EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The 2019 season is just a day away for the University of Evansville softball team as they open up the year at the Total Control Sports Invitational in Rosemont, Illinois.
The Dome at the Ballpark in Rosemont will be the host this weekend. It is located just minutes from downtown Chicago and is located close to O'Hare International Airport. The dome contains two fields, which will each host games simultaneously throughout the weekend.
Weekend Schedule
Friday - February 8
UE vs. Purdue Fort Wayne - 11:30 a.m. -
Live Stats
UE vs. DePaul - 7:00 p.m.
Saturday - February 9
UE vs. Detroit - 2:00 p.m. -
Live Stats
UE vs. Butler - 4:30 p.m.
Sunday - February 10
UE vs. Green Bay - 11:30 a.m.
"Our team is excited to get the season started," Purple Aces head softball coach Mat Mundell said. "We have several girls on the team who are from Illinois, so this will give them a chance to play close to home. It will also be unique for us to play in a dome where we are guaranteed to get all of our games in. It will be an exciting tournament with a pair of Big East schools and a full weekend of great competition."
Evansville plays a pair of games on Friday (Purdue Fort Wayne and DePaul) and Saturday (Detroit and Butler) before a single game against Green Bay on Sunday. Live stats will be available for Friday's game against the Mastodons and Saturday's contests versus Detroit.
Pacing the 2019 squad are a pair of Preseason All-Conference players in Morgan Florey and Eryn Gould. Florey – a senior pitcher from Peoria, Ill. – was one of the top pitchers in the NCAA last season. She struck out a program record 303 batters last season and finished third in the nation with 10.6 strikeouts per seven innings.
Gould is the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year and earned spots on the All-MVC First Team and NFCA All-Region squad. Gould led the team with a .377 batting average along with 13 doubles and a pair of triples.
The Aces lost just one player from last year's team as they return most of their lineup. The top power hitter from last season was Lindsay Renneisen. As a freshman in 2018, she led the team with eight home runs on her way to 21 RBI. Fellow freshman Elyse Hickey paced the team with 27 walks on the season.
Florey was the top performer in the circle last year, finishing with 11 wins and a 2.00 ERA. Jaime Nurrenbern picked up a pair of wins and had a solid 2.98 ERA in her first college season. Ashleigh Downing also picked up a pair of wins while completing the year with a 3.90 ERA.
UE opens up with games against Purdue Fort Wayne and DePaul on Friday. The Mastodons went 19-35 last season while the Blue Demons are the defending Big East Tournament Champions. They played in the Fayetteville, Ark. regional in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Saturday's first opponent – Detroit – was 14-30 last season while Butler posted a 20-28 mark. On Sunday, the Aces take on Green Bay, who is coming off of an 11-35 campaign.
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