Series Notes (pdf)
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – After taking a five-game break from Missouri Valley Conference play, the University of Evansville baseball team resumes league action this weekend, 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.
CATCH THE ACTION (Tickets are $7 for Adults, $5 for Youth/Seniors)
SCOUTING THE BRAVES (22-16-1, 5-7 MVC) – The Braves come off a 1-2 series loss to Illinois State and two non-conference midweek wins over Iowa (7-3) and Northern Illinois (4-3). Against the Redbirds, Bradley won game one convincingly, 13-2, but suffered the opposite fate in games two and three by scores of 12-3 and 13-5. With a .278 team batting average, Rob Elliott leads the squad, hitting .346. Max Murphy (.338) and Greg Partyka (.305) have also been batting well, both with eight home runs, good for second in the Valley. Defensively, the Braves own a .967 fielding percentage and 4.74 earned run average. Friday’s projected starter, Joe Bircher (5-1), leads the staff with a 2.51 ERA and league-best 81 strikeouts.
SCOUTING THE ACES (25-16, 6-6 MVC) – Evansville comes off a 1-2 series versus Dayton of the Atlantic 10, as well as a 13-2 midweek win over Murray State of the OVC. Versus UD, the Aces won game one, 7-6 in 11 innings, but fell 4-3 and 9-5 on Saturday and Sunday. Evansville has hit its stride offensively, entering the weekend with a season-best .264 average as a team with four players batting above .300, including
Kevin Kaczmarski (.315),
Jason Hockemeyer (.312),
Eric Stamets (.304), and
Kyle Pollock (.301). Defensively, UE boasts one of the best groups of gloves in the nation, ranking 10th in NCAA Division I with a .978 fielding percentage, while the pitching staff owns a 4.05 ERA.
PITCHING PROBABLES
Fri., April 27 (6 p.m.)
UE:
Cole Isom (So., LHP) (2-4, 4.06 ERA, 64.1 IP, 26 BB, 55 K)
BU: Joe Bircher (Sr., LHP) (5-1, 2.51 ERA, 71.2 IP, 12 BB, 81 K)
Sat., April 28 (2 p.m.)
UE:
Kyle Lloyd (Jr., RHP) (3-2, 3.19 ERA, 53.2 IP, 14 BB, 37 K)
BU: TBA
Sun., April 29 (1 p.m.)
UE:
Kyle Freeland (Fr., LHP) (3-3, 4.61 ERA, 56.2 IP, 16 BB, 39 K)
BU: Tory Doerr (Sr., LHP) (3-2, 4.45 ERA, 30.1 IP, 5 BB, 10 K)
LAST TIME OUT
Scoring a season-high 13 runs on 13 hits Wednesday evening at Braun Stadium, the Aces raced past the Murray State University Thoroughbreds, 13-2. Sophomore
Ryan Billo (7-1) earned his seventh win of the year, scattering two runs, four hits, two walks, striking out one in seven innings of work. Combining to allow just five hits,
Sam Johns came out of the bullpen to toss a scoreless eighth and ninth with two strikeouts. Offensively, five Purple Aces recorded multi-hit games, led by
Eric Stamets’ 3-for-4 performance with three runs, two RBI, and two stolen bases.
Kevin Kaczmarski was also stellar at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI, while
Trentt Copeland went 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored, and three RBI. Sophomore
Jake Mahon (2-for-3, 3 RBI) and junior
Jason Hockemeyer (2-for-4, 2 RBI) were also offensive sparks for UE.
THE SERIES
Evansville leads the all-time series versus Bradley, 40-32, and has won the last three series, 2-1. Last year in Peoria, the Aces were edged 3-2 in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader due to rain Friday. However, UE bounced back with a 6-0 win on the shoulders of
Cole Isom’s two-hit complete-game shutout in game two and Cody Fick also carried UE to a 2-0 victory with a complete-game shutout of his own on Easter Sunday (4/24/11). In the last series played in Evansville in 2010, UE lost a one-run decision, 7-6, in game one, but captured game two, 15-5 in 8 innings, and game three, 15-13, in a Sunday (4/25/10) doubleheader.
