Senior Day, battle for MVC seeding highlights final series against Valparaiso

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EVANSVILLE – Closing out the regular season, the University of Evansville baseball team hosts Valparaiso for a three-game MVC set, beginning Thursday night at 6 PM at German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville.

Previewing the Matchup: Valparaiso

  • The Aces and Beacons are meeting for the 55th time in series history in Thursday night’s series opener with Valparaiso owning a 28-24-2 advantage in the all-time series.
  • Despite Valpo’s lead in the series, since 1973, the Aces lead the series, 20-12, including a 3-1 win of last season’s series on the road in Valparaiso, Ind.
  • Valpo comes into this weekend’s series sitting in eighth in the MVC standings with a 4-14 mark in conference action, but can still reach as high as the six seed.
  • Evansville’s seed range could fall anywhere from one to three with an outright or shared MVC regular season championship still in play for the Aces.
  • The Aces are in search of their best seeding in the MVC Tournament since earning the No. 1 seed in 2014.

Using Free Passes

  • Evansville has proven its ability for power this season, launching 68 home runs, the 46th-most in the nation, but has also been patient at the plate.
  • The Aces sit just outside the top 100 in the nation in walks this season, garnering 223 base on balls in 2022, ranking 105th in the nation in the category and third in The Valley.
  • Also, Evansville has been hit by 67 pitches, second-most in the MVC.
  • Patience at the plate has been key to Mark Shallenberger’s big season, recording 28 walks to 32 strikeouts this year.

Stepping Up in MVC Play

  • In conference action this season, the Aces have seen a couple key pieces step up.
  • Right fielder Eric Roberts and catcher Brendan Hord both sit in the top three on the team in average in MVC contests.
  • Roberts is the best of the bunch, hitting .380 in MVC play, while Hord is third on the team with a .321 average in conference games.
  • Shortstop Simon Scherry is second for the Aces in conference batting average, hitting .359 in 18 Valley games.

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