Three games on tap this weekend
 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – This weekend, another MVC home series is on tap for the University of Evansville softball team, who welcomes Valparaiso to Cooper Stadium. A noon doubleheader commences the series on Saturday before an 11 a.m. contest on Sunday.
 Last Time Out
– Katie McLean and Hannah Hood recorded three RBI apiece on Wednesday evening to lead the Purple Aces to a 9-5 win over SIU Edwardsville
– Neither team recorded a hit in the opening three frames, but each team scored four times in the fourth…the Cougars took a 4-0 lead before a 2-RBI hit by McLean knotted the game
– SIUE added a single run in the fifth before the Aces countered with five as Hood had what would become the game-winning hit
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Starting Strong
– Evansville has had a nice start to the 2021 campaign, going 14-7 through its first 21 games while picking up two wins over Loyola to clinch the opening MVC series
– It is the best start for the program since 2008 when the Aces had an identical 14-7 mark
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Player of the Week
– Reaching base 83.3% of the time in the Loyola series while belting two home runs, Eryn Gould was named the MVC Player of the Week on March 22
– Gould slugged 1.800 while batting .600 in the 3-game set while adding six RBI
– Over the course of the season, Gould has gotten on base 57.1% of the time and ranks 33rd in the nation and 2nd in the Valley
– Her .426 batting average and 26 runs scored are both third in the league while her 23 runs batted in ranks second
Heating Up
– Entering the Valpo series, UE’s longest hitting streak belongs to Katie McLean, who has recorded a hit in five consecutive games and currently stands at .400 on the season
– During the recent streak, McLean has gone 8-for-14 while accumulating three walks and three RBI…she has reached base in 10 straight games
– In the win over SIUE, McLean had a career-high three runs batted in, including a game-tying 2-run hit in the fourth inning