Series Notes (pdf)
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team will take a trip to Dallas, Texas this weekend, facing the Dallas Baptist University Patriots for a three-game non-conference series. Game one at Patriot Field is set to start Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT. First pitch of Saturday’s doubleheader will be at 1:00 p.m.
CATCH THE ACTION
EVANSVILLE (27-18, 7-8 MVC) – The Aces come off an impressive, 1-0, 11-inning win over Belmont, on the shoulders of an incredible pitching performance by Ryan Billo and Zach Taylor. As a team, Evansville is batting .259, led by freshman Kevin Kaczmarski (.333), junior Eric Stamets (.312), and junior Jason Hockemeyer (.301). Defensively, the Aces lead the MVC and rank fourth in the nation with a .980 fielding percentage, while the pitching staff owns a 3.98 earned run average.
DALLAS BAPTIST (31-14, 0-0 Independent) – The Patriots, who are playing an independent schedule, own a 21-2 mark on their home field, and come off a two-game sweep over Texas-Arlington by scores of 3-0 and 12-6. As a team, DBU is batting .301 led by Austin Elkins (.386), Boomer Collins (.347), Landon Anderson (.335), and Joel Hutter (.333). The Patriots’ pitching staff has also been solid with a 3.86 earned run average, backed by a .970 fielding percentage.
THE SERIES
Evansville leads the all-time series, 2-1. The Aces won the only series these teams have ever played in 2010, winning the first two games, 6-5 and 3-2, on April 8th and 9th. The Patriots won the final contest, 8-2, on April 10th at Braun Stadium.
PITCHING PROBABLES
Fri., May 4 (6:30 p.m.)
UE:
Cole Isom (So., LHP) (2-5, 4.33 ERA, 72.2 IP, 27 BB, 58 K)
DBU: Taylor Massey (Sr., LHP) (6-3, 3.97 ERA, 59.0 IP, 23 BB, 53 K)
Sat., May 5 (1 p.m.)
UE:
Kyle Lloyd (Jr., RHP) (3-2, 2.97 ERA, 60.2 IP, 16 BB, 43 K)
DBU: Andrew Elkins (Jr., LHP) (3-1, 3.70 ERA, 48.2 IP, 15 BB, 25 K)
Sat., May 5
UE:
Kyle Freeland (Fr., LHP) (3-4, 4.96 ERA, 61.2 IP, 18 BB, 42 K)
DBU: TBA
LAST TIME OUT
With no outs in the bottom of the 11th inning, junior
Eric Stamets’ liner through the right side drove home senior
Jordan Chavis from second, not only representing the winning run, Wednesday night at Braun Stadium, but the only run of the game, as the Aces overcame Belmont University, 1-0. Tossing the final two innings, senior
Zach Taylor (4-2) earned the win and preserved the combined shutout, allowing two hits, a walk, while striking out one. Sophomore
Ryan Billo took the no decision after throwing nine shutout innings, scattering six hits, walking none, and struck out six. A pitcher’s duel for both sides, Belmont starter Dan Ludwig had a perfect game going through five innings, but was relieved by five different arms on the predetermined staff day. Stamets and Chavis both went 2-for-4, while
Kevin Kaczmarski and
Jason Hockemeyer each tallied a hit in the contest, as UE totaled six hits as a team.
CHOOCH
Senior
Jordan Chavis made just his fourth career start Wednesday versus Belmont, but proved to be one of the biggest playmakers in the extra-inning win. Chavis went 2-for-4 at the plate, representing his first two hits of the season, scored the winning run, and made a putout in right field.
B-I-L-L-O
Sophomore
Ryan Billo has been dominant as UE’s midweek starter, leading the Aces with a 7-1 record and 2.25 ERA. In his last outing, Billo took the no decision after throwing nine shutout innings, scattering six hits, walking none, and struck out six vs. Belmont (5/2). Last week, he piloted Evansville to a 13-2 win over Murray State (4/11), scattering two runs, four hits, two walks, while striking out one in seven innings of work.
WALK-OFF WONDERS
Evansville has won six games this season in walk-off style, including Wednesday’s, 1-0, 11-inning win over Belmont (5/2). UE also topped Dayton (4/20), 7-6, in 11-innings after
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).
EXTRA INNING SUCCESS
The Aces are 3-1 this season when going into extra innings, winning their last two in 11 frames against Belmont (1-0, 5/2) and Dayton (7-6, 4/20). UE is 3-0 in extra-inning games at home and 0-1 on the road, falling to Creighton (3/31), 3-2, in 10.
SHUTOUT
Wednesday’s 11-inning shutout over Belmont marked UE’s first since lefty Kyle Freeland led UE to 1-0 victory over Creighton in Omaha on April 1st. It also marked the first combined shutout since Ryan Billo, Jake Naumann, and Josh Biggs worked together to keep Lipscomb off the board on March 28th as UE won 5-0. Evansville has recorded three shutouts this spring.
