Series Notes (pdf)
EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- The University of Evansville baseball team takes a 19-10 overall record and 3-3 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference to Southern Illinois University this weekend. Evansville comes off a 2-1 series victory over Creighton last weekend and an 8-6 midweek win over SIU Edwardsville. Currently having the program’s hottest start since 2007, the Aces look to attain its 20th win at the earliest point in the season since 2005. Game one is set for 3:00 p.m. CT Friday at Abe Martin Field.
CATCH THE ACTION
PITCHING PROBABLES
Friday, April 6 (3:00 p.m.)
UE: LHP Cole Isom (1-3, 3.22 ERA, 44.2 IP, 21 BB, 35 K)
SIU:LHP Cody Forsythe (1-1, 3.12 ERA, 43.1 IP, 15 BB, 41 K)
Saturday, April 7 (2:00 p.m.)
UE: TBD
SIU: RHP Cameron Maldonado (4-0, 4.60 ERA, 43.0 IP, 15 BB, 33 K)
Sunday, April 8 (1:00 p.m.)
UE: LHP Kyle Freeland (2-3, 3.82 ERA, 37.2 IP, 11 BB, 27 K)
SIU: RHP Sam Coonrod (1-1, 3.20 ERA, 25.1 IP, 8 BB, 22 K)
SCOUTING THE SALUKIS (16-13, 3-3 MVC) – Southern comes off a 13-10 midweek win over Murray State, drawing a season-high 14 walks. In their last conference series, the Salukis dropped two-of-three at Wichita State, falling 4-3 in game one, won game two 10-3, but lost the deciding contest, 10-7. Chris Serritella leads SIU’s offense, batting .380 with 12 doubles, seven home runs, and a .442 on-base percentage. Austin Montgomery (.368), Brock Harding (.316), Jake Welch (.306), Rennie Troggio (.304), ad Donny Duschinsky (.302) have also been steady, as six players are batting above .300. As a team, the Salukis own a .294 average. Defensively, SIU ranks last in the Valley with a .938 fielding percentage and 4.83 team ERA.
SCOUTING THE ACES (19-10, 3-3 MVC) – Evansville enters the weekend riding a huge series win over the reigning MVC regular season and tournament champions, Creighton, and a midweek victory over SIUE. Sophomore
Tim Bodine leads the Aces’ bats with a .321 average, followed by
Jason Hockemeyer (.309),
Kevin Kaczmarski (.290), and
Kyle Pollock (.290). Junior
Eric Stamets (.286) brings a 16-game on-base streak into the weekend, while leading the team with 19 stolen bases (19-for-22) this spring. Defensively, Evansville ranks fourth in the nation with a .980 fielding percentage, while the pitching staff boasts a collective 3.46 ERA.
THE SERIES
The Aces trail the all-time series with Southern Illinois, 55-91. The Salukis swept UE in the first weekend of Valley play last season at Braun Stadium by scores of 5-1, 8-4, and 6-3.In 2010, the last time UE played in Carbondale, Evansville went 1-2 against the Salukis, winning game one 14-2 in eight innings, but dropped games two and three, 8-6 and 6-4. UE looks for its first series win over the Salukis since 2007. The last time the Aces won a series in Carbondale was 2006.
MVC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Kyle Freeland, Fr., RHP, Denver, Colo.
1-1 AP-GS, 0.00 ERA, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 9.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, .103 BAA
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 marks Freeland’s first career Valley win, improving his season record to 2-3, while lowering his ERA to 3.82. The performance earned Freeland the MVC Pitcher of the Week accolade.
ACE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Chris Pearson, Jr., C, Greenwood, Ind.
