5.40 ERA)

Saturday
Evansville vs. Eastern Illinois (11:00 a.m.)
UE: RHP Sam Johns (0-0, 4.00 ERA)
EIU: RHP Mike Hoekstra (0-1, 1.35 ERA)

Evansville vs. IPFW (3:00 p.m.)
UE: RHP Kyle Lloyd (2-0, 0.00 ERA)
IPFW: RHP Travis Reboulet  (0-1, 1.04 ERA)

Sunday
Evansville vs. Eastern Illinois (1:00 p.m.)
UE: LHP Kyle Freeland (0-1, 1.50 ERA)
EIU: RHP Troy Barton (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

EASTERN ILLINOIS (2-4, 0-0 OVC) - The Panthers come off a big win, upsetting No. 14 Louisville, 3-2, Tuesday on the road. T.J. McManus paced the EIU offense as he was 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs while Ryan Dineen added two hits. Troy Barton recorded the win, striking out three and did not surrender any runs in 5.1 innings of work. On the season, Jacob Rees (.333) and Ben Thoma (.316) pilot the offense, as the team is hitting .236 as a whole. The Panther pitching staff has been exceptional, boasting a 2.16 team ERA.

IPFW (2-4, 0-0 Summit) – The Mastodons come off a 1-2 series loss at Southeast Missouri State, suffering a 26-7 loss in Sunday’s rubber match. Offensively, IPFW is led by Malcolm White (.333), Lucas Salerno (.333), and Shane Trevino (.300). As a whole, the squad is hitting .177, while the pitching staff owns a 7.24 earned run average.

ABOUT EVANSVILLE: The Aces enter the weekend with a 3-4 record with all four losses being decided by two or less runs. After a 1-3 weekend at Arkansas State, UE bounced back to top UT Martin, 9-5, Wednesday evening on the road. Offensively, the Aces are led  Jason Hockemeyer (.412), Eric Stamets (.333) and Andy Lasher (.286). As a team, UE is batting .233, while the pitching staff boasts a 2.59 ERA.

LAST TIME OUT: Trailing 3-2, Evansville came from behind to score six runs in the top of the sixth inning en route to a 9-5 victory over the University of Tennessee Martin Skyhawks Wednesday night. Sophomore Ryan Billo started and tossed 4.1 innings, allowing three runs, two earned, six hits, while striking out three. Earning the win, senior Zach Taylor (1-1) came out of the bullpen to throw 1.2 frames, giving up two runs, two hits, a walk, and struck out two, while Naumann hurled two scoreless inning, allowing just two hits and struck out 4-of-9 batters faced. Biggs made his third appearance as a closer this season, tossing a perfect ninth inning with one strikeout. Evansville was led offensively by junior Jason Hockemeyer who went 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored. Also contributing in the win was sophomore David Patton, going 1-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored, while junior Andy Lasher went 1-for-5, knocked two runs in, and scored one. Seven players recorded hits and tallied runs in the victory.

LAST YEAR’S DUNN: After the first two days were rained out, the skies finally cleared for the Aces Sunday, who were scheduled to compete against EIU and Northwestern in a three-day tournament, but rain had its way with the field, forcing a one-day doubleheader with the Panthers. Evansville bounced back from a, 7-4, defeat in game one to beat Eastern Illinois, 4-1, in the nightcap.

WHAT’S ON DECK: After this weekend, the Aces hit the road again to Western Kentucky for a single game Wednesday, and then travel to Tennessee Tech for a three-game series, Friday-Sunday.

KINGS OF THE HILL: In 59 innings of work, Evansville’s experienced pitching staff has recorded a miniscule 2.59 earned run average. Kyle Lloyd (2-0, 8.2 IP), Josh Biggs (3.0 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 (2-0, 0.00 ERA) 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.

EARLY RUNS: Evansville has scored first in 5-of-7 games this season, scoring 8-of-26 runs in the first inning. The Aces are 2-3 when they start with the lead and 1-1 when the opposition crosses the plate first.

A RARE SHUTOUT: In 203 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. In his second outing, he earned the win at UT Martin (2/29).

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.