ACE OF THE WEEK
Freshman outfielder
Kevin Kaczmarski crossed the plate in all four of Evansville’s contests last week and recorded three multi-hit games, leading the Aces with a .643 batting average, .857 slugging percentage, and .688 on-base percentage. Kaczmarski piloted UE to a 13-2 win over Murray State, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI, and two runs scored. He replicated his 3-for-4 performance in Friday’s game vs. Bradley with a run and RBI. Going 2-for-3 Saturday, Kaczmarski sparked a four-run eighth inning rally with a walk and scored the first run in the frame as the Aces came from behind to win, 4-2. The Cary, Ill. native stretched his season hitting streak to six games and Valley streak to seven Sunday, with an RBI double and run scored. On the season, Kaczmarski raised his average to a team-best .333 and .396 in conference play, while also keeping his perfect fielding percentage intact with 116 putouts in centerfield after making 14 last week.
ACE PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Despite taking the no-decision, junior
Kyle Lloyd put the Aces in great position for the 4-2 victory over Bradley last Saturday, holding the Braves to just one run, five scattered hits, two walks, while striking out six in seven innings of work. The right-hander allowed only one runner past second base with three perfect frames, and struck out four consecutive batters in the first and second innings. Without any run support, Lloyd exited the contest trailing 1-0. On the season, Lloyd lowered his ERA to 2.97 overall and to 2.89 in Valley outings.
PEARSON’S GOTTA GUN
Junior catcher
Chris Pearson has caught seven of the last nine base runners stealing, including four of the last four. Pearson caught the only attempt vs. Belmont and did not allow a stolen base in UE’s last two games against Bradley, gunning down 3-of-3. Pearson co-leads the MVC, catching 19-of-38 attempts this season.
SMALL BALL
It is no secret that small ball is Evansville’s style of play. The Aces lead the MVC with 57 sacrifice bunts this season, co-rank second in the Valley with 28 sac flies, and rank first in the conference with 77 stolen bases. Jake Mahon leads the league with 11 sac bunts and also co-ranks first with Eric Stamets for sac flies, recording seven apiece. Stamets leads the Valley with 25 stolen bases.
STEALTH STAMETS
Eric Stamets holds sole possession of second place all-time at UE with 95 career steals (95-119) in just his third year of play. Aaron Pembroke (1995-98) holds UE’s record with 106 career steals.
DOUBLE CLUTCH
Eric Stamets and
Jake Mahon, UE’s first two hitters in the batting order, have been incredibly efficient in bringing in runners, both hitting .813 (13-for-16) when there’s a runner on third with less than two outs. Mahon leads the squad with 31 RBI, while both Mahon and Stamets rank seventh in NCAA Division I with seven sac flies.
LET’S GET SOME RUNS
When scoring more than two runs in a game, the Aces own a 25-7 record. With two or less, they are 2-11.
CONGRATS GRADS!
Due to this weekend’s games at Dallas Baptist, seniors Trentt Copeland, Jordan Chavis, and Zach Taylor will miss the University of Evansville’s Commencement on Saturday. However, UE held a special graduation luncheon and ceremony for the senior baseball and softball seniors and families Tuesday at Ridgeway University Center. Copeland graduates with a BS in Business Administration, Jordan Chavis a BS in Accounting, and Zach Taylor a MS in Health Services and Administration. Senior Day at Braun Stadium will be Saturday, May 19th vs. Illinois State.
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 205 career hits. Eric Stamets is also not too far off from the 200-hit milestone with 190.
MIDWEEK MASTERS
Evansville owns a 10-1 record this season on games played on Tuesday or Wednesday. UE is 3-0 on Tuesdays and 7-1 on Wednesdays.
DOUBLE-T TRENTT
Trentt Copeland continues to move up the career doubles list, now with 56. Copeland sits alone in sixth-place all-time at UE, surpassing
Cody Fick’s 55 (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-ranks second in 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.
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. Copeland also went long for the eighth time in his career with a three-run shot in the first inning against Murray State (4/25), totaling five home runs for UE as a team this spring.
THIEVES
Evansville ranks first in the Missouri Valley Conference and 20th in the nation with 77 stolen bases in 101 attempts. Eric Stamets leads the conference and also ranks 20th in Division I with 25 swiped bags in 31 tries.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
After playing 12 straight games at home, stretching back to April 13th, the Aces are back on the road this weekend at Dallas Baptist. Evansville owns a 12-9 record on the road and 15-9 mark in Evansville. In the 12-game homestand, UE went 7-5.
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 25 (25-31) this spring, Stamets could possibly surpass his second-year total this week 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
Senior
Zach Taylor ranks second all-time at UE with 87 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 112-100 record.
BALL MAGNET
Co-ranking second in the MVC, sophomore
Jake Mahon has been plunked 15 times this year, exceeding 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 return home next Wednesday vs. Austin Peay before resuming Valley play at Missouri State over the weekend.
