UE To Celebrate 1976 And 2006 Baseball Teams This Weekend
The University of Evansville baseball team will be celebrating its history this weekend as head coach Wes Carroll is looking forward to welcoming players from as far back as the 1970s as well as honoring the 1976 and 2006 Purple Aces, which are celebrating their 40th and 10th anniversaries, respectively.
“We’re very excited to have our alumni back on campus,†Carroll said. “It’s going to be a great way for us to open up Valley play. We’ll have alumni ranging all the way back to four decades ago, and I’m looking forward having them on hand to see the way that we’ve progressed and the direction of this baseball program.â€
The relationship between UE baseball and its alumni is evident in the make-up of the coaching staff, beginning with 2001 graduate Wes Carroll and continuing with assistants Cody Fick (’11) and Jake Mahon (’14). The full-time coaching staff is one of just seven nationally that consists entirely of graduates of the institution in which they’re employed.
“We’ve tried to build a family atmosphere with this program,†Carroll said. “That’s a culture that I’ve tried to create here after my experiences with [former UE head coach] Jim Brownlee, and he means a lot to me just like other coaches have to some of the other players that will be here this weekend. I think this is a special place with a unique student-athlete experience, and I’m excited to have everyone back this weekend.â€
The weekend will start with Friday night’s MVC opener against Wichita State, and it will continue into Saturday as more than 100 former players and family members will participate in a luncheon prior to a special pregame ceremony on the field that will pay tribute to the 1976 and 2006 teams. All baseball alumni in attendance will be honored in between innings later in the contest.
Friday’s game is slated to begin at 6 p.m., and Saturday’s luncheon will begin at noon and feature a tour of the baseball program’s renovated locker room. First pitch will follow at 2 p.m., and Sunday’s series finale with Wichita State is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.
