Aces Announce Challenging Slate For 2018
 In what is shaping up to be an extremely challenging schedule, the University of Evansville softball team is set to face off against five NCAA Tournament teams and nine postseason teams from the 2017 campaign.
“The Missouri Valley Conference is a grind every year so in order for us to prepare for that we have really decided to challenge ourselves early in the non-conference to help get us ready,†UE head softball coach Mat Mundell said.
Evansville is coming off of a 20-33 overall record while going 11-15 in Missouri Valley Conference games. UE returns 11 players from last season and will see eight newcomers take the field. Highlighting the Aces’ returners are defending MVC Newcomer of the Year Brittany Hay and All-Conference Second Team member Morgan Florey.
“Postseason experience is something you will see a lot of our opponents have in common,†Mundell added. “That was intentional we want to be one of those teams so we thought what better way to get there than to play teams who have made it.â€
It will be an exciting start to the season as the Purple Aces head to Lafayette, La. To take part in the Louisiana Classic presented by Louisiana Lafayette. After opening up against Samford on February 9, the Aces take on the host Ragin Cajuns later that day. Last season, they were the Sun Belt Champions and played at LSU in the NCAA Tournament. They had one of the top records in the nation, finishing at 47-8.
Illinois-Chicago will mark the third opponent in the event. The Flames are coming off of a banner season of their own as they posted a 39-22 record on their way to the Horizon League Championship. Their NCAA Tournament berth saw them play at the University of Oregon. UE finishes the tournament with games against Iowa out of the Big 10 and Eastern Illinois.
Another impressive weekend of action features the Aces heading to the Georgia Classic in Athens, Ga. Running from Feb. 16-18, the Aces take on Winthrop and Georgia twice while playing Samford in a single game. The Bulldogs had a 35-23 mark in 2017 and earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Following the trip to Georgia, the Purple Aces head south once again from Feb. 23-25 to Chattanooga for the Frost Classic. In the opening game, the Aces take on IUPUI where current assistant coach Heather Tarter led the Jaguars to the Summit League Regular Season Championship last season. She was also named the league’s Coach of the Year. UE also takes on Southeast Missouri State, EIU, Western Illinois and Chattanooga that weekend.
The month of March begins much closer to home as the Aces make the quick trip to Bowling Green, Ky. for the Hilltopper Spring Fling. Evansville will play five games in the tournament against Austin Peay, Dayton and Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers were a postseason team in 2017, playing in the National Invitational Softball Championship.
From March 9-11, UE plays its fifth and final pre-conference event at the Racer Classic in Murray, Ky. It will be another competitive weekend for the squad, who faces defending Horizon League champion Flames for the second time while also squaring off against Oakland, Kent State and Murray State. The Golden Flashes of Kent State went 33-28 last year on their way to the Mid-American Conference Championship while advancing to the Waco Regional in the NCAA Tournament. The Racers won 36 games on their way to a berth in the NISC.
MVC play commences with a home series against Drake on March 17-18. Last season, Evansville swept the Bulldogs in Des Moines. Another home weekend is up seven days later when UNI comes to town. The Panthers were 33-19 overall and an impressive 20-6 in the Valley.
On March 30, UE plays its first conference road series at Loyola before heading to Butler in a midweek game on April 5. UE returns to Cooper Stadium for a 3-game set against Missouri State on April 7-8 before making the trip to UT Martin on April 11 in its final regular-season non-conference game. The Skyhawks are coming off of a 39-20 campaign and a postseason trip to the NISC.
Another postseason team is on tap that weekend when the Aces head to Normal, Ill. to play Illinois State. The Redbirds were 33-24 last year and 20-6 in the MVC on their way to the finals of the NISC. The road trip continues on Wednesday, April 18 with a doubleheader at Indiana State and a 3-game series at Valparaiso on April 21-22.
Indiana State comes to Evansville for a single game on the 24th before defending conference tournament champion Southern Illinois comes to Cooper Stadium for three games. The Salukis won 33 games on their way to the MVC Tournament crown. They played their NCAA Regional in 2017 at Ole Miss. The regular season finale will take place at Bradley with three games on May 5-6.
The MVC Tournament is set for May 10-12 in Des Moines, Iowa.
