CHALLENGING SCHEDULE AWAITS BASEBALL ACES IN 2024 

EVANSVILLE, Ind. –  University of Evansville baseball coach Wes Carroll announced a challenging 2024 schedule on Wednesday which is highlighted by a season-opening trip to 2023 College World Series darling Oral Roberts, 10 games against Power Five competition, and UE hosting the 2024 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

“We are excited to announce the 2024 schedule,” said Carroll.  “It is a highly competitive schedule that will prepare us well for Missouri Valley Conference play.

“Hosting the MVC Tournament for the first time since 1998 is going to be a great opportunity to showcase our program and this community.  I look forward to seeing everyone at German American Bank Field and Braun Stadium this spring.”

Overall, Evansville will host 24 games at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium this spring, along with the entire MVC Tournament.  Season tickets for the 2024 UE baseball season will go on sale beginning on Monday, January 8.  Fans can call the UE ticket office by phone at 812-488-2237 to order their tickets, or click on the Ticket link on GoPurpleAces.com to learn more or order online.

UE’s non-conference slate features 10 games against Power Five competition, with four of UE’s five non-conference weekend series against teams that finished in the Top 100 in the RPI a year ago.

The season kicks off February 16-18 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as the Purple Aces will square off with College World Series participant Oral Roberts in a three-game series.  The Golden Eagles finished 2023 with a 52-14 overall record as champions of the Summit League, the Stillwater Regional and Eugene Super Regional.  ORU won its opener in the College World Series in dramatic fashion over TCU in its first CWS appearance since 1978.

After the home opener against Bellarmine on Tuesday, February 20, UE will once again hit the road to battle a Top 100 opponent, as the Purple Aces will travel south to take on the New Orleans Privateers in a three-game set February 23-25.  UNO finished third in the Southland Conference with a 35-24 overall record, and the Privateers were runner-up in the SLC Tournament.

February will come to an end on Wednesday, February 28 with a non-conference showdown with SEC powerhouse Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee.  UE will try to avenge a 2-1, 17-inning loss at Vanderbilt last March.

March will begin this year at home, as the Purple Aces will host Horizon League member Purdue Fort Wayne in a four-game series March 1-3.  UE will then hit the road again for a three-game series at traditional SEC power Mississippi State March 8-10.  While Mississippi State had a down year by their standards last year at 27-26, the Bulldogs did win two out of three games at eventual national champion LSU in early May, and MSU’s Dudy Noble Field is considered one of the toughest environments to play in in all of college baseball.

Evansville will begin a home-and-home series with Ohio Valley Conference member Southeast Missouri State on Wednesday, March 13 at Braun Stadium, before closing out the bulk of non-conference play with four-straight road games at Power Five competition in mid-March.  UE will travel to Big Ten member Michigan State March 15-17 for a three-game series, before heading to Lexington, Kentucky to renew its rivalry with 2023 Super Regional participant Kentucky on Tuesday, March 19.

Missouri Valley Conference play begins on Friday, March 22 against Murray State, and kicks off an eight-game homestand for the Purple Aces.  After the three-game set with Murray State (March 22-24), UE will host SIUE on Tuesday, March 26, before hosting long-time Valley rival Southern Illinois in a special Easter weekend series which will be played Thursday, March 28 through Saturday, March 30.  UE will then wrap-up its eight-game homestand with the start of a home-and-home series with Austin Peay on Tuesday, April 2.

Evansville will travel to Belmont (April 5-7) and Butler (Tuesday, April 9), before returning home to host Illinois State the weekend of April 12-14.  UE will then travel north to Bloomington, Indiana to renew its rivalry with the Indiana University Hoosiers on Tuesday, April 16.  IU finished second in the Big Ten a year ago, and finished as the runner-up at the Lexington Regional in last year’s NCAA Tournament.

UE will remain on the road with a three-game trip to Bradley the weekend of April 19-21, before finishing up a five-game road trip at Big Ten member Purdue on Tuesday, April 23.  Evansville will then welcome MVC runner-up Missouri State to town for a key MVC series the weekend of April 26-28.  The month of April concludes with a game at SEMO on Tuesday, April 30, as the Redhawks placed third in the OVC a year ago.

May begins on the road with a three-game Valley series at Valparaiso on May 3-5.  UE will then take on the crosstown University of Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium on Tuesday, May 7 at 6 p.m.  The contest will be the first regular-season game between UE and USI with both schools being Division I members, as USI moved up to Division I a year ago.

