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UE GAME NOTES - OSU GAME NOTES

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team (6-6) is on the road this weekend for a three-game series at the Ohio State Buckeyes. The games will be played at Nick Swisher Field in Bill Davis Stadium.
 
This set will serve as the final weekend series tune-up for Evansville before they begin conference play next weekend against Dallas Baptist.
 
PITCHING MATCHUP
Game 1: Saturday, March 14 at 4:05 p.m. CDT
UE RHP Connor Strain (0-1, 5.62 ERA) vs. Ohio State LHP Tanner Tully (1-0, 2.75)
 
Game 2: Sunday, March 15 at 2:05 p.m. CDT
UE RHP Matt Rodgers (2-0, 3.38) vs. Ohio State RHP Travis Lakins (0-2, 5.73)
 
Game 3: Sunday, March 15 at 12:05 p.m. CDT
UE LHP Brodie Harkness (2-0, 3.50) vs. Ohio State LHP Ryan Riga (2-1, 1.54)
 
HOW CAN I FOLLOW ALONG?
Because of the UE Women's basketball game at the same time, the Saturday broadcast of the game can only be heard online through WUEV.
 
The contests will all have live stats provided at OhioStateBuckeyes.com .
 
Fans can also follow the team's progress on twitter. Updates will be posted on the @UEAthletics account as well as @UEMediaMike, the twitter account for Mike Radomski, the Assistant Sports Information Director and baseball contact at UE.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The University of Evansville baseball team (6-6) received two hits each from outfielder Jarod Perry and infielder Jonathan Ramon but the Purple Aces left a total of 10 men on base in a 5-1 road loss at Belmont on Wednesday. Ramon reached base in all four plate appearances, collecting two hits. The junior extended his hitting streak to a career-best nine straight games. Infielder Boomer Synek was 0-for-4 in the game, ending his streak of reaching base safely in 32 straight games. The last time Synek did not reach base was on April 13, 2014 against Wichita State. Ryan Billo (0-1) took the loss, going 4.0 innings and yielding three runs (two earned). Relievers Conor Gilligan and Patrick Schnieders each threw 1.0 scoreless innings.
 
WHAT'S BREWING WITH THE BUCKEYES?
Ohio State (8-4) began the year by winning three consecutive games then dropping four in a row and are now on a four game winning streak. The Buckeyes won two games at Western Kentucky this week and then were victorious in their home opener 4-3 against Northern Kentucky on Wednesday.  
 
THE SERIES
This is the first ever meeting between Evansville and Ohio State.
 
UE STATISTICALLY
Evansville is led offensively by outfielder Kevin Kaczmarski who is hitting .448 this season with a team-best 13 hits. Outfielder Korbin Williams has a team-high two home runs this year. Outfielder Josh Jyawook has a team-best 12 runs batted in, is tied with Kaczmarski for a team-high 13 hits and is second in batting average (.361). Three different UE pitchers have a 0.00 ERA this season and four Ace pitchers have recorded at least one win this year. The team is cumulatively hitting .252 this season with a 3.39 team ERA.
 
OHIO STATE STATISTICALLY
The Buckeyes have two players hitting over .300 with infielder Craig Nenning batting .341 and catcher Connor Sabanosh at .306. Nenning's seven RBIs are tied with three others for most on the team. Outfielder Ronnie Dawson's three doubles and two home runs lead all Buckeyes this year. Four Ohio State relievers have an earned run average of 3.00 or less. The team is hitting a combined .255 with a total 3.29 ERA.
 
PUT IT ON THE BOARD
The UE Aces baseball team went a total of 18 straight scoreless innings before tallying a run in the ninth inning against Belmont on March 11. The stretch dated back through a nine-inning shutout with Western Illinois on March 7 and another inning in the first game of the doubleheader on the same day.
 
HARK THE MESSAGE
Pitcher Brodie Harkness was named Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week on March 9. The UE freshman left-hander earned his team-high second win of the season with 6.0 scoreless innings of one hit baseball and a career-high eight strikeouts vs. Western Illinois on March 7. Harkness had two strikeouts in each of the first three innings on his way to a new career-high. He also retired the final 14 batters he faced in the Purple Aces 10-0 win over the Leathernecks. Harkness is the second Purple Ace to receive MVC Player/Pitcher of the Week honors this season.
 
DOUBLEHEADER DAYS
Due to pending storms and sometimes unplayable field conditions, the Aces have had to play four sets of doubleheaders this season. The Purple Aces played and won both games of a doubleheader at UALR on Feb. 14 winning the first contest 7-2 before finishing a sweep with a 16-3, seven inning victory in game two. UE also swept a doubleheader from Western Kentucky on Feb. 22 with an 11-10, 10 inning win in the opener and a 9-8 victory in the finale. The Aces then split doubleheaders with Western Illinois on March 6 (L 4-3, W 6-4) and on March 7 (W 10-0, L 3-0).
 
THE EVANSVILLE EMERSON ACES
Due to inclement weather, the Aces have now played seven of their 12 games this year in Emerson, Ga. at the Perfect Games complex.

FIRST THINGS FIRST
The Aces hung with #1 Vanderbilt into extra before falling 9-8 in 12 innings on March 3. UE took a ninth inning lead with a three-run home run from infielder Jonathan Ramon but a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth forced extras and a wild pitch in the 12th gave Vanderbilt the win.
 
ALL GOOD THINGS MUST END
Second baseman Boomer Synek had a 32-game on-base streak snapped with an 0-for-4 performance at Belmont on March 11. He reached base safely in the first 11 games of the season and previous 21 games of the 2014 season. The prior game in which Synek did not reach base was on April 13, 2014 vs. Wichita State.
 
KORBIN CRUSHING IT
Outfielder Korbin Williams hit two home runs against Western Kentucky in the first game of a doubleheader on Feb. 22. Williams hit his first career home run in the fifth inning, a three run blast, and then hit the go-ahead home run in the 10th for an 11-10 Aces win.
 
HOLDING ON
The Aces pitchers held on to sweep both games of a doubleheader from WKU on Feb. 22. UE held a 10-3 lead in the opening contest before winning game one 11-10 in 10 innings. Evansville was also ahead 8-2 in the final game of the doubleheader before earning a narrow 9-8 win.
 
NO JOSHING AROUND
Outfielder Josh Jyawook was named MVC Player of the Week on Feb. 16 for his opening series at UALR. Jyawook hit .385 in the set at three runs scored, a grand slam home run, and eight runs batted in. His three runs scored and eight RBIs were an MVC best.
 
BRING IT ON BACK
The Purple Aces bring back 19 letterwinners from last season. On the hitting side, UE returns 73.3% of its run support from last season but lose 35% of their home run numbers from last year. The Aces also have 70% of their RBI total from last season back for another year. Pitching wise, Evansville lost 62% of their win total and 79% of their saves total due to graduation and the draft. 
 
WELCOME HOME
After what amounts to be 15 games away from Braun Stadium, the Aces are expected to have their first true home game on Wednesday, March 18 against Murray State. First pitch at Braun Stadium will be 6:00 p.m.