4-4 GP-GS, .385 Avg., 13 AB, 3 R, 5 H, .385 Slg%, 3 BB, .500 Ob%
Junior catcher Chris Pearson led Evansville to a 3-1 week, including a series victory over Creighton, batting .385 with a .500 on-base percentage. In UE’s 5-0 win over Lipscomb, Pearson went 3-for-3 at the plate with a run scored. With the game tied against Creighton Friday night, Pearson sparked a four-run ninth inning rally with a line drive single and scored the go-ahead run in the victory. The junior also led the offense on Saturday with a single and run scored, as he totaled three runs on the week. Pearson also was a leader on defense, catching all four games on the week, including Kyle Freeland’s complete game shutout in Sunday’s rubber match.
BIG SERIES WIN
Evansville’s 2-1 series win in Omaha marked the Aces’ first over the Jays since 2006. In 2006 Evansville won the Missouri Valley Conference title and went on to win three NCAA Tournament games.
LAST TIME OUT
Evansville led the entire game Tuesday night, overcoming SIU Edwardsville, 8-6, on the road. Sophomore right-hander
Ryan Billo (5-0) kept his season record unblemished, tossing 5.1 innings, allowing four runs, eight hits, a walk, and struck out four to earn the win.
Jake Naumann hurled 1.2 frames out of the bullpen, giving up a run, two hits, and struck out one, while Sam Johns earned his first save of the season, holding off the Cougars in the eighth and ninth innings. He allowed one run, one hit, two walks, and struck out two. Offensively,
Kyle Pollock (3-for-4),
Trentt Copeland (2-for-5), and
Jason Hockemeyer (2-for-5) led the Aces with multiple hits, as UE combined for 10 total.
Kevin Kaczmarski’s two and Hockemeyer’s three runs batted in represented five of Evansville’s seven RBI in the game.
COPELAND GOES YARD
Senior
Trentt Copeland roped his first home run of the season and sixth long-ball of his career to lead off the top of the fifth inning, representing the only run of the ballgame Sunday as Evansville topped Creighton, 1-0, in the series rubber match. It also marked just the second home run hit this season by the Aces.
GAME LEADERS
Evansville has scored first in each of the last five games and has never trailed except for when Creighton scored the walk-off run in the bottom of the 10th inning last Saturday afternoon.
MIDWEEK MASTERS
Evansville owns a 7-0 record this season on games played on Tuesday or Wednesday. UE is 3-0 on Tuesdays and 4-0 on Wednesdays.
NEARING 200 HITS
Senior
Trentt Copeland enters the weekend with 191 career hits. He needs nine more to become the 24th member of UE’s 200-hit club.
COMBO DEAL
March 28
th’s combined shutout over Lipscomb (5-0) thrown by
Ryan Billo,
Jake Naumann, and
Josh Biggs marked the Aces’ first shutout of the season and first combined shutout since
Kyle Lloyd and
James Kohler worked together to beat IPFW, 11-0, on April 1, 2011. Freeland’s complete-game shutout last Sunday represented UE’s first since Cody Fick’s gem at Bradley (2-0, W) on April 24, 2011.
LOST WALK-OFF
With bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th at Creighton (3/31), Nick Judkins’ walk-off single marked the first time UE lost on a walk-off play since Feb. 20, 2010 when UE fell 13-12 at Belmont on a passed ball.
HOT START
Evansville is off to its hottest start since 2007, when the Aces owned the exact same record (19-10) 29 games into the season. UE is off to an even better start than the 2006 team that won the MVC title. (See table below)
THE RACE TO 20
With 19 wins already under their belt, the Aces look to reach the 20-win mark this weekend. If UE wins Friday’s game, it will mark the earliest point in the season to attain the feat since 2005, in which UE won 20 of the first 25 games.