All eyes in the MVC will be on Terre Haute the weekend of May 10-12, as UE will battle defending regular-season champion Indiana State at ISU’s Bob Warn Field.  UE and Indiana State met twice on the final day of last year’s MVC Tournament, with Evansville producing a dramatic ninth-inning rally capped by Chase Hug’s two-strike, two-out walk-off grand slam to win the first tournament final, 6-5.  ISU was able to bounce back to take home the crown in the nightcap, and UE will be looking to avenge that loss that weekend.

The final week of the regular-season will feature a non-conference game at Austin Peay on Tuesday, May 14, before a three-game home series against UIC beginning Thursday, May 16 through Saturday, May 18.  Then, Evansville will serve as host for the 2024 Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Tournament from Tuesday, May 21 through Saturday, May 25.  It will mark UE’s first time hosting the tournament at Braun Stadium, and the first time UE has hosted the MVC baseball tournament overall since 1998, when Evansville hosted the tournament at historic Bosse Field in downtown Evansville.

FULL SCHEDULE:

Friday, February 16      at Oral Roberts 3 PM

Saturday, February 17   at Oral Roberts 2 PM

Sunday, February 18     at Oral Roberts 1 PM

Tuesday, February 20    BELLARMINE  3 PM

Friday, February 23       at New Orleans TBA

Saturday, February 24    at New Orleans TBA

Sunday, February 25     at New Orleans TBA

Wednesday, February 28  at Vanderbilt TBA

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Another total team performance by the University of Evansville men’s basketball team saw five players in double figures as the squad improved to 9-2 with a 98-91 victory over UT Martin on Monday evening at the Ford Center.

Kenny Strawbridge Jr. registered a season-high 21 points with Yacine Toumi and Ben Humrichous finishing with 15 apiece for the Purple Aces.  Tanner Cuff added 14 points while Chuck Bailey III scored 12.  Humrichous paced the team with nine boards while Toumi added seven caroms, two blocks and two steals.  Cuff had another extraordinary all-around game, adding eight boards and eight assists to his 14-point night.

“It is a 40-minute game and sometimes you just need to find a way to win.  UT Martin is extremely talented and they average 85 points for a reason.  It was an up and down game with a lot of points.  We did not plan on playing zone tonight, but had it in our back pocket in case we needed it.  I feel like we are getting closer every day and credit our guys for sticking with it.  Tonight was a complete team win.”

Toumi opened the night with a 3-point play while a jumper by Kenny Strawbridge Jr. gave the Aces an early 5-0 advantage.  Strawbridge added a triple and dunk as he posted seven of UE’s first 10 points as they held a 10-4 lead at the 17:10 mark.

UT Martin countered with a 9-0 run to take their first lead of the night at 13-10 less than three minutes later, but the ensuing two minutes belonged to Evansville.  Five in a row by Joshua Hughes gave the Aces a 17-15 lead.  At the 11:08 mark. Tanner Cuff picked up a second-chance basket to push the lead to 27-21.

Once again, the Skyhawks answered, posting the next 11 to jump back in front, 32-27.  A fast-paced contest continued with Ben Humrichous taking over, connecting on back-to-back triples to put the Aces back in the lead at 33-32.  With 4:20 on the clock, the Skyhawks broke a 36-36 tie with four in a row and would take that same 4-point edge into the locker room with a 44-40 halftime lead.

The furious pace continued in the second half.  Evansville posted the opening six points to retake the lead in the opening two minutes.  Toumi accounted for four of the six tallies.  Antonio Thomas’ field goal at the 16:35 mark made it a 51-48 Evansville lead.  Over the next two minutes, UTM erupted with a 12-2 run to take their largest lead at 60-53.  Jordan Sears, who was held to six points in the opening stanza, registered 12 tallies in the first eight minutes of the second half.

Evansville stormed back with triples by Strawbridge and Chuck Bailey III helping the Aces go back in front.  After a UTM field goal gave them a 66-65 lead with 11:25 showing, UE switched to a zone defense and the adjustment paid immediate dividends.  The Aces reeled off 11 in a row over the next three minutes to take their largest lead at 76-66.  Tanner Cuff scored four in the rally while Bailey knocked down three free throws to complete the run.

