Missouri State is looking to get back ahead by multiple games in conference play. The Bears dropped their first MVC series of the season at UIC, only winning the middle match-up against the Flames 10-8. Missouri State is led on the field by outfielder Jake McCutcheon with a .369 batting average, 58 hits, 11 doubles, one triple, 12 home runs, 37 RBIs, and 43 runs scored. The Bears have three players with 12 home runs on the season as they lead the conference in long balls while being 10th in the nation in the stat. Missouri State also has four other batters hitting above .300, along with McCutcheon, with less than a month of the regular season left.
UE took a 2-1 series win against Indiana State at German American Bank Field in dramatic fashion over the weekend with two walk-off wins. Evansville did struggle in its midweek game at Western Kentucky, dropping its second game with the Hilltoppers 14-4. The Aces did have a bright spot on Tuesday evening as freshman infielder Drew McConnell hit his second home run of the season and first in two months for UE’s first grand slam of the year. After Evansville loaded the bases early in the seventh inning, McConnell fought through a seven-pitch at-bat to put the ball past the right field bullpen at Nick Denes Field to score four runs.
The Aces’ defense had a big weekend against the Sycamores at home. UE turned four double plays on Friday, April 18, in its 6-5 win over Indiana State. Evansville hadn’t made four double plays on defense in a game since the 2022 season. The Aces had five double plays in total against the Sycamores and currently have 25 on the season. Indiana State is the MVC leader in double plays with 34, but was below their average of 2.5 in three games, as they only had one against UE.
Evansville’s regular Friday night starter, LHP Kenton Deverman, has returned to form after some injury struggles early in the season. Over the month of April, the left-hander has averaged 5.2 innings pitched, seven hits, 2.6 earned runs, 0.6 walks, and five strikeouts a game. Against Indiana State last Thursday, Deverman had his second game of the year, not allowing a single walk to 28 batters. He now leads the MVC in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.14) and walks per nine innings (1.32). Deverman is also nationally in the Top 30 in both categories, as he’s 30th in strikeout-to-walk ratio and 11th in walks per nine innings.
