It’s another elimination game for UE’s baseball team at the Missouri Valley Conference tournament – they all are from here on out — but top seed and host Illinois State has the luxury of a 2-0 record so far. The Redbirds also didn’t play earlier today, and they meet the Aces at 7:37 p.m. at Duffy Bass Field.
Refresh for updates or follow on Twitter (@ECP_Lintner) for updates. Should UE win, it plays Illinois State again Friday for a spot in the championship game.
UE and Missouri State’s baseball teams are set for a rematch at the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, this time in a 12:30 p.m. elimination game today. The winner advances to play top seed and so far unbeaten Illinois State tonight.
Refresh for updates or follow along on Twitter (@ECP_Lintner).
Storms at Duffy Bass Field in Normal, Ill., aren’t expected to affect play all day, but they will likely push back the start time for UE’s elimination game against Bradley originally set for a 12:30 p.m. first pitch.
Once the action does begin, refresh for updates or follow on Twitter (@ECP_Lintner) in a must-win game for the Aces to continue their season.
Fifth-seeded UE faces off against No. 4 seed Missouri State at 4 p.m. Tuesday in the opening round of the Missouri Valley Conference baseball tournament. Rain is in the forecast at Duffy Bass Field in Normal, Ill., which hosts this week’s double-elimination tournament.
ESPN3.com will broadcast the game. Refresh here or follow on Twitter (@ECP_Lintner) for more updates.
Coach Wes Carroll tabbed senior pitcher Kyle Lloyd, the Aces’ Saturday starter, to throw in game one of the MVC tournament. Photo by Jason Clark/C&P
After talking to UE baseball players and coaches last week, one thing became apparent: Everyone believes winning game one in the double-elimination Missouri Valley Conference tournament is key to taking the whole thing.
The Aces will go with their most consistent arm when they open against Missouri State on Tuesday at Duffy Bass Field, home to top seed and host Illinois State.
Senior Kyle Lloyd, UE’s Saturday starting pitcher all season behind sophomore Kyle Freeland, is 7-3 with a 2.74 earned-run average. He’ll match up with Missouri State ace Nick Petree, an amazing 8-1 with a 1.63 ERA.
The right-handed Lloyd has played second fiddle to left Freeland all season, and his top outing came against Missouri State when the teams played a series at Braun Stadium. Lloyd fanned a career-high 13 batters and threw his second complete game April 17 in a 2-1 Aces win.
The Sacramento, Calif., native and Carmel High School graduate will likely be drafted this June. He’d first like to show that his last outing — it lasted just 2 2/3 innings in a May 11 loss to Illinois State — was simply a fluke.
“It’s not really that I want to prove anything,” Lloyd said. “It’s more that I want to stay consistent and go about my business. It’s all about having confidence out there.”
Lloyd has tallied a career-high 94 strikeouts this season, second in the MVC, up from 58 a year ago when he went 6-3 with a 3.01 ERA.
Look for more on Lloyd’s first start at the No. 1 spot in Tuesday’s Courier & Press.
Other MVC tournament notes:
—UE is 21-27 all-time in the double-elimination tournament. This year marks the Aces’ 14th appearance.
—Last year, UE sandwiched a victory over Indiana State between two losses to Illinois State, which eliminated an Aces squad that finished 32-27.
—UE combined to go 4-5 against the teams in its side of the MVC tournament bracket: Missouri State (1-2), Illinois State (1-2) and Bradley (2-1).
—The Aces’ 10-10 MVC finish this year marked the first at .500 or above for coach Wes Carroll in his five seasons.
MVC tournament links:
—The tournament bracket, per mvc-sports.com
—Complete list of matchups and scores
—Story: Aces hope Jake Mahon’s return sparks offense in postseason
The final weekend of Missouri Valley Conference baseball play did UE no favors.
Really, with the pitching around this league this year, there is no ideal No. 1 starter to face.
But UE will likely see Missouri State pitcher Nick Petree (8-1, 1.63 earned-run average) again when the fifth-seeded Aces play the fourth-seeded Bears at 4 p.m. Tuesday in the teams’ first-round tournament game hosted by Illinois State. Petree retired the final 16 batters he faced against UE earlier this season in game one of the Bears’ 2-1 series victory at Braun Stadium last month.
For UE, there’s a decision to be made: Friday night starter Kyle Freeland (3-8, 4.59 ERA) or Saturday starter Kyle Lloyd (7-3, 2.74 ERA)? As of yesterday, coach Wes Carroll hadn’t yet decided which arm will take the mound in game one of the double-elimination tournament.
—Click here for the MVC tournament bracket, led by regular-season champion and host Illinois State as the top seed. Bradley is the other “Bracket B” team on UE’s side.
—Remember each MVC tournament game will be broadcast live on ESPN3.com until MVC TV airs the championship game. That’s Fox Sports Midwest and Indiana locally.
