EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The red-hot University of Evansville baseball team will get a big test this weekend, as Big Ten member Purdue will come to town for a three-game series.  The series will begin on Friday at 3 p.m. at UE’s German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium, and all three games can be heard live on the Old National Bank Radio Network and 107.1 F.M.-WJPS.

Evansville will bring a 10-7 overall record into Friday’s series opener after exploding for a 14-2 victory at Bellarmine on Wednesday afternoon.  The Purple Aces launched four home runs and exploded for six runs in the fifth inning and seven more in the sixth inning to win their third-straight.  Overall, UE has won 10 of the last 12 games.

Fifth-year first baseman Chase Hug continues to lead the UE offense with a .433 batting average.  He launched his fourth home run of the year in the ninth inning on Wednesday to cap UE’s scoring, and is tied with teammates Eric Roberts and Kip Fougerousse for the team-lead with four home runs.  Hug also sports a .595 on-base percentage this year, which ranks ninth-best in NCAA Division I baseball.  He has reached base in all 17 games this year, and in 23 consecutive games dating back to last year.

On the mound, UE will turn to junior RHP Nick Smith (1-3, 5.70 ERA) to start Friday’s series opener.  Smith struck out a career-high 12 men in his last home start against Bowling Green on March 4.  He is coming off a tough-luck loss in his last start last Friday, as he suffered the loss in UE’s 2-0 loss at Middle Tennessee State.  Pitching has helped power UE’s recent surge, as the UE pitching staff has posted a 2.29 ERA over the last nine contests, while not allowing more than four runs since UE’s 14-8 win at Southeast Missouri State to open the month of March.

The UE pitching staff will be challenged by a Purdue offense which ranks among the nation’s best this year.  The Boilermakers currently rank 31st in the nation in scoring at 8.9 runs per game.  Purdue stands at 9-7 overall after a 14-5 victory over Northern Illinois on Wednesday.  The Boilermakers hit .304 as a team, and they are led in hitting by fifth-year infielder Evan Albrecht, who will bring a .407 batting average into this weekend’s series.  Redshirt junior infielder Paul Toetz is not far behind with a .390 average, and he ranks 12th nationally in home runs this year with eight home runs in 16 games.

UE and Purdue have not met on the diamond since 2013, when the Boilermakers took two out of three games at Charles H. Braun Stadium.  The two teams were supposed to meet originally in March, 2020, but the series was cancelled right at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The two teams were scheduled to play last year, but the game was rained out in West Lafayette.

The series is scheduled to continue on Saturday at 2 p.m. and conclude on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Evansville, In.:  All good things come to an end, and that included Evansville’s 4-game winning streak, along with their 8-game home winning streak, as the Thunderbolts were topped 4-1 by the Huntsville Havoc on Thursday night at Ford Center.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game will be on Saturday, March 18^th ^ against the Birmingham Bulls at 7:00pm CT.  For tickets, call (812)422-BOLT (2658), go to EvansvilleThunderbolts.com, or visit the Ford Center Ticket Office.

Heavily outshot in the first period, the Thunderbolts fell behind 2-0 as Huntsville’s Sam Hunter scored at 8:06, before Jacob Barber added another goal at 16:41.  Barber scored once again 1:41 into the second period to make it a 3-0 Havoc lead, before Thunderbolts’ captain Hayden Hulton briefly scrapped with Huntsville’s Kasey Kulczycki, inspiring the Thunderbolts to a stronger level of play in the period’s remainder.  Using the ensuing momentum, Andrew Shewfelt got Evansville on the board with a power play goal from Hulton and Scott Kirton at 12:11, shortening Evansville’s deficit to 3-1.  However, the Thunderbolts were unable to get any closer despite some great opportunities, and a late empty net goal from the Havoc’s Robbie Fisher put the game away, 4-1 Huntsville the final score.

Shewfelt scored Evansville’s only goal, while Gorsuch finished with 30 saves on 33 shots.  Despite the loss, Evansville still only needs just 3 points out of 18 possible to clinch a playoff spot.  Despite the loss, the Thunderbolts remain in 4^th place in the SPHL standings, at which a finish in 4^th place or higher would secure home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs next month.  The Thunderbolts and Havoc do not meet again this regular season, with the season series ending in a 4-4 tie.