LEXINGTON, Ky. -- After getting its first win of 2025, the University of Evansville baseball team heads down south to SEC territory to take on the Kentucky Wildcats.
 

Evansville at Kentucky | Tuesday, February 25 | 3 PM CT
Site | Location	Kentucky Proud Park | Lexington, Ky.
Links	Tuesday, 3 PM:  Live Stats  | TV:  SECN+  |  Radio: None  Expected Pitching Matchup:  UE RHP Owen Byberg (0-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. UK RHP Nate Harris (First appearance)
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The Purple Aces picked up their first win of the 2025 season on Sunday afternoon in their first home games of the season. UE hosted crosstown rivals USI for a doubleheader on Sunday after canceling a game and postponing one due to snow and cold weather earlier in the weekend. While Evansville lost the first game, they were able to bounce back with a big 13-0 run-rule win in the second game of the day.

UE's big win over the Screaming Eagles on Sunday was powered by a monster fourth inning. In just one half inning Evansville almost went through its lineup twice with 17 at bats. During those at bats, the Aces connected on nine hits, scored 11 runs, and had 14 of the at bats take first base. UE hasn't scored 11 or more runs in an inning in just under three years. Evansville last put up that many runs in only one inning on March 16, 2022, scoring 12 runs in the top of the sixth at Austin Peay.

Another key factor in Evansville's 13-0 win against USI was sophomore LHP Kevin Reed (Martinsville, Ind. / Martinsville HS) performance on the mound. Reed pitched all seven innings for the Aces, setting a career-high in innings pitched and strikeouts as the lefty got nine Eagles at the plate. Reed is the first UE pitcher to throw a complete game shutout since 2021 when redshirt sophomore RHP Shane Gray threw seven innings while striking out five batters at Illinois State in a 12-0 win. Reed is also one of only 13 pitchers across Division I baseball to throw a complete game and only one of two in the Missouri Valley Conference. 

The Kentucky Wildcats has had an opposite start to the season compared to Evansville. UK has a 4-1 record after two weeks of play this season. The Cats have picked up four wins against two teams the Aces are very familiar with, the Lipscomb Bison and the Belmont Bruins. Kentucky swept Belmont over the weekend, allowing the Bruins to only score six runs in 25 innings across three games as they benefited from solid pitching on the mound. The Cats are Top 10 in the nation in five pitching categories including ERA (1.58), hits allowed per nine innings (5.18), shutouts (2), strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.08), and WHIP (0.90). 

Tuesday's game at Kentucky is the first of 19 games on the road for the Aces. UE won't return to German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium until the end of March for a midweek match up with Western Kentucky. By the time Evansville returns home the team will have played its first MVC series while visiting nine different ballparks. The Aces were last on such a lengthy road trip in 2022 when they played 15 games away from Evansville from March 9 to March 29.