Look for more in the coming days advancing UE’s MVC tournament run.
The Evansville Police Department on Thursday arrested 24-year-old Naquan Powell on two charges of intimidation, a Class D Felony, for comments officers believe Powell posted on Twitter in reference to shooting up an EPD facility and UE sporting event.
The tweets sent Tuesday morning from account @PopeQuanPaul forced cancellation of the Aces’ baseball game against Austin Peay, after which the university said it would increase security at events moving forward.
“We can’t get any type of mental health help in this damn town. I bet they’d wanna help us if we shoot up a @UEAthletics game tho” the original tweet read, before the account later sent, “Can’t get evaluated for mental health in evansville Indiana until we shoot up @EvansvillePD apparently”
The @PopeQuanPaul account then tweeted Thursday, presumably before Powell’s arrest: “Riding with the FBI now…sitting in this kinda interrogation room…It only took em 2 days to find me. Not even more like 43 hours”
Click here for the official EPD release on the arrest.
Dana Clayton, UE’s vice president of student affairs/dean of students, said in a statement Tuesday that the university did cancel the Austin Peay baseball game in light of Monday’s bombing at the Boston Marathon.
“I think that it’s one of those things where we want to play it safe,” Stanley said. “As opposed to an event like the Final Four where there’s 75,000 people, at our softball game we’re not going have remotely that size of a crowd so it’s easier even for our administrators to have a higher level of alert.”
Courier & Press news reporter Zach Evans will be following the story further. Check out his story here.
The scene at Braun Stadium on Tuesday after UE’s baseball game was canceled due to a Twitter threat: not too much different than any other night.
In all my years…
OK. At age 22, I have no right to say that.
But what happened Tuesday at Braun Stadium obviously doesn’t occur often in sports, especially in markets Evansville’s size. A threat made via social media forced the university to cancel the Aces’ baseball game against Austin Peay.
Here’s the Courier & Press story on the matter.
If it sounds like a pretty serious situation, that’s because it was, especially in light of what happened Monday at the Boston Marathon.
But the scene at Braun Stadium? Eerie, not tragic. Thankfully.
Either because of approaching rain or the threat, there were no players in sight at about 5:15 p.m., about 45 minutes before scheduled first pitch — Austin Peay’s team in the old armory and the Aces in their space at McCutchan Stadium. All of UE’s top athletics administrators were present, and president Thomas Kazee was also in contact.
Not long after the threat was discovered — a “nondescript” Twitter account tweeted today at both UE athletics and the EPD — the university sent students an alert. EPD then showed up at the ball park and stayed even after everyone had a chance to leave.
How safe did folks there feel, even amid a threat? Some players stuck around after they pulled the tarp off the field to long toss.
Crisis management isn’t a major at UE. Maybe they should make it one.
There’s simply no precedent for this sort of thing. Moving forward, who knows what it means. Probably some extra security at games. I’ll certainly ask for your sake.
Either way, I won’t be too worried about it the next time it comes to attending any sporting event at UE.
One non-specific threat shouldn’t ruin the experience. As is often said, that’s what they want.
The message was similar Monday following bombings in Boston: Don’t live in fear.
Run your race. Play ball.
I’ll see you out there next time.
Junior infielder Jake Mahon is out for the rest of the season with a broken bone in his wrist. Mahon posted the Aces’ second-best batting average and on base percentage. Photo by Denny Simmons/C&P.
A freak accident kept junior Jake Mahon out of UE’s lineup earlier this season, but a much more common baseball injury will sideline one of the Aces’ top baseball threats the rest of this season.
Mahon broke the hamate bone in his left wrist early in last Friday’s win over Southern Illinois, the same injury previously suffered by major leaguers such as Pablo Sandoval, Troy Tulowitzki and Dustin Pedroia.
“He did it in a swing Friday night in his first at bat,” said UE coach Wes Carroll.
As Mahon felt out the break, seeing at first if it was simply a sprain, he later pushed a bunt single right of the mound. Carroll then pinch hit for the Plain City, Ohio, native in the 10th inning with the game on the line.
“It got to a point where it swelled so much that he couldn’t swing,” Carroll added.
Mahon had surgery on Monday and showed up to the Aces’ 10-8 loss Tuesday to Indiana in a sling and out of uniform.
It wasn’t the first time Mahon missed time this season. A ball caught him in the face during batting practice before the Aces’ March 22 game against Creighton, and he missed a week due to concussion.
Mahon, a former two- and three-hole hitter, currently has the Aces’ second best batting average (.330) and on base percentage (.425).
“He’s a solid player offensively and defensively, and it’s going to be a big loss for us,” said senior catcher Chris Pearson. “But it’s like I’ve said before, it’s a next-man-up kind of thing. Jake’s a big guy in our offense, but we can still put up runs and get the job done.
