EVANSVILLE NOTES  |  LIVE AUDIO  |  LIVE STATS

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team will return to Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend, when it travels to Wichita, Kan., for a three-game series with MVC-leading Wichita State.  The Purple Aces will be looking to snap a six-game losing streak and win their first series at Eck Stadium since 2005.
 
Evansville (14-23, 5-4 MVC) was swept by Xavier last weekend at Braun Stadium, as the Musketeers prevailed, 9-7, Friday night and posted 3-2 and 4-3 wins Saturday and Sunday.  Senior Chris Pearson led the Aces offensively in the series, going 5-for-11 with a double, a homer and a pair of RBI.  Sophomore Kyle Pollock posted a .44 average with a pair of doubles in the series.  On the mound, senior Josh Biggs turned in UE’s best start, allowing three runs on seven hits in 6.1 innings, while striking out five.
 
As a team, Evansville is hitting .272 with 40 doubles, seven triples and nine home runs for a .339 slugging percentage.  The Aces own a .369 on-base percentage and are 29-for-44 on the base paths.  Defensively, UE is fielding .971 as a squad, but committed eight errors last weekend in the three-game set with XU.
 
Redshirt sophomore Kevin Kaczmarski leads UE with a .338 batting average, .483 slugging percentage, 11 doubles and nine stolen bases, and is tied for the team lead with three homers.  Senior Jason Hockemeyer is hitting .323 on the year and sports a team-high .467 on-base percentage, as he has drawn 30 walks.  Pearson enters the series hitting .308 with four doubles, three triples and 24 RBI, while redshirt junior Johnny Day has driven in a team-best 26 RBI and is hitting .260.
 
The Aces’ pitching staff has combined for a 4.71 ERA, .286 opposing batting average and 271 strikeouts in 319.0 innings.  Sophomore Kyle Freeland, who is scheduled to start on Friday, is 3-5 on the year with a 3.08 ERA and has fanned 59 opposing hitters in 61.1 innings.  Saturday starter Kyle Lloyd leads the staff with a 4-2 record and 2.73 ERA.  The senior righty leads the Valley with 67 strikeouts and has walked just 20 in 59.1 innings on the mound.  Biggs is slated to get the start for UE on Sunday and enters the weekend with a 1.93 ERA and 0-1 record in 18.2 innings.  Senior Jake Naumann has made a team-high 14 appearances out of the Evansville bullpen and has recorded all six saves for the Aces this season.  Naumann owns a 2.03 ERA and has tallied 10 strikeouts over 13.1 innings.
 
Wichita State (21-17, 7-2 MVC) sits atop the Valley standings entering the series, as it holds a one game lead over Missouri State.  The Shockers have won three of their last four games, as they suffered a 4-1 setback to Kansas State Tuesday night, after sweeping Bradley last weekend in Peoria, Ill.
 
As a team, WSU is hitting .287 as a team and slugging .382, as it has recorded 66 doubles, seven triples and 15 homers.  Wichita State has stolen 46 bases in 59 attempts and sports a .376 on-base percentage.  The Shockers rank second in the Valley with a .977 fielding percentage, as they have committed just 34 errors on the season.
 
Garrett Bayliff leads WSU with a .336 average, has legged out seven doubles and driven in 15 runs.  Micah Green is second on the squad with a .326 average and has tallied 13 RBI in his 22 starts.  Casey Gillaspie has been the top power bat in the Wichita State lineup, as he leads the squad with 12 doubles, seven home runs, 28 RBI and a .594 slugging percentage.  Tyler Baker enters the series with a .317 average and is second on the team with three long balls and 26 RBI, while Cody Bobbit and Erik Harbutz have combined to steal 16 bases in 19 tries.
 
Wichita State’s pitching staff has combined for a 3.85 ERA, .265 opposing batting average and 272 strikeouts in 336.2 innings.  Cale Elam, who is the reigning National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) National Pitcher of the Week, leads the Shocker staff with a 5-1 record and 2.15 ERA.  Elam has notched 48 strikeouts around 18 walks and has held opposing hitters to a .219 average in his 54.1 innings.  In his last outing, the junior right-hander struck out 13 and allowed just five hits in a complete-game shutout at Bradley.  A.J. Ladwig is 3-3 with a 5.10 ERA in his nine starts this year and has fanned 35 in 42.1 innings on the mound.  Kris Gardner has made seven starts for the Shockers and is 1-5 with a 5.28 ERA.  Four WSU bullpen pitchers have made 14 or more appearances and all four have ERAs of 3.51 or lower.  Aaron LaBrie and Brandon Peterson are each tied for the team lead with three saves.
 
Wichita State holds a 50-24 advantage in the all-time series with Evansville, but the Purple Aces won the series last season by taking two of three at Braun Stadium.  The Shockers are 23-12 against the Aces in Wichita, Kan., and have not lost a home series to UE since 2005.

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS (UE STARTER LISTED FIRST)
FRIDAY – Kyle Freeland (LHP, 3-5, 3.08 ERA) vs. Cale Elam (RHP, 5-1, 2.15 ERA)
SATURDAY – Kyle Lloyd (RHP, 4-2, 2.73 ERA) vs. A.J. Ladwig (RHP, 3-3, 5.10 ERA)
SUNDAY – Josh Biggs (LHP, 0-1, 1.93 ERA) vs. TBA