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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team will play its final home series of the 2013 campaign when it hosts Missouri Valley Conference foe Missouri State for a three-game set beginning Friday at 6 p.m.  The Purple Aces and Bears will continue the series Saturday at 2 p.m. and conclude it with 1 p.m. contest Sunday that will serve as Senior Day for UE’s six seniors.
 
Evansville (15-27, 6-6 MVC) enters the weekend having lost nine of its last 10 games, as the Aces dropped a pair of seven-inning tilts Wednesday night at Austin Peay.  Senior Chris Pearson was the only UE player to record multiple hits in the twin bill, as he went 4-for-7 with an RBI.  Redshirt sophomore Kevin Kaczmarski tallied the only other RBI for Evansville Wednesday evening.  On the mound, junior Cole Isom took the loss in the opener, as he allowed two earned runs and struck out seven in a six-inning, complete game effort.  Fellow junior Ryan Billo took the loss in the nightcap, surrendering two runs in 4.2 innings with a pair of strikeouts.
 
As a team, Evansville is hitting .269 and has racked up 42 doubles, seven triples and 12 home runs for a .337 slugging percentage.  The Aces are 35-for-52 on the base paths and are fielding .968 as a team and lead the Valley with 39 double plays.
 
Kaczmarski owns a team-best .355 batting average and had his 17-game hitting streak snapped Wednesday against the Governors.  The Cary, Ill., native also leads the Aces with a .503 slugging percentage, 11 doubles, four homers and 11 stolen bases.  Pearson sports a .320 average and has notched a hit in his last 12 games.  The senior catcher leads the team with 27 RBI and is second on the squad with three homers.  Fellow senior Jason Hockemeyer is hitting .297 and leads UE with 32 walks and a .439 on-base percentage.  Hockemeyer is also tied for the team lead with 32 runs scored.
 
The Evansville pitching staff has combined for a 4.61 ERA, .287 opposing batting average and 304 strikeouts in 357.0 innings.  Senior right-hander Kyle Lloyd leads the staff with a 5-2 record and a 2.53 ERA.  Lloyd ranks 14th in the country with 75 strikeouts and has limited opposing hitters to a .234 average in his 67.2 innings of work.  Sophomore southpaw Kyle Freeland is 3-6 this season with a 3.42 ERA and has racked up 66 strikeouts in a team-high 68.1 innings.  Freeland has struggled in his last two starts, allowing 11 runs in 11.2 innings.  Senior Josh Biggs, who is slated to start Sunday, enters the series with a 0-1 record and 3.04 ERA in his 12 appearances on the mound, including four starts.  Out of the bullpen, senior Jake Naumann has tallied all seven saves for the Aces and sports a 1.84 ERA in 14.2 innings of relief.
 
Missouri State (25-11, 9-3 MVC) is tied with Wichita State atop the MVC standings and has won its last four ballgames.  The Bears defeated Missouri, 4-2, Wednesday night in Columbia, Mo., and swept Bradley last weekend on their home diamond in Springfield, Mo.
 
MSU is hitting .278 collectively and is slugging .366 with 69 doubles, seven triples and nine round-trippers.  The Bears are getting on base at a .376 clip and have stolen 20 bases in 29 chances.  Defensively, Missouri State has committed 41 errors for a .971 fielding percentage.
 
Tate Matheny is one of three Bears hitting over the .300 mark, as he boats team-best .372 average and leads the squad with three homers, 23 RBI and a .500 slugging percentage.  Eric Cheray is hitting .309 with three doubles, a homer and 13 RBI, while Keenen Maddox enters the weekend with a .307 batting average and a team-best 13 doubles.  Luke Voit, who is hitting .293, has homered twice, driven in 21 runs and leads MSU with seven stolen bases.  Koby Peebles is hitting .254 and is tied for the team lead with 23 RBI.
 
The Missouri State pitching staff leads the Valley with a 2.95 ERA and .245 opposing batting average.  MSU pitchers have racked up 300 strikeouts and issued just 100 free passes in 326.2 innings.  Reigning Louisville Slugger National Player of the Year Nick Petree leads the Bears’ staff with a sparkling 1.29 ERA and 6-1 record.  Petree has held opposing hitters to a paltry .215 batting average and has fanned 69 opposing hitters in his 63.0 innings of work.  Jonathan Harris is a perfect 8-0 on the mound this spring and owns a 2.33 ERA with 42 strikeouts around 20 walks in 54.0 innings.  Andy Chedray is slated to start Sunday’s series finale and enters the series with a 1-2 record, 3.72 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 29.0 innings.  Erik Shannahan has made a team-high 17 relief appearances and recorded a pair of saves and 27 strikeouts in 24.2 innings.
 
Missouri State leads the all-time series, 42-35, but Evansville took two out of three from the Bears last season in Springfield, Mo.  MSU owns a slim 8-7 advantage in games played at Braun Stadium.
 
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS (UE STARTER LISTED FIRST)
FRIDAY – Kyle Freeland (LHP, So., 3-6, 3.42 ERA) vs. Nick Petree (RHP, Jr., 6-1, 1.29 ERA)
SATURDAY – Kyle Lloyd (RHP, Sr., 5-2, 2.53 ERA) vs. Jonathan Harris (RHP, Fr., 8-0, 2.33 ERA)
SUNDAY – Josh Biggs (LHP, Sr., 0-1, 3.04 ERA) vs. Andy Chedray (LHP, Fr., 1-2, 3.72 ERA)