Recovery time for the broken hamate bone is six weeks. Professionals who break it typically come back just as strong.
“The good news about the hamate bone fracture is that the impact on a baseball player is minimal, meaning it is not likely to impact the player on a long-term level,” wrote Yahoo! Sports contributor Jeanne Rose.
Rose added: “Although recovery time is short, a baseball player might feel less power hitting or pitching, and the loss of power or speed might continue up to a year after the surgery. Usually, however, within six weeks a baseball player can return to normal activities and not see a significant drop in speed, strength or power.”
Against Indiana, junior David Patton filled in at Mahon’s usual third base spot. The Aces also have freshman Jonathan Ramon available for the infield.
Both are sub-.250 hitters.
“I think with Jake, it’s going to be about filling his role as a team — with the aggregate,” said junior Johnny Day, who also plays infield. “With Jake being hurt, we can have different guys step up every day.”
Former UE shorstop Eric Stamets worked out out alongside the likes of Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton at the Los Angeles Angels’ spring training. KYLE GRANTHAM/C&P
Eric Stamets is moving up.
UE’s former star shortstop, drafted in June 2012 by the Los Angeles Angels organization, will start this season with the Inland Empire 66ers of the California League.
The San Bernadino, Calif.-based club starts its season Thursday.
As of Monday, Stamets wasn’t listed on the 66ers’ official online roster. But the 6-foot, 185-pound gloveman tweeted he was on the road to California.
Stamets played 62 games last season for the Angels’ former low-A affiliate, the Cedar Rapids Kernels, posting decent numbers (.274/.323/.347 with 1 home run and 7 stolen bases) as the team’s every day shortstop. Earlier this year, Stamets earned an invite to the Angels’ big-league spring training, where he scored a pair of runs in four games played.
Stamets is listed as the Angels’ 17th-best prospect. He’s known best for his speed on the base paths and defense.
“It can be hard to find a middle infielder in the Draft who can actually stay at shortstop, but Stamets is one of those rare breeds,” writes Jonathan Mayo, MLB.com’s draft and fantasy expert. “He has plus range in the field to go along with good hands and enough arm to stay at the position. The Evansville product can also flat-out run, with plus speed that makes him a legitimate basestealing threat.
“There are more concerns about his offensive ability. Stamets does make contact, but he has very little power of any sort, using more of a slap hitter approach. It seemed to work just fine for him during his pro debut in the Midwest League.”
This season figures to be a pivotal one for Stamets as he looks for more power offensively.
Before heading to spring training, Stamets had this to say:
“I’ve been working to expand as a hitter – just become more of a gap-to-gap guy more than a slappy singles guy,” he said. “Obviously when guys come in the league, they’re going to have to adjust because what you did in college isn’t necessarily going to work at the next level.
“So that’s basically what I’ve been working on, but I’m always, always refining my defensive skills. You’ve got to keep practicing what you’re good at and work up from there.”
It’s Aceball season, everybody.
UE’s baseball team opens its season this weekend with a three-game set at Arkansas-Little Rock: 3 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. There’s no radio for the series, but you can follow along with live stats here.
Fifth-year coach Wes Carroll gave the lowdown on his team, picked last in the Missouri Valley Conference’s preseason poll but one that returns five starters and 12 of 13 pitchers from last season’s 32-27 squad.
Projected Lineup:
1. Sophomore Kevin Kaczmarski (OF): Kaczmarski, the Aces’ leader last season with a .433 slugging percentage, is a guy who could hit just as well out of the three or four spot as leadoff. “He’s a draftable type of kid this year — a real explosive, five-tool type of player,” Carroll said. “He’s going to be tough to pitch to in this league out of the leadoff spot because he’s got power as well.”
2. Junior Jake Mahon (2B): Mahon moves from third base to second this season as a junior. “A seasoned veteran who started from day one for us of his freshman year,” Carroll said. “He’s a switch hitter, so it gives us some versatility, and he’s our leading RBI guy coming back.”
3. Sophomore Kyle Pollock (DH): Back in the three hole, where he hit as a freshman, Pollack enters off a summer ball all-star season. ”He’s fit right into our DH slot extremely well,” Carroll said. “Kyle may also be able to provide us some versatility as far as playing first base.”
4. Senior Jason Hockemeyer (OF): Hockemeyer moves from first base to corner outfield this season. ”A junior college transfer that played a full year for us last year — hit over .300 — he’s a big RBI guy who competes with two strikes,” Carroll said.
5. Freshman Jonathan Ramon (3B): Out of New York, Ramon hit six home runs during UE’s fall ball will start from day one for the Aces. “He’s going to add some pop — explosiveness — to our lineup,” Carroll said. “He’ll have some ups and downs like any freshman, but I like where he is now.”
