Game Notes (pdf)

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team wraps up its five-game hiatus from Missouri Valley Conference play Wednesday, hosting the Murray State Thoroughbreds of the OVC. First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m. CT at Braun Stadium.

SCOUTING THE BREDS (19-22, 5-10 OVC) – Murray State comes off an Ohio Valley Conference series loss to Jacksonville State, 1-2. The Breds won game one, 5-4, but fell 5-1 and 7-2 in the remaining contests. As a team, the Breds are hitting .283 led by Mike Kozlowski (.325), Ty Stetson (.316), and Travis Isaak (.303). Defensively, Murray State has a .965 fielding percentage and 5.41 team ERA.

SCOUTING THE ACES (24-16, 6-6 MVC) – Evansville comes off a 1-2 series versus Dayton of the Atlantic 10, winning game one, 7-6 in 11 innings, but fell 4-3 and 9-5 on Saturday and Sunday. The Aces’ bats are led by Jason Hockemeyer (.307), Kyle Pollock (.305) and Kevin Kaczmarski (.303), as the team owns a collective .260 average. UE ranks 10th in the nation with a .978 fielding percentage, while the pitching staff owns a 4.10 earned run average.

CATCH THE ACTION

Wednesday

Evansville

vs. Murray State

6:00 p.m. CT

Live Stats

 
PITCHING PROBABLES
UE: Ryan Billo, RHP (6-1, 2.62 ERA, 48.0 IP, 10 BB, 28 K)
MSU: Kyle Cornett, LHP (3-2, 5.34 ERA, 28.2 IP, 24 BB, 19 K)

LAST TIME VS. THE BREDS
With one out in the top of the ninth, UE brought the go-ahead run to the plate, but the hosting Murray State Thoroughbreds drew the double play ball, taking a 3-1 victory over the Aces April 11th at Reagan Field. The loss marks UE’s only in midweek play this season. Sophomore Ryan Billo took his first and only loss of the season, despite pitching well, tossing six and a third innings, allowing two runs, eight scattered hits, a walk, and struck out two. Reliever Jake Naumann threw the remaining one and two thirds, giving up a run, two hits, while striking out one. Offensively, Chris Pearson led the Aces’, going 2-for-4, while Eric Stamets, Jake Mahon, Kyle Pollock, and Jason Hockemeyer combined for UE’s six hits in the game.

THE SERIES
Evansville leads the all-time series 33-13. Last season, the Aces won the only meeting, 8-3, on April 19th at Braun Stadium. The second meeting of the home-and-home series was cancelled due to rain in Murray.

EVANSVILLE (24-16, 6-6 MVC)
Last Week: 2-2
4/18 vs. SIUE, 10-2, W
4/20 vs. Dayton, 7-6 (11), W
4/21 vs. Dayton, 4-3, L
4/22 vs. Dayton, 9-5, L

ACE PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Ryan Billo, So., RHP, Orland Park, Ill.
1-1 GP-GS, 1-0, 1.29 ERA, 7.0 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 1 BB, 5 K
Sophomore Ryan Billo led Evansville to a home-and-home series sweep over SIU Edwardsville allowing just one run, five hits, a walk, while striking out five in seven innings of work against the Cougars. Billo held SIUE hitless until the fifth frame en route to his sixth win of the season. Billo also earned the win against SIUE in the first series meeting. On the season, Billo owns a team-best 6-1 record and 2.62 ERA.

ACE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Trentt Copeland, Sr., 2B, Guelph, Ontario
4-4 GP-GS, .412 BA, 17 AB, 3 R, 7 H, 3 2B, 1 RBI, .588 Slg%, .412 ob%
Hitting .412 on the week with a team-best .588 slugging percentage, senior Trentt Copeland recorded multiple hits in three of UE’s four games, including a double in each of those contests. Copeland went 2-for-5 with a double and run scored in UE’s 10-2 win over SIUE. In the Aces’ walk-off 11-inning Friday night victory over Dayton, Copeland went 3-for-5 with a double and run scored, and in the last game of the series, he went 2-for-4 with a double and RBI. The Guelph, Ontario native now has 55 career doubles, ranking him sixth all-time at UE. Copeland also recorded a perfect fielding percentage at second base last week with seven assists and 19 putouts.

200 HITS
Senior Trentt Copeland became the 24th member of UE’s 200-hit club Sunday versus Dayton (4/22) on his first of two hits that day, an RBI down the left field line in the fourth inning. That double also marked the 55th in his career and eighth this season.

MIDWEEK MASTERS
Evansville owns an 8-1 record this season on games played on Tuesday or Wednesday. UE is 3-0 on Tuesdays and 5-1 on Wednesdays.

WALK-OFF WONDERS
Evansville has won five games this season in walk-off style, including Friday night’s 7-6 11-inning victory over Dayton. In that game, Chris Pearson’s double down the right field line scored Michael Eckstein for the win after UE endured a 45 minute rain delay to start the game and a 48 minute campus lockdown delay in the eighth. UE’s other walk-off wins this spring include UT Martin (3/13), Western Michigan twice (3/16, 3/18), and Indiana State (3/24).

DOUBLE-T TRENTT
Trentt Copeland continues to move up the career doubles list, now with 55 after recording three last week. Copeland is tied for sixth all-time at UE, matched with Cody Fick (2009-11). He needs two more two-baggers to move up another spot. Playing from 1998 to 2001, UE Head Coach Wes Carroll holds the record at Evansville with 74 career doubles.

GO THREE
Kevin Kaczmarski co-leads the MVC with five triples this season. Kaczmarski recorded one in three consecutive games from 3/18-3/23, another in the series clincher vs. Wichita State (4/14), and one in Sunday’s game vs. Dayton (4/22). Kaczmarski needs to belt just one more to tie for fifth in UE’s individual season record book.

PEARSON’S GOTTA GUN
Over the weekend, catcher Chris Pearson threw out a total of six Dayton runners stealing. On the season, Pearson has caught 16 runners, co-leading the MVC, with 35 stolen bases against him.

ON DECK
Evansville resumes Valley play, bringing the Bradley University Braves to Braun Stadium for a three-game series. The contests will be played Friday at 6:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday at 1:00 p.m.