CHALLENGING SCHEDULE AWAITS BASEBALL ACES IN 2024 

CHALLENGING SCHEDULE AWAITS BASEBALL ACES IN 2024 

EVANSVILLE, Ind. –  University of Evansville baseball coach Wes Carroll announced a challenging 2024 schedule on Wednesday which is highlighted by a season-opening trip to 2023 College World Series darling Oral Roberts, 10 games against Power Five competition, and UE hosting the 2024 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

“We are excited to announce the 2024 schedule,” said Carroll.  “It is a highly competitive schedule that will prepare us well for Missouri Valley Conference play.

“Hosting the MVC Tournament for the first time since 1998 is going to be a great opportunity to showcase our program and this community.  I look forward to seeing everyone at German American Bank Field and Braun Stadium this spring.”

Overall, Evansville will host 24 games at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium this spring, along with the entire MVC Tournament.  Season tickets for the 2024 UE baseball season will go on sale beginning on Monday, January 8.  Fans can call the UE ticket office by phone at 812-488-2237 to order their tickets, or click on the Ticket link on GoPurpleAces.com to learn more or order online.

UE’s non-conference slate features 10 games against Power Five competition, with four of UE’s five non-conference weekend series against teams that finished in the Top 100 in the RPI a year ago.

The season kicks off February 16-18 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as the Purple Aces will square off with College World Series participant Oral Roberts in a three-game series.  The Golden Eagles finished 2023 with a 52-14 overall record as champions of the Summit League, the Stillwater Regional and Eugene Super Regional.  ORU won its opener in the College World Series in dramatic fashion over TCU in its first CWS appearance since 1978.

After the home opener against Bellarmine on Tuesday, February 20, UE will once again hit the road to battle a Top 100 opponent, as the Purple Aces will travel south to take on the New Orleans Privateers in a three-game set February 23-25.  UNO finished third in the Southland Conference with a 35-24 overall record, and the Privateers were runner-up in the SLC Tournament.

February will come to an end on Wednesday, February 28 with a non-conference showdown with SEC powerhouse Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee.  UE will try to avenge a 2-1, 17-inning loss at Vanderbilt last March.

March will begin this year at home, as the Purple Aces will host Horizon League member Purdue Fort Wayne in a four-game series March 1-3.  UE will then hit the road again for a three-game series at traditional SEC power Mississippi State March 8-10.  While Mississippi State had a down year by their standards last year at 27-26, the Bulldogs did win two out of three games at eventual national champion LSU in early May, and MSU’s Dudy Noble Field is considered one of the toughest environments to play in in all of college baseball.

Evansville will begin a home-and-home series with Ohio Valley Conference member Southeast Missouri State on Wednesday, March 13 at Braun Stadium, before closing out the bulk of non-conference play with four-straight road games at Power Five competition in mid-March.  UE will travel to Big Ten member Michigan State March 15-17 for a three-game series, before heading to Lexington, Kentucky to renew its rivalry with 2023 Super Regional participant Kentucky on Tuesday, March 19.

Missouri Valley Conference play begins on Friday, March 22 against Murray State, and kicks off an eight-game homestand for the Purple Aces.  After the three-game set with Murray State (March 22-24), UE will host SIUE on Tuesday, March 26, before hosting long-time Valley rival Southern Illinois in a special Easter weekend series which will be played Thursday, March 28 through Saturday, March 30.  UE will then wrap-up its eight-game homestand with the start of a home-and-home series with Austin Peay on Tuesday, April 2.

Evansville will travel to Belmont (April 5-7) and Butler (Tuesday, April 9), before returning home to host Illinois State the weekend of April 12-14.  UE will then travel north to Bloomington, Indiana to renew its rivalry with the Indiana University Hoosiers on Tuesday, April 16.  IU finished second in the Big Ten a year ago, and finished as the runner-up at the Lexington Regional in last year’s NCAA Tournament.

UE will remain on the road with a three-game trip to Bradley the weekend of April 19-21, before finishing up a five-game road trip at Big Ten member Purdue on Tuesday, April 23.  Evansville will then welcome MVC runner-up Missouri State to town for a key MVC series the weekend of April 26-28.  The month of April concludes with a game at SEMO on Tuesday, April 30, as the Redhawks placed third in the OVC a year ago.

May begins on the road with a three-game Valley series at Valparaiso on May 3-5.  UE will then take on the crosstown University of Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium on Tuesday, May 7 at 6 p.m.  The contest will be the first regular-season game between UE and USI with both schools being Division I members, as USI moved up to Division I a year ago.

All eyes in the MVC will be on Terre Haute the weekend of May 10-12, as UE will battle defending regular-season champion Indiana State at ISU’s Bob Warn Field.  UE and Indiana State met twice on the final day of last year’s MVC Tournament, with Evansville producing a dramatic ninth-inning rally capped by Chase Hug’s two-strike, two-out walk-off grand slam to win the first tournament final, 6-5.  ISU was able to bounce back to take home the crown in the nightcap, and UE will be looking to avenge that loss that weekend.

The final week of the regular-season will feature a non-conference game at Austin Peay on Tuesday, May 14, before a three-game home series against UIC beginning Thursday, May 16 through Saturday, May 18.  Then, Evansville will serve as host for the 2024 Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Tournament from Tuesday, May 21 through Saturday, May 25.  It will mark UE’s first time hosting the tournament at Braun Stadium, and the first time UE has hosted the MVC baseball tournament overall since 1998, when Evansville hosted the tournament at historic Bosse Field in downtown Evansville.

FULL SCHEDULE:

Friday, February 16      at Oral Roberts 3 PM

Saturday, February 17   at Oral Roberts 2 PM

Sunday, February 18     at Oral Roberts 1 PM

Tuesday, February 20    BELLARMINE  3 PM

Friday, February 23       at New Orleans TBA

Saturday, February 24    at New Orleans TBA

Sunday, February 25     at New Orleans TBA

Wednesday, February 28  at Vanderbilt TBA