EVANSVILLE, Ind. – For the first time since 2016, the University of Evansville softball team clinched a top six seed at the Missouri Valley Conference Championship. The Purple Aces enter the tournament was the sixth seed and will take on the third seed Murray State on Wednesday at 3 p.m. in Carbondale, Ill.
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Looking Back
- UE and Murray State squared off in Evansville on March 20-21 with the Aces taking the first two games (3-0 and 6-5) before the Racers won the finale by a 3-1 final
- Niki Bode batted .400 in the series while Ashtyn Holbrook belted two home runs while recording five RBI in the series
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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 heads to the MVC Championship batting .389, which is the 4th-highest single season average in program history
- She has accumulated 18 doubles on the season and is tied for 3rd place on the UE single-season list; it ranks second in the MVC
- In 27 games since March 14, Bode is batting .412 going 35-85
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Leaving Her Mark
- Jess Willsey is set to complete a career that has seen her name etched in the program record book
- With 106 RBI in her career, Willsey is tied for 3rd on the UE career list while her 26 home runs is 4th
- She completed the regular season batting .296 with seven home runs, 29 RBI, and 22 runs scored
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Near the Top
- With 143 strikeouts on the season, Kate Ridgway is second in the MVC and 40th in the nation
- Ridgway has won 10 games in 2026 while posting a 4.23 ERA
- Her 10th win came on 4/21 at NKU where she allowed 3 runs in the contest
- Ridgway tossed a complete game 3-hitter to clinch the series at Bradley on April 18
-Â In the road series sweep at Drake, Ridgway earned two victories and a save while resetting her single-game strikeout mark
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