HOT BATS
In the last five games, the Aces are hitting .331 collectively, led by
Eric Stamets (.476),
Trentt Copeland (.455),
Jason Hockemeyer (.412), and
Kevin Kaczmarski (.400). The Aces come off their largest offensive output of the season, scoring 13 runs against Murray State, also marking the most runs scored since beating Austin Peay, 24-3, on April 5th, 2011.
ON-BASE STREAKS
Junior
Jason Hockemeyer and freshman
Kyle Pollock both enter the weekend riding their longest on-base streaks of the season, as Hockemeyer has reached successfully in the last 17 games and Pollock the last 16.
MAHON MAKING THINGS HAPPEN
Sophomore
Jake Mahon, who has hit second in the lineup in the last 11 straight games, leads the team with a .607 average (17-for-28) when leading off an inning. Mahon has also been incredibly efficient in bringing in runners, hitting .813 (13-for-16) when there’s a runner on third with less than two outs. Mahon leads the squad with 31 RBI and seven sac flies.
ACE PITCHER OF THE WEEK
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.
ACE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Hitting .412 last 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. 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. Copeland enters the weekend with 204 career hits.
Eric Stamets is also not too far off from the 200-hit milestone with 185.
MIDWEEK MASTERS
Evansville owns an 9-1 record this season on games played on Tuesday or Wednesday. UE is 3-0 on Tuesdays and 6-1 on Wednesdays.
WALK-OFF WONDERS
Evansville has won five games this season in walk-off style, including last 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 56 after recording three last week and one in UE’s win over Murray State Wednesday. Copeland now sits alone in sixth-place all-time at UE, surpassing Cody Fick (2009-11). He needs one more two-bagger 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, ranking second in the MVC, with 35 stolen bases against him.
SIUE SWEEP
Last Wednesday’s 10-2 victory completed the home-and-home series sweep over SIU Edwardsville. The Aces won the first meeting 8-6 at Roy. E Lee Field on April 3rd. Evansville never trailed in the series, scoring two runs in the first inning of game one, and built an 8-0 advantage through the first three innings in game two. Right-hander
Ryan Billo earned the win in both meetings, tossing 5.1 innings, allowing four runs, eight hits, and struck out four April 3rd, and allowed just one run, five hits, and struck out five in seven innings of work Wednesday. In the two games,
Eric Stamets led UE with a .714 average (5-for-7, 4 R, 4 RBI) followed by
Kyle Pollock’s .625 mark (5-for-8, 1 R, 3 RBI).
GOING YARD
Evansville doubled their home run output for the season in Sunday’s game versus Wichita State (4/15), as senior
Trentt Copeland blasted a grand slam in the second inning and freshman
Kyle Pollock went yard in the sixth. UE entered the contest with two long-balls total this spring -- both also hit by Copeland and Pollock. In the Aces’ most recent game, Copeland went long for the eighth time in his career with a three-run shot in the first inning against Murray State.
THIEVES
Evansville ranks first in the Missouri Valley Conference and 22nd in the nation with 74 stolen bases in 95 attempts.
Eric Stamets leads the conference and also ranks 21st in Division I with 24 swiped bags in 29 tries.
HOME AGAIN
The Aces are amidst a 12-game home stand after playing eighth straight contests on the road. Evansville owns a 12-9 record on the road and 13-7 mark in Evansville.
SMALL BALL
It is no secret that small ball is Evansville’s style of play. The Aces lead the MVC and rank 13th in the nation with 52 sacrifice bunts this season, rank second in the Valley with 26 sac flies, and rank first in the Valley with 74 stolen bases.
Tim Bodine leads the league with 10 sac bunts;
Jake Mahon is also first with seven sac flies, while
Eric Stamets leads the MVC with 24 swiped bags.
STEALTH STAMETS
Going 2-for-2 on the base paths versus Murray State (4/25), Eric Stamets is now tied for second-place in program history with 94 career steals (94-117) in just his third year of play. Stamets needs one more to exceed Ryan Brownlee (1994-97). Aaron Pembroke (1995-98) holds UE’s record with 106 career steals.
