EVANSVILLE, Ind. – With the finish of the regular season, the University of Evansville softball team earned the #7 seed in the 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Softball Championship and will open play on Wednesday against Valparaiso. Game time is 6:30 p.m. at Petersen Hotels Field in Peoria, Ill. With a win, the Purple Aces would advance to play Illinois State at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday.
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Off to Peoria
- Evansville heads to the 2019 MVC Softball Championship as the #7 seed and open the tournament against Valparaiso on Wednesday evening
- UE earned a sweep over the Crusaders two weeks ago in Evansville; the Aces pitchers accumulated a 2.10 ERA while Haley Woolf and Eryn Gould each hit .500 in the series; Gould reached base 69.2% of the time over the 3-game set.
Last Week
- Taking on MVC regular season champion Drake, the Aces fell in three contests in Des Moines
- Bulldog pitcher Nicole Newman tossed a perfect game in the opener, a 2-0 DU win
- Emily Lockhart made the start for UE and did not allow a hit until late in the game, but the Bulldogs were able to pull off the win
- Nicole Timmons threw a no-hitter in game two as Drake took a 7-0 triumph
- In Saturday's finale, Haley Woolf belted her fifth home run of the season, but it was the Bulldogs earning the sweep with a 7-2 win
Senior Class
- Prior to the April 27 opener against Valpo, the Aces honored seven seniors for their contributions to the program
- The class included: Olivia Cheatham, Kristin Koepke, McKenzie Johnson, Bailee Bostic, Ashleigh Downing, Emily Lockhart and Danielle Cassidy
Player of the Week
- For the second time in her career, sophomore Eryn Gould earned MVC Player of the Week accolades on April 22; she followed that up with excellent numbers against Indiana State and Valparaiso
- It was another strong week of action for Gould, who hit .500 while slugging .800 in four games versus ISU and Valpo; she drew five walks and was hit by two pitches on her way to a .706 on-base percentage
- Over the previous 14 games, Gould is batting .421 (16-of-38) while raising her average from .247 to .298; she has added four home runs, 14 RBI, 11 runs and 12 walks in that span
- She capped off the weekend series victory at MSU batting .444 with two home runs and seven RBI; her grand slam in Saturday's series finale was the difference in a 5-4 UE win
- Gould checks in with a .298 average while starting all 48 games at catcher, second base and in the outfield
- She leads the team with ten home runs, nine doubles, 30 runs and 31 RBI
- Gould was named the 2018 MVC Freshman of the Year while garnering All-MVC First Team accolades last year
Hitting for average
- Over her last nine games, freshman Haley Woolf has recorded 11 hits in 32 at-bats while upping her average from .220 to .246; nine of her 20 RBI on the season have also come in the previous nine outings
- Woolf finished the Valpo series batting .500 with five hits in 10 at-bats while walking twice
- She continues to hit home runs in the times her team needs them the most and did so once again at Missouri State
- With the score tied at 7-7 in game two at MSU, Woolf hit a 2-out grand slam that clinched the Aces win; it was her first homer on the road this season as her other three came at Cooper Stadium
- Woolf notched her fifth homer of the season at Drake, scoring the two runs UE had in the series
- She has 14 hits in 44 home at-bats with three home runs, 13 RBI, four doubles and six walks in 15 games inside Cooper Stadium
- Away from Evansville, Woolf is batting .208 with 15 hits in 72 at-bats; she has five road RBI in 30 games
Scouting the Opponent
- Valparaiso finished its 2019 campaign with a 15-30 mark while going 4-22 in the Valley to finish as the #10 seed
- Jaina Westphal was their top offensive player, hitting .286 with three home runs, 13 RBI and a team-high 13 stolen bases
- Jaymee Lawton finished with a .273 average and a team-best 23 walks
- Kelsie Packared was the Crusaders top pitcher, but missed the final few weeks of the season; she won eight games and had a 3.24 ERA
For full information on the 2019 MVC Softball Championship, visit the championship page at:
http://mvc-sports.com/sports/2018/6/18/19SBChamps.aspx
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