DATES:  April 1-2
TIMES:  6:00 p.m.  |  6:00 p.m.
LOCATIONS:  Evansville, Ind. (Braun Stadium)  |  Nashville, Tenn. (E.S. Rose Park)
MEDIA CENTER:  Live Stats (Tues.)  |  Live Stats (Wed.)  |  Live Video (Wed.)

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team will play a pair of midweek contests against SIU Edwardsville and Belmont this week, as the Purple Aces will host the Cougars Tuesday night at 6 p.m., at Braun Stadium, before heading to Nashville, Tenn., for a contest with the Bruins Wednesday night at 6 p.m.
 
Evansville (15-9) enters the week having won seven of its last 10 games, including a series win over Eastern Kentucky last weekend, in which the Aces prevailed in two of three matchups with the Colonels at Braun Stadium.  Senior Jake Mahon hit an impressive .643 (9-for-14) in the series with EKU, including two doubles and six runs.  Sophomore Josh Jyawook and junior Jarod Perry both hit over .400 over the three-game set, posting averages of .429 (6-for-14) and .417 (5-for-12), respectively, and junior Kevin Kaczmarski drove in six runs against Eastern Kentucky, with four of them coming on an eighth-inning grand slam on Saturday.
 
Junior Kyle Freeland and sophomore Connor Strain both picked up victories in their starts over the weekend, as Freeland allowed just one run and struck out 10 in 8.0 innings Friday night and Strain scattered seven hits over 7.0 frames, allowing an unearned run, in his Saturday outing.
 
On the season, the Aces are hitting .281 as a team with 45 doubles, four triples and seven home runs for a .374 slugging percentage.  UE is reaching base at a .378 clip and has stolen 33 bases on 45 attempts.  Jyawook leads Evansville in both batting average (.357) and on-base percentage (.447) and ranks second on the squad with 19 RBI.  Junior Kyle Pollock is hitting .323 with two homers and 16 RBI, while Kaczmarski has been the top power bat in the Aces' lineup, accumulating 11 doubles, two triples, three home runs and 26 RBI.
 
UE's pitching staff has combined for a 3.64 ERA with 171 strikeouts against just 67 walks in 212.2 innings.  Opponents are hitting .279 against Evansville pitching and the staff has been led by Freeland, who is 4-1 on the season with a 2.03 ERA.  The junior lefty has posted an astounding 45:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio and has given up just six extra-base hits in 40.0 innings of work.  The Aces' bullpen has been led by sophomore Brent Jurceka, who is 1-1 with a 0.68 ERA in 10 relief appearances.  The Orland Park, Ill., native is limiting opposing hitters to a .168 average and has recorded 29 strikeouts in 26.2 innings of relief.
 
SIU Edwardsville (10-15) dropped two of three from Tennessee Tech in an Ohio Valley Conference series last weekend in Edwardsville, Ill., as the Cougars won the opener, 3-1, before the Golden Eagles posted 8-5 and 10-6 wins Saturday and Sunday.
 
SIUE is hitting .265 as a team with 52 doubles, six triples and 14 home runs for a .385 slugging percentage.  SIU Edwardsville owns a .350 on-base percentage and has stolen 23 bases.  Nick Lombardo leads the team with a .307 batting average, including six doubles and a team-best 23 runs scored.  Keaton Wright is hitting .301 on the year, while Chase Green and Alec Saikal are hitting just under .300 at .299 and Green has provided a team-best 21 RBI.  Devin Caldwell leads the team with six homers and is hitting .267 with 13 RBI.
 
The Cougars' pitching staff has combined or a 6.33 ERA with 146 strikeouts, 85 walks and a .301 opposing batting average in 216.0 frames.  Ryan Daniels is 4-0 with a sparkling 1.90 ERA in his seven starts this season and has notched a team-high 38 strikeouts.  P.J. Schuster has appeared in a team-high 11 games out of the bullpen and has recorded all four saves for SIUE.
 
Belmont (9-18) snapped a nine-game losing streak over the weekend by taking two games of a three-game series against Morehead State in Morehead, Ky.  The Eagles defeated the Bruins, 12-2, in Friday's opener, before BU responded with 8-6 and 3-2 victories Saturday and Sunday.
 
Belmont will enter Wednesday's game with a .228 team batting average and .354 slugging mark.  The Bruins have collected 42 doubles, seven triples and 17 home runs on the year and are reaching base at a .342 clip.  On the base paths, BU is 34-for-50.  Drew Ferguson leads the club with a .351 batting average, 10 doubles, seven homers, 20 RBI and 21 runs scored and is the only Belmont regular hitting over the .300 mark.  Alec Diamond has posted a .295 average this season with four extra-base hits and Jamie Ritchie, who is hitting .290, ranks second on the team with eight doubles and 17 RBI.
 
As a pitching staff, the Bruins have posted a 4.69 ERA with 195 strikeouts, 92 walks, and a .285 opposing batting average in 234.1 innings this season.  James Buckelew has been the top starter for BU, as the senior lefty is 2-3 on the mound with a 3.10 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 40.2 innings.  Austin Coley sports a 2-1 record with a 3.48 ERA and has recorded a team-high 43 Ks in his 41.1 frames of work.  Out of the bullpen, Greg Brody has yet to allow an earned run in his nine appearances, which span 9.2 innings, and has collected four saves.