EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The May stretch run will begin for the University of Evansville baseball team on Wednesday night, as the Purple Aces will wrap up a five-game homestand against in-state rival Butler at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville. First-pitch is set for 6 p.m. and Wednesday’s game can be seen live on ESPN+ and heard live on 107.1 FM-WJPS and the Old National Bank/Purple Aces Sports Network from Learfield.
Evansville will bring a 25-18 overall record into Wednesday night’s game. The Purple Aces are 2-2 on the current homestand, which began with a 9-3 win over Lipscomb last Tuesday and a 2-1 win over nationally-ranked Indiana State, before the Sycamores were able to rally to win the weekend series. Sophomore designated hitter/catcher Evan Waggoner led UE offensively over the four games, hitting .385 last week. Waggoner will enter this week’s action on a streak where he has hit safely in each of his last eight starts, posting a .448 batting average (13-for-29) during those eight games. Junior second baseman Kip Fougerousse was not far behind last week, hitting .357 in the four contests, and he has hit safely in 11 of UE’s last 12 games overall with a .415 average (17-for-41), two doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI.
Butler will bring a 9-34 overall record into Wednesday’s game, after getting swept in a Big East series at Creighton over the weekend. The Bulldogs are under the direction of first-year head coach Blake Beemer. Freshman infielder Joey Urban leads the Butler offense this year with a .290 average, six home runs, 12 doubles and 29 RBI.
All-time, Evansville has dominated the series over Butler, holding a 50-17 edge in the series. The Bulldogs were the first-ever team which head coach Wes Carroll got a win against, as UE beat Butler, 10-1, on February 27, 2009. Former Aces Cody Fick and Peter Tountas had four-hit days to help Carroll earn his first victory as head coach that day at Braun Stadium. Carroll has gone on to win 377 games in 15 seasons at UE, and ranks second all-time in school history in career coaching victories.
Senior LHP Tyler Denu (2-3, 4.73 ERA) will get the start on Wednesday night for UE. He is expected to be opposed by Butler RHP Cade Thune (1-1, 9.88 ERA).
