DATES:  April 18-19
TIMES:  6:30 p.m.  |  1:00 p.m. (DH)
LOCATION:  Dallas, Texas (Horner Ballpark)
MEDIA CENTER:  Live Video  |  Live Audio (91.5 FM WUEV)  |  Live Stats
GAME NOTES:  Evansville  |  Dallas Baptist

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS (EVANSVILLE STARTER LISTED FIRST)
Friday:  Kyle Freeland, Jr., LHP (6-1, 1.74 ERA) vs. Paul Voelker, Jr., RHP (6-2, 3.09 ERA)
Saturday (Game 1):  Connor Strain, So., RHP (2-3, 3.34 ERA) vs. Cy Sneed, Jr., RHP (6-1, 2.24 ERA)
Saturday (Game 2):  Cole Isom, Sr., LHP (3-3, 3.59 ERA) vs. Cory Taylor, So., RHP (2-2, 3.53 ERA)

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team will head to Dallas, Texas this weekend for a key Missouri Valley Conference series with current MVC leader Dallas Baptist.  Entering the three-game series that will begin Friday at 6:30 p.m. and conclude with a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. at Horner Ballpark, the Aces trail the Patriots by a single game in the league standings.
 
Evansville (22-13, 4-2 MVC) defeated Wichita State in two games of a three-game series last weekend at Braun Stadium, before falling to Murray State in a midweek non-conference game Tuesday night in Murray, Ky.  Senior Jake Mahon was named the MVC Player of the Week after hitting an even .400 with three doubles, five runs scored and eight RBI in Evansville's four games last week.  Freshman Devin Williams finished the series with the Shockers 4-for-8 with a pair of doubles and four runs scored and junior Kevin Kaczmarski drove in four runs in a 5-for-12 weekend that included a triple.
 
As a team, the Aces are hitting .287 with 68 doubles, seven triples and 11 home runs for a .385 slugging percentage.  UE is reaching base at a .383 clip, including 144 walks and 51 hit by pitches, and is 37-for-52 in the stolen base column.  Defensively, Evansville ranks second in the MVC with a .971 fielding percentage.  Sophomore Josh Jyawook leads four Aces who are hitting over .300 with a team-high .345 batting average.  Jyawook is tied for the team lead with 29 runs scored and ranks third on the squad with 27 RBI.  Junior Kyle Pollock owns a .336 average with 12 doubles, two triples, three homers and 33 RBI, while sophomore Eric McKibban has posted a .324 average and leads the team with a .438 on-base percentage.  Kaczmarski, who is hitting .302, leads UE in doubles (13), triples (3), home runs (4), RBI (36) and slugging percentage (.525).
 
On the mound, UE pitchers have posted a 4.15 ERA with 251 strikeouts against 107 walks in 303.2 innings.  Opponents are hitting .272 against Evansville pitchers and have tallied 16 home runs.  Friday night starter Kyle Freeland leads the staff with a 6-1 record, 1.74 ERA and 75 strikeouts.  The junior southpaw has won his last five starts, posting a 1.15 ERA with 55 strikeouts in that span, currently ranks third in the NCAA with a 18.75 strikeout-to-walk ratio and is the only pitcher in the country with 75 or more strikeouts and less than 10 walks.  Sophomore Connor Strain will start Saturday's opener and brings a 2-3 record and 3.34 ERA into the weekend.  Senior Cole Isom is slated to start Saturday's nightcap and is 3-3 on the year with a 3.59 ERA, after a seven-inning, complete-game effort last weekend against Wichita State.
 
Senior closer Sam Johns has notched seven saves this season and has made 14 appearances out of the Evansville bullpen.  Johns has fanned 14 opposing hitters in 19.1 innings and owns a 2.79 ERA.  Sophomore Brent Jurceka is 2-0 with a 3.24 ERA and leads the Aces' staff with a .202 opposing batting average.  Jurceka has registered 34 strikeouts against 12 walks in 33.1 innings of relief.
 
Dallas Baptist (25-11, 5-1 MVC) defeated Baylor twice in a three-game series last weekend, as the Patriots topped the Bears, 12-8, in Dallas, before splitting a doubleheader in Waco, Texas.  Like UE, DBU dropped a midweek, non-conference tilt Tuesday night, falling to nationally-ranked Texas Tech, 5-4, in Lubbock, Texas.  In conference play, the Patriots opened their Valley slate with a sweep of Bradley (Mar. 28-30), before taking two of three from Illinois State in Normal, Ill., (April 5-6).
 
DBU is hitting .264 as a team with 71 doubles, seven triples and 24 long balls for a .392 slugging percentage.  Dallas Baptist also owns a .388 on-base percentage and has stolen 28 bases in 39 attempts.  The Patriots have committed 41 errors on the season for a .970 fielding percentage.  Mike Wesolowski is the only DBU batter hitting over the .300 mark at .301, but is one of seven to have driven in 20 or more runs this season.  Wesolowski has tallied 22 RBI on nine doubles and three homers this season and leads the team with 34 runs scored.  David Martinelli and Drew Turbin are both hitting .288 on the season, as Martinelli has racked up 23 RBI and nine doubles, and Turbin leads the squad with a .430 on-base percentage.  Austin Listi and Daniel Salters are tied for the team lead with 26 RBI and Salters has legged out a team-leading 13 doubles and four triples for a .482 slugging percentage.
 
The Dallas Baptist pitching staff ranks second in the league with a 3.23 ERA and has tallied a Valley-best 322 strikeouts around 145 walks in 326.1 total innings.  Opponents are hitting just .242 against the Patriots and have gone deep just 11 times.  Friday night starter Paul Voelker is 6-2 with a 3.09 ERA and ranks second on the team with 56 strikeouts.  Voelker has walked 21 in 55.1 innings and is limiting opponents to a .246 average.  Cy Sneed, who is 6-1 with a 2.24 ERA, is slated to start game one Saturday afternoon and has logged a team-high 60.1 innings with 44 strikeouts.  Cory Taylor will take the mound for game two Saturday and enters the series with a 2-2 record, 3.53 ERA and a team-high 57 strikeouts in 51.0 frames.
 
DBU's bullpen is led by Brandon Koch, who has recorded five saves and allowed just two runs in 22.0 innings of relief for an impressive 0.82 ERA and .175 opposing batting average.  Josh Urban has made 16 appearances out of the Dallas Baptist bullpen and sports a 2.17 ERA, while Joseph Shaw has made 15 relief appearances and registered four saves in 28.1 innings of work.
 
The Patriots lead the all-time series with Evansville, 4-2, and swept the Aces in a three-game set in Dallas back in 2012.  UE got its two wins over DBU in 2010, when it took two of three from Dallas Baptist at Braun Stadium in 2010.