Senior Weekend is on tap for the University of Evansville softball team as the Purple Aces welcome Valparaiso to Cooper Stadium for a 3-game series. Action begins on Saturday with a noon doubleheader before Sunday’s game starts at 11 a.m. Festivities for UE’s seven seniors will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday with Bailee Bostic, Danielle Cassidy, Olivia Cheatham, Ashleigh Downing, McKenzie Johnson, Kristin Koepke and Emily Lockhart being recognized.
Last Week
– Evansville earned its first road conference sweep since 2017, taking three wins against Missouri State in Springfield on Friday and Saturday
– Senior Emily Lockhart pitched a gem in game one, allowing one run on four hits in a complete game effort as the Aces took a 3-1 win; Lindsay Renneisen added a home run
– The offense erupted for seasons-highs in runs (11) and hits (16) on its way to an 11-7 win; trailing 7-6 heading into the top of the seventh, Bailee Bostic led the frame off with a home run to tie the score before Haley Woolf hit the game-winning grand slam with two outs
– A grand slam was the difference in Saturday’s game as Eryn Gould recorded one in the second inning that made the difference in a 5-4 win
– Lockhart picked up the wins in all three contests while Izzy Vetter earned the first save of her career in the finale
– In Wednesday’s game at Indiana State, the Aces dropped a 3-2 game; Haley Woolf paced the team, registering three of UE’s seven hits in the contest
Reaching a Milestone
– Aces head coach Mat Mundell picked up the 200th win of his career in the opener at Missouri State
– In six seasons at Illinois-Springfield, Mundell accumulated 117 wins with the remainder coming in his time at Evansville
Player of the Week
– For the second time in her career, sophomore Eryn Gould earned MVC Player of the Week accolades on April 22
– Gould is on an absolute roll for the Purple Aces, entering the Valpo series with a 10-game hit streak
– Over the previous ten games, Gould is batting .464 (13-of-28) while raising her average from .244 to .296
– She capped off the weekend series victory at MSU, batting .444 with two home runs and seven RBI; her grand slam in Saturday’s series finale was the difference in a 5-4 UE win
– Gould checks in with a .296 average while starting all 42 games at catcher, second base and in the outfield
– She leads the team with nine home runs, eight doubles, 25 runs and 27 RBI
Showing Her Power
– Freshman Haley Woolf accounted for three of the Aces’ seven hits at Indiana State; her hit tally was the most in her time at UE
– She continues to hit home runs in the times her team needs them the most and did so once again at Missouri State
– With the score tied at 7-7 in game two at MSU, Woolf hit a 2-out grand slam that clinched the Aces win; it was her first homer on the road this season as her other three came at Cooper Stadium
Scouting the Opponent
– Valparaiso comes to Evansville with a 15-24 mark and stand at 4-16 through their first 20 conference games
– Carly Trepanier has the top average for the Crusaders, hitting .284 on the season while Jaymee Lawton has a team-high five home runs and 22 RBI
– In the circle, Kelsie Packard has a 3.24 ERA with 88 strikeouts while winning eight games