Things continued to go the Aces way as the lead hovered around 10 points, but with UE holding an 88-80 lead with under two minutes left.  The Skyhawks made a furious rally, getting as close as three points in the last minute before two late stops and four Thomas free throws clinched the 98-91 triumph

Shooting 56.3% in the second half, the Aces wrapped up the night with a 45.8% showing.  UT Martin finished the game at 48.6%.  Jordan Sears was the leading scorer in the contest, posting 26 points with 20 of those coming in the second half.  Jacob Crews recorded a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds.

Home action continues on Wednesday when the Aces welcome Tennessee Tech for a 7 p.m. game.

Evansville, In.:  Having now won four consecutive home games and five of their last seven games overall, the Thunderbolts now look to take their success on the road as they travel to Peoria this upcoming weekend for a pair of games to kick off a five-game stint on the road.  The Thunderbolts return to Ford Center on Sunday, December 31^st to host the Macon Mayhem for New Year’s Eve.

Week In Review: 

                On Friday night against the Havoc, the Thunderbolts scored only 15 seconds into the game to take the first lead on a goal from Brendan Harrogate, before Scott Kirton made it a 2-0 game in the final minute of the period.  Up 2-1 going into the third period, the Thunderbolts pulled away with goals from Matt Dorsey, Tommy Stang and Mike Ferraro to stamp their 5-1 victory over Huntsville.  Evansville again took a 2-0 lead on Saturday against Peoria, as Nick Prestia and Myles Abbate scored in the second period, before the Rivermen came back to tie the game early in the third period.  A 3-2 lead off a goal from Stang was cancelled out as the Rivermen again answered shortly afterward, however a late power play from Bair Gendunov with 3:20 remaining proved to be the decisive moment in Evansville’s 4-3 win.  Cole Ceci was stellar once again in goal for Evansville, picking up both wins by stopping 28 of 29 shots on Friday and 32 of 35 on Saturday.

The Week Ahead: 

                 The Thunderbolts will be in Peoria this Friday and Saturday night to take on the Rivermen, both games at Peoria Civic Center beginning at 7:15pm CT.  Fans can watch both games on FloHockey with a paid subscription or can listen in for free on the Thunderbolts Mixlr Channel.  Fans can also watch both games at the Official Thunderbolts away game watch party at Parkway Pizza on 3911 Broadway Avenue on Evansville’s West Side.

Coming Soon: 

                Following five games on the road starting this weekend, the Thunderbolts will return home to host the biggest New Year’s Eve party in Evansville as they host the Macon Mayhem on Sunday, December 31^st, featuring a postgame jersey auction, followed by a fireworks show inside Ford Center.  Opening face-off will be set for 7:00pm CT.  For a limited time, fans can purchase a special package of (4) tickets and $40 worth of food vouchers for only $80, offer valid until Saturday, December 23^rd at 10:00pm CT.  For tickets, call (812)422-BOLT (2548), go to EvansvilleThunderbolts.com or visit the Ford Center Ticket Office.

Scouting the Opponent: 

• Peoria Rivermen: 

1. • Record: 11-6-1, 23 Points, 3^rd Place
   • Leading Goal Scorer: Alec Hagaman (9 Goals)
   • Leading Point Scorer: Joseph Widmar (22 Points)
   • Primary Goaltender: Nick Latinovich (6-4-1, .890 Save %)
   • Thunderbolts 23-24 Record vs PEO: 2-4

                The Rivermen preceded their past weekend’s games with a Thursday morning home game against Quad City, defeating the Storm 2-0 on goals from Alec Hagaman and JM Piotrowski.  In Friday night’s rematch in Quad City, both teams held leads at different points of the game, with the Rivermen holding the final lead in a 6-4 win that saw over 200 combined penalty minutes.  Scoring for Peoria, Cayden Cahill and Alec Baer each scored two goals, while Tristan Trudel and Piotrowski added a goal each.  In their 4-3 loss to Evansville on Saturday, Trudel and Baer scored to initially tie the game at 2-2 in the third period, while Braydon Barker scored to later tie the game at 3-3 before the Thunderbolts stormed back.  In goal, Nick Latinovich stopped all 18 Quad City shots on Thursday, while saving 25 of 29 on Saturday.  Brendahn Brawley picked up the win on Friday in Quad City with 35 saves on 39 shots.