SPEEDY STAMETS
In his freshman year in 2010,
Eric Stamets set the single-season steals record at Evansville with 43 (43-51). Stealing 27 (27-37) his sophomore year, and already 24 (24-29) this spring, Stamets could possibly surpass his second year total this weekend with still double-digit games remaining.
COMPLETE GAMES
Three active UE pitchers have recorded complete games in their careers, and they all happen to be left-handed. Sophomore
Cole Isom has hurled four, including two this season versus Indiana State (3/23) and Wichita State (4/15). Against ISU, Isom took the tough-luck 2-0 loss, allowing two runs, nine hits, and struck out five, but earned the win versus WSU, throwing a three-hit gem with a career-high 11 punch-outs. Freshman
Kyle Freeland recorded a three-hit complete game shutout at Creighton (4/1) with six strikeouts, while
Josh Biggs is UE’s only other hurler who has tossed all nine, being done vs. Saint Louis on April 12th, 2011. He allowed four runs, five hits, and stuck out six.
TAYLOR MOVES UP
Making two appearances versus Wichita State and three against Dayton, senior
Zach Taylor moved into second place all-time at UE with 85 career appearances on the mound. Taylor is only behind Willie Glen’s (1998-01) 97 career appearances.
’06 FLASHBACKS
Evansville’s series win versus Wichita State marks the Aces’ first over the Shockers since the 2006 season. Two weeks ago, the Aces won the series at Creighton, also marking the first time since ’06. That season, Evansville was Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Champions and won three NCAA Regional Tournament games.
K-MAN
Cole Isom’s 11 strikeouts versus Wichita State (4/13) marked a career-high, a team season-high, and the most since Cody Fick struck out 11 on May 24, 2011, also against the Shockers in the MVC Tournament in Omaha.
100 WINS
Head Coach
Wes Carroll recorded his 100th career win versus Indiana State (3/24) in UE’s 3-2 walk-off victory. Carroll has led his squad to above .500 records in each of the last two seasons, going 32-27 in 2010 and 28-25 in 2011, and posted the second-highest victory total by a first-year baseball coach at Evansville with 25 wins in 2009. Carroll, a 2001 Evansville graduate, is in his fourth season at the helm with a 110-98 record.
BALL MAGNET
Co-ranking second in the MVC, sophomore
Jake Mahon has been plunked 14 times this year, already surpassing his season total in 2011 (12) that marked a team-high last year. In the first 20 games this spring, the sophomore was hit 12 times.
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.
MVC PITCHER OF THE WEEK PERFORMANCES
KYLE FREELAND (4/2/12) - Freshman southpaw Kyle Freeland tossed a three-hit complete game shutout in Evansville’s, 1-0, rubber match victory in Omaha, leading UE to its first series victory over Creighton since 2006. Freeland logged six strikeouts, including striking out the side in the third and put an exclamation point on his gem with a punch out to end the game. Despite just a single run of support, Freeland kept the Jays off the board through all nine, throwing a perfect game into the fifth inning and retired the first 14 batters of the contest. The shutout marked Freeland’s first career Valley win, improved his season record to 2-3, while lowering his ERA to 3.82. The performance earned Freeland the MVC Pitcher of the Week (4/2) accolade.
COLE ISOM (4/16/12) - Sophomore Cole Isom’s three-hit, complete-game gem steered Evansville to a 4-1 victory over Wichita State April 13th at Braun Stadium and set up the Aces for their first series win over the Shockers since 2006. The southpaw struck out a career-high 11 batters in his first Valley victory of the season and did not allow a hit until the seventh inning. Isom also had a shutout into the ninth, giving up just a solo shot. In his ninth season appearance, Isom held the Shockers to a .094 batting average and lowered his season earned run average to 3.75. The performance garnered MVC Pitcher of the Week (4/16) honors for Isom.
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.
ON DECK
The Aces wrap up their 12-game homestand versus non-conference opponent Belmont Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. CT. UE will then travel to Dallas Baptist for a three-game series next weekend.
