EVANSVILLE, Ind. – A spot in the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference Championship is on the line this weekend when the University of Evansville softball team welcomes Valparaiso for a 3-game series at Tri-State Orthopaedics Field at Cooper Stadium.
 

UE vs. Valpo
Game One	Friday, May 1 | 2:30 p.m. CST | Live Stats | ESPN+
Game Two	Friday, May 1 | 5:00 p.m. CST | Live Stats | ESPN+
Game Three	Saturday, May 2 | 2:00 p.m. CST | Live Stats
UE Softball	Softball Home Page | Twitter | Game Notes

Eight seniors will be recognized prior to Saturday's game including Kayley Batts, Dori Brown, Daleny Chumbley, Taylor Howe, Elle Jarrett, Sydney Kalonihea, Kaylee Lawson, and Jess Willsey Friday's doubleheader is set to begin at 2:30 p.m. before the series finale on Saturday begins at 2 p.m.
 
UE softball student-athletes, coaches, and staff will be wearing red ribbons to support Gordon Willsey, father of Purple Aces senior Jess Willsey. Last weekend, Gordon suffered a heart attack while in Chicago for the softball series at UIC and remains hospitalized in Chicago.
 
Evansville MVC Notes
- Evansville won its 12th MVC game on April 24 at UIC; it is UE's highest MVC win tally since 2016 and is the 7th time the Purple Aces have won 12+ MVC games since joining the league
- Since its first season of MVC softball in 1995, the Aces have won double digit conference games on 15 occasions including the 2026 campaign
- The highest MVC win tally for the program came in 2001 when the Aces won 19; the second-highest mark was a 16-win season in 2002
 
- Highest UE win totals in MVC:
            1) 19 wins       2001
            2) 16 wins       2002
            3) 13 wins       2003, 2004
            4) 12 wins       2007, 2016, 2026
            5) 11 wins       1995, 2000, 2008, 2013, 2017, 2021
            6) 10 wins       2010, 2024
 
- With the season entering its final two weekends, the Aces have put themselves into position to earn a top 6 finish for the first time since 2016
- Since joining the MVC in 1995, UE has finished in the top six on 12 occasions
- Evansville's top finishes have included 1st (2000), 2nd (2001), 4th (1995, 2002), 5th (1999, 2003, 2007, 2016), 6th (1997, 1998, 2004, 2008)
 
Walk This Way
- Morgan Adams has accumulated a team-high 27 walks, which puts her 11th in the MVC
- In the finale at Drake, Adams belted her second home run of the season
- She recorded three in the doubleheader against Indiana State
- Adams went 2-4 with an RBI, run, and double in game two versus the Racers
- Last season, she set the program single season walks mark with 42
 
Making a Run
- Alexis Tucker has thrown 11 1/3 scoreless inning over her last two starts while evening her season record at 7-7
- Tucker threw 6 1/3 innings allowing six hits at Bradley before tossing five shutout innings last weekend at UIC
- She struck out a season-high 7 batters in the win over Indiana State in just 4 1/3 innings of work
 
 
MVC Player of the Week
- Niki Bode was named the MVC Player of the Week on April 28 following a 4-game stretch that saw her bat .818 while posting an on-base tally of .875
- In a single game at NKU and the 3-game series at UIC, Bode went 9-for-11 while posting 7 runs, 5 walks, and 3 RBI
- Bode enters the final weekend of the regular season with a .397 batting average; it is the 4th-highest single season average in program history