EVANSVILLE NOTES  |  LIVE VIDEO (WED. ONLY)  |  LIVE AUDIO (WED. ONLY)  |  LIVE STATS (TUES.)  |  LIVE STATS (WED.)

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team will continue its 2013 season with a pair of midweek games in the state of Tennessee, as the Purple Aces will travel to UT Martin Tuesday for a 3 p.m. game against the Skyhawks, before playing nationally-ranked Vanderbilt Wednesday at 4 p.m. in Nashville, Tenn.
 
Evansville (1-5) was swept in a three-game set against nationally-ranked Arkansas last weekend in Fayetteville, Ark., and will be looking to halt a five-game losing skid Tuesday at UTM.  The Aces hit just .194 as a team in the series against the Razorbacks and were led by senior Chris Pearson, who finished 4-for-9 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored.  Redshirt sophomore Kevin Kaczmarski went 3-for-9 against Arkansas, driving in three runs and recording UE’s only extra base hit.
 
Evansville got solid starts from its trio of starters in sophomore Kyle Freeland, redshirt junior Sam Johns and senior Kyle Lloyd, but the Aces’ bullpen struggled for the second-straight week, giving up 16 runs, including 12 earned runs, in just 8.1 innings against the Razorbacks.
 
As a team, UE is hitting .249 and getting on base at a .317 clip.  Evansville has tallied 10 extra base hits, including seven doubles, and has stolen seven bases in eight chances.  The Aces are fielding .977 as a team, but have been outscored, 40-22, over their six games this season.  Evansville pitching staff has combined for a 6.24 ERA and struck out 46 opposing batting around just 20 walks. 
 
Individually, Kaczmarski leads the Aces with a .381 batting average, four doubles, a .571 slugging percentage and three stolen bases.  The redshirt sophomore has reached base in 24-straight games.  Redshirt junior Johnny Day is second on the squad with a .286 average and owns a team-best .423 on-base percentage.  Senior Jason Hockemeyer leads the team with five RBI and is hitting .227 with a triple.
 
Senior Kyle Lloyd leads Evansville’s pitching staff with a 3.27 ERA, allowing four earned runs in 11.0 innings on the hill, and is tied for the team lead with 13 strikeouts.  Kyle Freeland has the Aces’ only win this season and boasts a 3.75 ERA and has fanned 13 opposing hitters, while walking just one.
 
UT Martin (3-5) lost its first five games of the season, before earning a three-game sweep of IPFW last weekend on its home field.  The Skyhawks won all three games by one run and posted a 1-0 shutout in game two. 
 
UTM is hitting just .237 as a team and has struck out 62 times, while coaxing 18 walks for a .307 on-base percentage.  UT Martin has also struggled in the field, as it has committed 17 errors on the season for a .941 fielding percentage.  On the base paths, the Skyhawks have stolen four bases in eight tries.  UT Martin’s pitching staff owns a 5.05 ERA, has combined for 69 strikeouts around 27 walks and opposing teams are hitting .299 against it.
 
Wade Collins leads UTM with an impressive .482 batting average, three doubles, six RBI and a .577 slugging percentage.  Grant Glasser is hitting an even .300 and has legged out a pair of doubles, while Kenny King, who is hitting .294, has accounted for the Skyhawks’ only home run this season and has recorded five RBI.
 
Taylor Cox has been the top starter for UTM, allowing just one earned run over 9.2 innings of work for a team-best 0.93 ERA.  Alex Boshers has also started a pair of games for UT Martin and is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA with eight strikeouts and two walks.  Dan Tobik has struck out a team-high 12 and is 0-0 with a 5.00 ERA.
 
Vanderbilt (7-1) has won its last five games and enters the week ranked in the top five three national polls.  The Commodores will host Arkansas State for a single game on Tuesday, before hosting the Aces Wednesday afternoon.  Last weekend, VU swept Monmouth in a three game series and outscored the Hawks, 29-3.
 
Vanderbilt is hitting .327 as a team and four Commodores are hitting .379 or better.  VU has stolen 31 bases in 38 chances this season and is fielding .976 as a team, committing just seven errors in its eight games.  Vanderbilt’s pitching staff has combined for a 2.79 ERA and has held opposing hitters to a .210 batting average.
 
Jack Lupo leads the Commodores with a .417 batting average and leads the team with nine stolen bases.  Xavier Turner is hitting an even .400 with a pair of doubles and six RBI, while Connor Harrell has been the top power bat in the VU lineup and leads the squad with 14 RBI, two homers and a .731 slugging percentage.
 
Philip Pfiefer has been the ace of the Vanderbilt pitching staff thus far, going 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA, allowing just one earned run and striking out 12 in 14.0 innings.  Kevin Ziomek has notched a team-high 18 strikeouts and is 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA.  Tyler Beede has also earned two wins in his two starts and has surrendered just seven hits over 12.0 innings.
 
Evansville leads the all-time series with UT Martin, 8-2, and won both meetings last season.  The Aces and Vanderbilt have met 53 times on the diamond, with VU holding an 18-35 advantage in the all-time series.  Last year, UE topped Vanderbilt, 5-3, in Nashville.
 
Probable Pitching Matchups (Evansville listed first)
TUESDAY – RHP Ryan Billo (0-0, 54.00 ERA) vs. RHP Cody Miller (0-0, 6.00 ERA)
WEDNESDAY – TBD vs. TBD