Aces face Drake on Wednesday
Purple Aces head softball coach Mat Mundell has announced the 2019 schedule for the University of Evansville.
In just over two weeks, the season gets under way at the Total Control Sports Invitational in Rosemont, Ill. Set for Friday, February 8 through the 10th, the Aces will take on Purdue Fort Wayne, DePaul, Detroit, Butler and Green Bay. DePaul is the top squad in the tournament, coming off of a Big East Championship last season along with 34 wins and a berth in the Fayetteville Regional in the NCAA Tournament.
UE is finalizing its opponent for the second weekend of action, details will be announced as soon as they are available. On February 22, the Aces travel to Chattanooga, Tennessee for the Frost Classic. Participating squads include Creighton, Eastern Kentucky, Western Michigan, Ohio University and Chattanooga. Ohio U. won the Mid-American Conference Championship in 2018, going 40-17 and 20-3 in the MAC on their way to the Knoxville Regional, where they won two games. The Colonels of EKU picked up 45 wins last year and advanced to the postseason, taking part in the National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC). Creighton won 28 games and played DePaul in the Big East Championship game.
Next up for the Aces is the Samford Tournament in Birmingham, Alabama. Set for March 1-3, UE will face Western Kentucky, Houston Baptist, Samford and Jackson State.
Home play commences on Wednesday, March 6 when the Aces welcome Purdue Fort Wayne to Cooper Stadium for a 5 p.m. game. UE heads back on the road from March 9-11 at the East Tennessee State Tournament in Johnson City, Tenn. Tennessee Tech, Rutgers, Siena and East Tennessee State will be playing in the event. On March 13, UE will play a road contest at Tennessee Tech on their way back to Evansville.
That is the final non-conference tune-up before Missouri Valley Conference play begins. The Aces open up the league slate on March 16 at home against Illinois State. After opening MVC action, the Aces take on UT Martin inside Cooper Stadium on March 20 for a doubleheader. An 8-game homestand continues on the weekend of March 23 with three games against Loyola before a single game against Butler on the 26th.
After the long streak at home, the Aces take to the road for their next six games, beginning with three games at UNI on March 30-31. The month of April begins in Carbondale with three games at Southern Illinois on April 6-7. On Wednesday, April 10, the Aces return home for a doubleheader against travel partner Indiana State before welcoming Bradley on the 13th and 14th.
Seven of the final ten games will take place on the road, starting with a trip to Springfield, Mo. to face Missouri State on April 19-20. The Bears won 32 games last year and were 17-8 in the Valley. Following a single game against the Sycamores on April 24, UE wraps up the home schedule with a 3-game series against Valparaiso on April 27-28.
The final weekend of the season will see the Aces travel to Des Moines to take on defending league champion Drake. The Bulldogs were 45-11 overall and 24-1 in the conference in 2018 on their way to a berth in the NCAA Tournament where they played in the Eugene, Oregon Regional. The MVC Championship is set for May 9-11 in Peoria, Illinois.