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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – After taking two of three games from Bradley in a Missouri Valley Conference series last weekend, the University of Evansville baseball team will return to the diamond for a pair of non-conference, midweek games Tuesday and Wednesday against UT Martin and Belmont.  The Purple Aces will host the Skyhawks at 6 p.m. Tuesday, before traveling to Nashville, Tenn., for a 6 p.m. game with the Bruins Wednesday.
 
Evansville (11-16) outscored Bradley, 24-9, in its series win at Bradley last weekend in Peoria, Ill., and posted a .372 batting average in the three-game set.  Junior Jake Mahon led the Aces by going 6-for-11 in the series with three walks for a .643 on-base percentage.  Redshirt junior Nick Hathcoat recorded five this in 11 at-bats and scored a pair of runs, while junior David Patton doubled twice and drove in four runs.  Senior Chris Pearson and redshirt sophomore Kevin Kaczmarski each homered in the series and combined for eight RBI.
 
UE is hitting .277 as a team this season with 25 doubles, six triples and seven home runs for a .343 slugging percentage.  Evansville is getting on base at a .375 clip and has stolen 23 bases in 36 tries.  Defensively, the Aces boast a .973 fielding percentage.
 
Mahon leads UE with a .352 batting average and .477 slugging percentage, as the junior infielder has recorded four doubles, two triples and a homer.  Pearson and Kaczmarski are both hitting .315 on the year and are tied for the team lead with two long balls.  Pearson co-leads Evansville with 19 RBI, while Kaczmarski has legged out a team-high seven doubles, driven in 13 runs and is tied for the team lead with six stolen bases.  Redshirt junior Johnny Day has also driven in 19 runs and is hitting .297 with five doubles.
 
On the mound, UE pitchers have combined for a 4.38 ERA, .278 opposing batting average and 196 strikeouts.  Sophomore Kyle Freeland (3-4) and senior Kyle Lloyd (4-2)both picked up wins for Evansville in the series at Bradley, as Freeland tossed a complete-game shutout in the Aces’ 10-0, seven-inning victory on Friday night.  Lloyd allowed just one run and struck out seven in his 7.2 innings of work in Saturday’s 9-1 win.  Junior lefty Cole Isom, who is slated to start for UE Tuesday against UT Martin, owns a 1-4 record and 5.13 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 26.1 innings.
 
UT Martin (8-19) was swept last weekend in an Ohio Valley Conference series at Southeast Missouri State, has dropped its last six decisions and has yet to win a road game.  The Skyhawks last win came against Evansville back on March 20, when they defeated the Aces, 8-3, in Martin, Tenn.
 
UTM is hitting .275 as a team with 55 doubles, a triple and nine home runs for a .369 slugging percentage.  UT Martin has drawn 62 walks for a .332 on-base percentage and has swiped 19 bases in 28 chances.  The Skyhawks have struggled defensively, committing 50 errors in their 27 games for a .949 fielding percentage.
 
Individually, Byron Johann is hitting .354 with 10 doubles to lead UTM offensively.  Johann has also cleared the fences twice and driven in 16 runs for a team-best .557 slugging percentage.  Three other Skyhawks are hitting over .300, including Wade Collins, who leads the team with three homers, 24 RBI and a .427 on-base percentage to go with his .351 batting average.  Grant Glasser sports a .312 average with six doubles, five stolen bases and 10 RBI, and Phil Sorensen boasts a .302 average with five doubles and a pair of runs driven in.
 
UTM’s pitching staff has a combined 6.64 ERA, .315 opposing batting average and 205 strikeouts around 118 walks.  Dan Tobik is 1-3 on the year with a 5.25 ERA and 43 strikeouts in his seven starts this season, while Dalton Potts is 3-3 with a 5.52 ERA and has fanned 23 opposing hitters in 29.1 innings.  Chris Ross has been UT Martin’s top option out of the bullpen, as he has appeared in 13 games and owns a 2-1 record with a 3.08 ERA over 26.1 innings.  The Skyhawks are slated to throw John Houston against the Aces, who is 1-4 with a 10.89 ERA, 26 strikeouts, 11 walks and a .412 opposing batting average in 20.2 innings this year.
 
Belmont (20-6) is currently on a seven-game winning streak after sweeping Morehead State in an Ohio Valley Conference series last weekend in Nashville.  The Bruins outscored the Eagles, 11-5, in the series and shut out MSU in the series opener on Friday.  BU received votes in last week’s National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll and is 8-1 in OVC contests.
 
Belmont is hitting .275 as a team with 38 doubles, six triples and 11 homers for a .373 slugging percentage.  The Bruins have stolen 35 bases in 46 tries this season and own a .398 on-base percentage and .970 fielding percentage.
 
Jared Breen leads BU with a .358 batting average, ranks third on the team with 15 RBI and is one of four Belmont hitters with an average of .300 or better.  Dom Veltri is second on the squad with a .341 average in his 19 appearances and sports a team-best .508 on-base percentage.  Josh Davis is tied for the team lead with seven doubles, is second on the squad with 19 RBI and boats a .318 average.  Judah Akers has been top power bat in the Bruins’ lineup, as he is slugging .490 with five homers, five doubles, a triple and a team-best 24 RBI.
 
BU’s pitching staff boasts a combined ERA of 3.00 and is holding opposing hitters to a .249 batting average.  Belmont pitchers have combined for 221 strikeouts, while issuing just 73 walks over 240.1 innings.  Chase Brookshire has been the top starter for the Bruins, as he is 3-1 on the mound with a paltry 1.15 ERA and is limiting opposing hitters to a .193 average.  Brookshire notched 47 strikeouts, while issuing just five walks in his 47.0 innings.  Austin Coley is 4-0 in his seven starts this season and sports a 3.63 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 39.2 innings of work.  Out of the bullpen, Josh Davis has recorded eight saves in his 14 relief appearances and boasts a 0.81 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 22.1 innings on the mound.
 
Following the pair of midweek games, Evansville will return to MVC play this weekend, when it hosts Southern Illinois for a three-game series beginning Friday at 6 p.m.