|
Season |
Record After Game 29 |
Reached 20 wins in Game… |
Date of reaching 20 wins |
Final Record |
|
2012 |
19-10 |
? |
? |
? |
|
2011 |
17-12 |
34 |
4/19 |
28-25, 7-13 MVC |
|
2010 |
14-15 |
36 |
4/18 |
32-27, 10-11 |
|
2009 |
13-16 |
40 |
4/24 |
25-30, 7-17 |
|
2008 |
5-24 |
-- |
-- |
14-42, 4-20 |
|
2007 |
19-10 |
31 |
4/4 |
35-23, 13-11 |
|
2006 |
16-13 |
36 |
4/14 |
43-22, 16-8 |
|
2005 |
23-6 |
25 |
3/20 |
35-23, 12-12 |
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 three, including one this season versus Indiana State (3/23). Isom took the tough luck 2-0 loss, allowing two runs nine hits, a walk, and struck out five. Freshman
Kyle Freeland recorded a three-hit complete game shutout in his last outing 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, a walk, and stuck out six.
CLUTCH
Jake Mahon and
Eric Stamets lead the squad in situations when they are at the plate with a runner on third and less than two outs. Both are 8-for-12 (.750), while Kyle Pollock is 4-for-5 (.800).
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 104-92 record.
COMEBACK KIDS
Prior to UE’s 5-0 win over Lipscomb (3/28), Evansville’s previous four home victories were all won in walk-off style, including a 3-2 conference victory over Indiana State. Trailing 2-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth, UE put runners on after a walk and hit batter.
Tim Bodine and
Eric Stamets lined back-to-back singles through the left side, scoring the tying and game-winning runs with one out. Against UT Martin (3/13), the Aces came back from a five-run deficit, winning on
Trentt Copeland’s one-out gapper. UE came back from another five-run deficit in game one with Western Michigan (3/16), scoring five runs in the bottom of the ninth and won on a walk-off walk in the 10th. Trailing, 7-4, in the rubber match with WMU (3/18), UE scored four runs in the ninth, winning on Tim Bodine’s walk-off single. In all four of those games, the Aces never led until they scored the final walk-off run.
GO THREE
Kevin Kaczmarski and
Jason Hockemeyer co-rank second in the MVC with three triples apiece this season. Kaczmarski recorded one in three consecutive games from 3/18-3/23. Hockemeyer recorded his third in UE’s most recent game at SIUE -- a two RBI triple in the sixth inning. Kaczmarski, Hockemeyer, and
Trentt Copeland all have three career triples to their name.
SMALL BALL
The Aces lead the MVC and rank 6th in the nation with 38 sacrifice bunts this season and also ranks third in the Valley for stolen bases with 49.
Tim Bodine leads the league with eight sac bunts while
Eric Stamets leads the MVC with 19 swiped bags.
DOUBLE-T TRENTT
Trentt Copeland continues to move up the career doubles list, now with 52 after recording a two-bagger vs. SIUE (4/3) to lead off a three-run sixth inning. Copeland now ranks eighth all-time, tied with Rob Maurer (1986-88). He needs two more to move into seventh, and three more to become sixth.
BALL MAGNET
Leading the Valley and ranking 15th in the nation, sophomore
Jake Mahon has been plunked 13 times this year, already surpassing his season total in 2011 (12) that marked a team-high last year. Mahon was hit at SIUE Tuesday, representing the first HBP after an eight-game break. In the first 20 games, the sophomore was hit 12 times.
IT’S OUTTA HERE
In game 17 of the season at Austin Peay (3/14), freshman
Kyle Pollock recorded both his first home run of this career and the first long ball hit by an Ace this year. Trentt Copeland’s solo shot at Creighton (4/1) marked the only other homer on the team this year. Both Copeland and Eric Stamets lead the active players with six home runs each in their careers.
STEALTH STAMETS
Eric Stamets, who has stolen 19 bases in 22 attempts this season, currently ranks third in program history with 89 steals (89-110) in just his third year of play. Stamets needs five more to tie Ryan Brownlee (1994-97) in second place. Aaron Pembroke (1995-98) holds UE’s record with 106 career steals.
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.
ON DECK
Evansville will play one last road game at Murray State next Wednesday before beginning a 12-game home span, hosting Wichita State April 13-15 at Braun Stadium.
