Aces open MVC play against Illinois State
After 21 games away from home, the University of Evansville is set to open its home slate on Saturday against Illinois State. The Aces welcome the Redbirds for a noon doubleheader on Saturday with the series finale set for 11 a.m. on Sunday. All three games will be carried live on ESPN3.
Last Weekend
– UE had a successful weekend in Tennessee, going 3-3; the Aces picked up two wins over East Tennessee State and a single game win against Siena on their trip to Johnson City and Cookeville
– Sophomore Lindsay Renneisen was UE’s top hitter on the trip, hitting .308 with a pair of home runs and four runs batted in
– Freshman Izzy Vetter picked up two victories in the circle and struck out eight batters in 11 innings of work
Fitting Right In
– Entering conference play, UE’s top hitter is junior Katie McLean
– The Springfield, Ill. native leads UE with 24 hits, 60 at-bats and six doubles while tying Eryn Gould with 15 walks and 12 runs scored
– McLean’s averaged reached .489 following the March 2 game against Samford, but since then she has gone 2-for-15 with her averaging coming down to .400
– She has started all 21 games in the outfield with her top games being perfect 3-for-3 days at the plate against Detroit and Samford
No-No
– Emily Lockhart is enjoying a strong senior season that has seen her pick up a no-hitter and five victories in the circle
– Her no-no came on February 16 at Southern as she walked just two batters and struck out seven over the course of five innings
– That came on the heels of a 6-inning, 10-strikeout performance against the Jaguars
– Lockhart picked up her 5th win of the season last weekend against East Tennessee State, tossing four innings of relief while allowing a single run on three hits
Scouting the Opponent
– Illinois State opens its league schedule with a 6-20 record, but have played a challenging schedule that has seen them face ten ranked teams
– Shannon Felde leads the Redbirds with a .329 batting average along with 15 runs and ten walks; she has struck out just five times
– Andrea Coursey is just behind her with a .276 average and 11 RBI while Alyssa Wiebel has a team-high 15 RBI