Call-up Report 

– Colton Kalezic (Cincinnati Cyclones)

     – 8 GP, 1 G, 1 A, 2 P, 0 PIM

Transactions:     

Sat. 12/16: F Myles Abbate signed from professional tryout to standard contract

Sat. 12/16: F Mark Zhukov placed on 14-Day Injured Reserve

Fri. 12/15: D Filip Lundqvist traded to Quad City in exchange for future considerations

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – In a return to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall 17 years in the making, the University of Evansville women’s basketball team fell 109-56 to the no. 16 Indiana Hoosiers.

The Purple Aces faced likely their toughest test of the season on Monday night against the ranked Hoosiers. Despite heavy defensive pressure, UE had four players in double figures led by MVC Freshman of the Week Maggie Hartwig with 13 points. Transfer sophomore forward Tamesha Dozier had a season-high in Bloomington with 11 points while going seven of 11 from the floor.

“While the shots didn’t fall the way we would like and we gave up too much in transition, I thought we played with toughness,” said Head Coach Robyn Scherr-Wells. “It might not show in the box score but this game will make us better. I am very proud of our effort tonight in a tough environment.”

The Aces got off to a strong start in Bloomington as graduate center Barbora Tomancova had the first points of the night on a layup. UE led for a minute and a half in the first quarter following a three from guard Alana Striverson. But the Hoosiers quickly responded with an eight-point run to take a seven-point lead and force an Evansville timeout.

Out of the timeout, Dozier hit her first three of the night getting the game down to four. The teams traded buckets back and forth until Indiana had a short five-point run with four minutes left in the quarter. The Aces added two more field goals but found themselves down by 12 heading into the second quarter.

The Hoosiers put the game out of reach for UE early in the second quarter as Evansville didn’t find a basket until the fourth minute. But the cold stretch was broken with a bang as Hartwig hit her lone three of the night. The Aces had a strong quarter from behind the arc with two threes while also having a perfect 10 minutes at the line. A five-point run for UE in the final 35 seconds from the Striverson sisters made it a 51-28 game.

Evansville started the second half almost as quickly as the first with seven points in the first minute and a half. Mason Striverson made back-to-back treys after having a quiet first half. The Aces kept cutting into Indiana’s offense through the third but a nine-point run to close out the quarter had UE facing a 38-point deficit.

It was a tough offensive fourth for Evansville as the team had an over-five-minute scoreless streak. But the Aces kept fighting to the final buzzer as they made seven points in just under four minutes. The end of the game for UE was highlighted by an Alana Striverson three and free throws from freshman guard Sydney Bradley.

Evansville won’t have much rest until their next game on Thursday morning. The Aces head to Cape Girardeau for their final matchup of the holiday break against the Southeastern Missouri Redhawks. Tip-off for UE against SEMO is set for 11 a.m.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball returns to action Tuesday at Screaming Eagles Arena when it hosts the University of Saint Francis (Illinois) for the Home for the Holidays Red Out Night. Fans are encouraged to wear the color of the season for the 7 p.m. tip off.
 
Fans can follow all of the action on the ESPN+ or ESPN 97.7FM (http://listentotheref.com).
 
USI, which is 2-9, is looking to get back into the win column after being idle for the last week for semester final exams. The Screaming Eagles also are looking to bounce back after a hard loss to Indiana State University December 9 in Terre Haute, Indiana.
 
Through the first 11 games of this season, junior guard Jeremiah Hernandez (Chicago, Illinois) and sophomore guard/forward AJ Smith (Edwardsville, Illinois) lead USI in scoring with 13.2 points and10.9 points per game, respectively. Smith also leads the team with 9.5 rebounds per contest.
 
The Fighting Saints are 2-5 in 2023-24 and have lost their last three regular season games. Saint Francis also lost an exhibition game at Lewis University, 69-57, Thursday evening in Romeoville, Illinois. Tuesday’s game will be the first-ever meeting between USI and Saint Francis in men’s basketball.
 
Tickets are on sale and can be purchased by visiting the USI Ticket Office on-line. For more information, call the USI Ticket Office at 812-465-1189.
 
Following the USI-Saint Francis contest, the Eagles conclude the 2023-24 non-conference slate with a visit to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois, December 22. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Banterra Center.
 
SIU is 6-3 this season after suffering a 70-68 loss to Austin Peay State University at home December 12. The Salukis, who are .500 over their last six games, will visit Wichita State University Saturday and host North Dakota State University Tuesday before welcoming USI.
 
USI won last year’s meeting at Screaming Eagles Arena, 71-53, for the Eagles’ first NCAA Division I win. SIU leads the all-time series with USI, 3-1, dating back to 1981.