EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Off to its first 5-0 start in at least 20 years, the University of Evansville softball team will play some of the top competition in the nation this weekend as the Purple Aces head to the Easton Bama Bash. UE will face #2 Alabama in a single game while taking on #8 Virginia Tech and Middle Tennessee State in two games apiece. Friday's contest against the Crimson Tide will be televised on the SEC Network +.
| Evansville at Easton Bama Bash |
| Game One |
UE vs. Middle Tennessee State | Friday, Feb. 18 | 11:00 a.m. | Live Stats |
| Game Two |
UE at #2 Alabama | Friday, Feb. 18 | 1:30 p.m. | Live Stats | SECN+ |
| Game Three |
UE vs. #8 Virginia Tech | Saturday, Feb. 19 | 11:00 a.m. | Live Stats |
| Game Four |
UE vs. Middle Tennessee State | Saturday, Feb. 19 | 6:30 p.m. | Live Stats |
| Game Five |
UE vs. #8 Virginia Tech | Sunday, Feb. 20 | 11:00 a.m. | Live Stats |
| UE Softball |
Softball Home Page | Twitter | Game Notes |
Last Time Out
- Opening the 2022 campaign at the Best on the Bayou Classic on Monroe, Louisiana, the Aces reeled off five victories to open the year with some momentum
- After taking down defending Southland Conference regular season champion Stephen F. Austin by a 5-0 final in the opener last Friday, UE completed the day with a 4-0 win over Morehead State in nine innings
- Saturday's action featured a come-from-behind 9-8 win over Southern before a no-hitter from Izzy Vetter highlighted a 14-0 triumph over Mississippi Valley State
- In the finale against SIU Edwardsville, the Aces capped off the weekend with an 11-3 win
Another No-Hitter
- Izzy Vetter completed the 2021 regular season with a no-hitter in the final weekend against Bradley and picked up right where she left off to open 2022, tossing another no-no on 2/12 against Mississippi Valley State
- Vetter was at her best to open the season, tossing 17 innings in the first weekend without giving up a single earned run
- On Feb. 15, she was named the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week for the first time in her career
- She fanned 30 batters while allowing the opposition to hit just .103
- Her strikeout tally is seventh in the nation while her strikeouts per seven innings is 17th
- As a junior, Vetter struck out a total of 199 batters, which ranked 28th in the NCAA
Newcomer of the Week
- Sydney Weatherford could not have had a better start to her college career in Monroe, leading the Aces with 10 RBI while throwing 10.2 innings without giving up an earned run
- For her efforts, Weatherford garnered MVC Newcomer of the Week honors on 2/15
- The freshman batted .400 in the opening weekend, picking up eight hits in 20 at-bats while adding four runs, three triples and a home run
- Weatherford's three triples is the second-highest tally in the NCAA while her 10 runs batted in is 11th in the country
- In the circle, Weatherford threw 10.2 innings and allowed three unearned runs while striking out nine
- She earned the win on 2/12 over Southern
Picking Right Up
- Highlighting the opening weekend of play for sophomore Marah Wood was a 3-4 game against Mississippi Valley State that saw her hit her first home run of the year while adding a career-high four runs scored and two RBI
- Wood finished the Best on the Bayou Classic batting .400 with five runs scored and a total of four RBI
- In 2021, Wood set the program mark for most homers by a freshman with 11
- The 3-time MVC Newcomer of the Week had 32 RBI, 5th most by a UE freshman since 1994
Two Game Winners
- Alexa Davis recorded a pair of game-winning hits in the Best on the Bayou Classic on her way to an unreal .750 batting average
- Davis broke a scoreless tie against Morehead State last Friday, hitting an RBI double in the 9th inning of a 4-0 win before coming through a day later against Southern
- With the score tied at 8-8 in the bottom of the 7th, Davis hit a walk-off single
- She scored five runs and had four RBI to open the season
First Homer
- A nice start to the 2022 season saw Hannah Hood record 9 hits in 19 at-bats to finish the Best on the Bayou Classic with a .474 average
- Highlighting the weekend was a 3-for-4 effort versus Mississippi Valley State that included the first home run of her career
- Hood's three hits and four RBI were single-game highs for the junior
- She matched the 3-hit game in the weekend finale versus SIUE
- A member of the MVC All-Defensive squad in 2021, Hood was an excellent baserunner as a sophomore, going a perfect 12-for-12 in stolen base tries
Taking the Next Step
- Jenna Lis enjoyed a nice opening weekend, hitting .467 seven hits in 15 at-bats in the Best on the Bayou Classic
- Lis scored three runs and walked four times, finishing with a .579 on-base percentage
- She recorded three hits in the win over Southern, the first 3-hit game in her Aces career
- INFO: For all of the latest information on University of Evansville athletics, visit GoPurpleAces.com or follow the program on Twitter via @UEAthletics.
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