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UE GAME NOTES - USI GAME NOTES

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville baseball team (15-12) begins a five-game homestand with a mid-week contest versus USI on Wednesday, April 8. The game will begin at 6:00 p.m. at Braun Stadium in Evansville, Ind.
 
PITCHING MATCHUP
Wednesday, April 8 at 6:00 p.m. CDT
UE RHP Ryan Billo (2-1, 3.41 ERA) vs. USI RHP Scott Haag (0-1, 4.26)
 
HOW CAN I FOLLOW ALONG?
The contest will be broadcast live on WUEV 91.5FM and on AcesTV. The live stats can be viewed at Evansville.StatBroadcast.com

Fans can also follow the Aces progress on twitter. Updates will be posted on the @UEAthletics account.

LAST TIME OUT
The Purple Aces shutout the Illinois State Redbirds 10-0 in a mercy-rule shortened eight inning game on Sunday afternoon. Freshman left-hander Brodie Harkness improved to 4-1 with a complete game, eight hit shutout. Infielders Jonathan Ramon (4) and Shain Showers (3) both matched career highs in RBIs as UE secured their first road series win at Illinois State since 2007.
 
SCOUTING USI
The USI Screaming Eagles (10-14) has won three consecutive games and five of the last eight. Most recently, the reigninig Division II baseball champions won a weekend series three games to one against the University of Indianapolis.
 
THE SERIES
Evansville is 32-19 in contests versus Southern Indiana. This will be the only matchup between the teams this spring.
 
UE STATISTICALLY
Evansville is led offensively by outfielder Kevin Kaczmarski with a team-best .425 batting average, 34 hits, seven doubles, two triples and six stolen bases this season. Outfielder Josh Jyawook (.309) and infielder Jonathan Ramon (.300) also are both hitting at or above the .300 mark. Ramon also has a team-best five home runs and 25 runs batted in. Right-hander Conor Gilligan has a team-low 2.38 earned run average. Seven different UE pitchers have recorded at least one win including four each by left-hander Brodie Harkness and righty Matt Rodgers. The team is cumulatively hitting .260 this season with a 4.86 team ERA.

USI STATISTICALLY
The Screaming Eagles have four players batting higher than .300 including infielder Drake McNamara with a team-best .415 mark. Outfielder Kyle Kempf leads USI with three home runs this year. Outfielder Hamilton Carr has more home runs than any of his teammates with nine. Closer Matt Chavarria has a team-leading three wins, five saves and a 1.37 earned run average. The team is hitting .283 with a total ERA of 4.27 ERA.

ON THE VERGE OF HISTORY
Outfielder Jarod Perry has been by a pitch 16 times this season and 41 times as a Purple Ace. His next HBP will surpass outfielder Alex Acheson (2007-'10) for most in program history.

WE'RE GOING STREAKING
Outfielder Jarod Perry has also reached base in 28 straight games. Infielder Jonathan Ramon has hit safely in eight straight contests.

BIRTHDAY BOY
Outfielder Jarod Perry was 1-for-4 on his birthday, April 4, at Illinois State with a go-ahead RBI single in the third inning.

DOUBLE DOWN
With two more doubles on March 31 at UT-Martin, outfielder Kevin Kaczmarski has moved into a tie with Anthony Molina (1997-2000) for 8^th most in program history (54). The Purple Ace with the most doubles is current head coach Wes Carroll (1998-2001) who hit 74 doubles in his UE career.

HIT PARADE
Evansville set a season-high with 21 hits in a 15-11 win at UT-Martin on March 31. Every UE starter had at least one RBI in the victory. Eight Aces starters scored at least one run as eight starters also recorded at least one hit each.

WEEK OF COMEBACK WINS
Evansville won three games this past week, all on the road, and all in comeback fashion. UE rallied from a two run deficit to score four runs in the ninth for a 4-2 victory at SIUE on Wednesday, March 25. The Purple Aces then surged back from a 3-1 hole on March 28 for a 7-3 victory at Indiana State. UE also overcame a 5-1 deficit on Sunday, March 29 for a 9-7 road series win at Sycamore Stadium.
 
DOUBLEHEADER DAYS
Due to pending storms and sometimes unplayable field conditions, the Aces have had to play six 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). Most recently, UE lost both games of a doubleheader to Ohio State 4-3 and 12-2 on Sunday, March 15. Evansville split a doubleheader at Indiana State on March 28 (L 4-0, W 7-3).
 
NINTH INNING MAGIC
UE scored four runs in the ninth inning to turn a loss into a 4-2 road win at SIUE on March 25. The Aces drew closer with a bases loaded walk and tied the game on a wild pitch. Infielder Jonathan Ramon then hit the go-ahead two run single that created the Aces' victory.
 
BRILLIANT BILLO
Pitcher Ryan Billo threw a season-high 7.0 innings pitched at SIUE on March 25 and also set a new career-high with seven strikeouts. He received the no decision in the UE come-from-behind 4-2 win.

TWICE AS NICE
Left-hander Brodie Harkness was named MVC Pitcher of the Week on March 23, his second such honor this year. Harkness (3-1) had a career day in the Aces' 3-1 win over #18 Dallas Baptist on March 22. The freshman left-hander threw a career-high 8.0 innings in the victory, yielding just one unearned run on four hits. Harkness did not allow a hit outside of the infield until the eighth as he also struck out five batters in the win.
 
TOP 25 TRIUMPH
The Aces defeated #18 Dallas Baptist 3-1 on March 22, the first UE victory over a ranked opponent since winning at #4 Vanderbilt on Feb. 26, 2014. Pitcher Brodie Harkness threw 8.0 innings in the victory as outfielder Kevin Kaczmarski was 2-for-3 with a  triple and two runs batted in.

TIK-TOK
Time was against catcher Travis Tokarek who was hitless in his last 21 at-bats entering the Dallas Baptist series. The freshman stopped the skid with a three-run ninth-inning double that helped spark a five run rally. Tokarek had just two runs batted in prior to his bases-clearing double.

MANHANDLING MURRAY
The Aces matched a season-high with 15 hits against the Murray State Racers in a 15-2 victory on March 18. Eight starters had at least one hit each for the Aces who matched their largest win total (16-3 victory at UALR on Feb. 14).
 
WELL…THAT'S A FIRST
Utilityman Tyler Sullivan recorded the first hit of his college career on March 18 against Murray State. Sullivan's eight-inning pinch-hit single sparked a six run inning.
 
RAKIN' RAMON
With a pair of home runs this past weekend, infielder Jonathan Ramon now leads UE with three round-trippers this season. Ramon homered in the series opener at Ohio State on Friday night and also hit a home run in the series finale in the last game of the doubleheader on Sunday.
 
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.
 
THE EVANSVILLE EMERSON ACES
Due to inclement weather, the Aces played seven of their 11 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.
 
ON DECK
UE continues the homestand with a weekend series against Missouri State. The contests are set for a 6:00 p.m. first pitch on Friday, April 10, a 2:00 p.m. start on Saturday, April 11 and a 1:00 beginning on Sunday, April 12.