6. Junior John Day (1B): Day will have a regular spot in the lineup this season for the first time. He batted just .175 last season but managed a .346 on base percentage, earning nine walks in 40 plate appearances. “First baseman — left handed, with a scrappy kind of bat,” Carroll said.
7. Senior Chris Pearson (C): The Aces’ senior leader, Pearson has been there and done that. He played most every game last season behind the plate. “It’s so important, especially in this conference with the amount of speed and the people that run the bases at this level – to have somebody with the kind of arm, that has the savvy and experience as Chris,” Carroll said.
8. Freshman Shain Showers (SS): Showers has shoes to fill, replacing former shortstop Eric Stamets — the Aces’ leader last season in batting average (.316) and stolen bases (30). “It’s looking like our freshman shortstop has won the job,” Carroll said. “He’s a scrappy kid that really works hard defensively. He’s come a long way with his work ethic, and he needs to catch the routine balls this year — that’s all I’m asking.”
9. Senior Andy Lasher (OF): The Newburgh native is one of a few area players on the Aces’ roster. He posted a .204 average last season in 41 starts. “We’ll have a local kid in the corner outfield spot,” Carroll said.
The Rotation:
1. Sophomore Kyle Freeland (LHP): 4-5 last season with a 4.55 ERA; led the Aces with 70 strikeouts.
2. Junior Sam Johns (RHP): 1-2 last season with a 7.18 ERA; spent summer in Alaska Baseball League with Freeland.
3. Senior Kyle Lloyd (RHP): 6-3 last season with a 3.01 ERA; posted a .241 average against.
4. Junior Cole Isom (LHP): 2-9 last season with a 5.27 ERA; led the Aces with 94 innings pitched.
5. Junior Ryan Billo (RHP): 8-1 last season with a 2.28 ERA; had staff’s lowest ERA.
More:
Feb. 14: UE pitcher Freeland takes lead on Aces’ staff
Feb. 14: Baseball team hears from special guest
Feb. 13: Former player Stamets gets spring training invite
Feb. 9: Pearson, Aces ready to battle through another season
Feb 8: Aceball season a week away
Former UE baseball player Jamey Carroll, brother of coach Wes Carroll, spoke to the Aces before they start the 2013 season. AP Photo
There’s perhaps not a player that better exemplifies the principles behind UE’s baseball program than Jamey Carroll, a veteran major league infielder who stands at 5-foot-11 and about 175 pounds.
The Newburgh native Carroll, older brother of Aces coach Wes Carroll, spoke to UE’s team while in town recently ahead of its 2013 season.
“Jamey’s message to the team was to come together,” Wes Carroll said. “He had a whole speech lined out wrapped around the word hustle and using different letters to explain and express what University of Evansville baseball is all about and understanding the team camaraderie you have coming together is unique.
“We, as a whole, are in this together. There’s no separation between coaches and players. That’s the message he kind of came around with, because special teams that make championship runs are the teams that do not let anything get in the way of that. That was his overall message, and also just to the overall message of look at him. He’s 5-9 and 170 soaking wet. If you got a chance to meet my brother, you’d be like, ‘That’s a major league player?’ And so he’s just like, ‘You just can’t measure what’s in here (heart) and what’s up here (head).’”
The Aces, picked last in the Missouri Valley Conference’s preseason poll despite returning their entire pitching rotation, open their season with a weekend series at Arkansas-Little Rock.
Jamey Carroll, a 1996 UE graduate, is entering the second year of a two-year contract with the Minnesota Twins this season — his 12th in the majors. He played in 138 games for the Twins in 2012.
“He just takes so much pride in where he’s from,” said senior catcher Chris Pearson. “He’s a 10-year big leaguer, and he still talks about how he grinds it out. Hard 90s (running the bases) every single time he puts it in play. He just stressed to us, ‘You never know when you’re not going to get to play this game again,’ so I think it really hit home for our guys.
“That’s an Evansville baseball player – him and Eric Stamets actually. They’re both small builds, but they play the game the right way. They respect the game first and foremost. I think that with Jamey coming to talk to us, it just showed that we’re not just saying these things. If you buy into the philosophies are as a program, you’re going to see success.”
Stamets was also in town recently. Though he didn’t speak to the team as a whole, the former shortstop — drafted by the Los Angeles Angels last summer — did get a look at the Aces’ replacement for him.
Freshman Shain Showers will get the start on Friday, part of an entire new left side of the infield along with freshman third baseman Jonathan Ramon.
“He’s very athletic,” Stamets said of Showers, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound infielder. “He’s got a chance to step in. I didn’t get to see him outside very much, so it’s hard to see while you’re inside. But from some of the drills I saw him do, he’s got a chance to do something special. To play for four years – it’s always good to do that.”
