EVANSVILLE NOTES  |  MURRAY STATE NOTES  |  LIVE STATS (TUES.)  |  LIVE STATS (WED.)

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team will play a pair of Ohio Valley Conference opponents in non-conference, midweek tilts this week, as the Purple Aces will host Murray State Tuesday at 6 p.m., before traveling to Martin, Tenn., Wednesday for a 6 p.m. tilt with UT Martin.
 
Evansville (7-11) outscored Purdue, 19-9, in a three-game set last weekend at Braun Stadium, but the Boilermakers captured two out of three games in the series.  The Aces were paced by freshman Shain Showers, who finished the series 4-for-7 at the plate with a run scored and an RBI.  Senior Jason Hockemeyer went 5-for-9 against Purdue with a pair of RBI and drew seven walks for a .714 on-base percentage.  Juniors Jake Mahon and David Patton each drove in four runs in the series with the Boilermakers.
 
Junior lefty Cole Isom (1-3) earned the lone win in the series for UE, by allowing just one run on six hits over 6.2 innings.  Senior Kyle Lloyd (2-2) tallied a career-high 12 strikeouts and scattered just four hits in a complete-game effort, but suffered a loss, after allowing four runs.  Sophomore Kyle Freeland (2-3) was saddled with the loss in the opener, allowing just one earned run on five hits with four strikeouts in 7.0 innings on the mound.
 
As a team, the Aces are hitting .273 with a .341 slugging percentage and .373 on-base percentage.  UE is averaging just over five runs per game and has stolen 17 bases in 26 attempts.  Defensively, Evansville is fielding .970 as a squad this season.
 
Mahon leads UE this season with a .348 average and a .507 slugging percentage.  The junior infielder has notched four doubles, two triples, a homer and driven in 12 runs.  Redshirt sophomore Kevin Kaczmarski ranks second on the team with a .324 average and leads the squad with six doubles and five stolen bases.  Hockemeyer leads Evansville with 13 RBI, 19 walks and a .475 on-base percentage and is hitting .293 with two doubles and two triples.  Redshirt junior Johnny Day is tied for second on the team with 12 RBI and boasts a .279 batting average.
 
On the mound, the Aces’ pitching staff has posted a 4.32 ERA.  Freeland and Lloyd sport identical 2.65 ERAs and have each tossed 34.0 innings to lead the staff.  Lloyd leads the Missouri Valley Conference with 41 strikeouts, while Freeland ranks second in the league with 35 punch outs.  Junior Sam Johns is scheduled to start for UE Tuesday and is 1-1 on the season with a 4.84 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 22.1 innings.  Senior Ryan Billo, who will take the mound for Evansville Wednesday, is 1-1 with a 7.20 ERA in his two previous starts.
 
Murray State (10-10) enters Tuesday’s game having won four of its last five contests and swept UT Martin in a three-game set last weekend in Murray, Ky.  The Thoroughbreds are hitting .294 as a team and scoring 6.6 runs per game.  MSU is slugging .377, getting on base at a .388 clip and has stolen 10 bases in 13 attempts.  Defensively, Murray State is fielding .968 as a team.
 
Brandon Eggenschwiler leads the ‘Breds with a .416 batting average and .495 on-base percentage, and is one of three MSU players hitting over .300.  Mike Kozlowski sports a .354 batting average and leads the squad with a .532 slugging percentage, nine doubles and 20 RBI.  Ty Stetson is hitting .313 for MSU with four doubles, a triple and nine RBI.
 
Murray State’s pitching staff brings a 6.31 ERA into Tuesday’s contest and opponents are hitting .297 against it.  Cameron Finch leads the staff with a 5.19 ERA among the Thoroughbreds’’ regular starters and is 2-1 in his five starts.  He has tallied 16 strikeouts in 26.0 innings and has issued seven walks.  Will Handlin has made three starts for MSU and is 2-3 on the year with a 5.76 ERA.  Cody Maerz is 1-0 in two starts this season with a 3.09 ERA and is slated to make the start against the Aces on Tuesday.
 
UT Martin (7-12) will host Memphis Tuesday night, before welcoming Evansville to Skyhawk Park Wednesday.  The Skyhawks have lost five of their last six games and were swept by Murray State last weekend in Murray, Ky.  UTM is hitting .271 as a team with a .367 slugging percentage and .327 on-base percentage.  UT Martin is scoring just over four runs per game, have stolen 15 bases in 22 tries and has a .945 fielding percentage.
 
Four Skyhawks are hitting over .300 this season, including Byron Johann, who leads the team with a .354 batting average and has tallied six doubles, 12 RBI and a .342 slugging percentage.  Wade Collins boasts a .344 average and leads the team in doubles (7), RBI (15), slugging percentage (.547) and on-base percentage (.434).  Grant Glasser is also hitting .344 and has swiped a team-high three bases.
 
UT Martin’s pitching staff owns a 6.17 ERA with a .318 opposing batting average.  Dan Tobik leads the Skyhawks’ regular starters with a 1-1 record and a 4.38 ERA.  Tobik has recorded 26 strikeouts, but has walked 14 and opposing hitters are hitting .309 off of him.  Taylor Cox is 0-1 on the year with a 4.64 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 21.1 innings of work.  Out of the bullpen, Stu Jones has recorded four saves with 14 strikeouts and a 0.87 ERA in 10.1 innings of relief.
 
Following this week’s games, Evansville will open MVC play against Creighton at Braun Stadium with a three-game series beginning Friday, March 22, at 6 p.m.