—The Missouri Valley Conference on Thursday announced that the 2013 women’s soccer tournament will take place at UE’s Arad McCutchan Stadium from Nov. 8-10. UE last served as host in 2007 and last hosted an MVC championship in 2010, when the league played its women’s golf tournament at Rolling Hills. The MVC also used McCutchan Stadium for its men’s soccer tournament in 2008. UE’s women’s soccer team shocked the MVC in 2012 when, after being picked last in the preseason poll, it won the regular-season title.

—All other MVC championship sites for the 2013-2014 year were announced as well Thursday morning. There were no major surprises, though Indiana State’s selection to host the baseball tournament drew some ire. Missouri State’s Hammons Field will be unavailable, and Omaha is no longer an option with Creighton off to the Big East Conference. But Wichita State, which hasn’t hosted since 2010, would have made a better option. “Decisions like that help Creighton look back on the MVC with no regret,” tweeted Shockers beat writer Paul Suellentrop. “From TD Ameritrade Park (in Omaha) in 2011 to Indiana State 3 years later.”

—UE’s baseball team closed its regular season with its widest margin of victory all season, routing SIU Edwardsville 16-0 in a road game Wednesday night. The Aces scored runs in seven innings, led by two homers and six RBIs by sophomore Kyle Pollock. On the mound, starting pitcher Josh Biggs allowed just one hit over six innings. The Aces finished 22-32.

—UE will start play at the MVC tournament in Normal, Ill., on Tuesday as the No. 5 seed against an opponent that’s yet to be determined. While the Aces are done with MVC play having gone 10-10, there are still series left this weekend that will determine the bracket in the double-elimination tournament.

—Expect UE to announce The Rock (Fla.) School guard Christian Benzon’s signing today, meaning coach Marty Simmons will speak for the first time on his new commitment. I spoke with Benzon earlier this week and posted his comments here. The Aces’ other signee, Padua Franciscan (Ohio) High School guard Tyler Ptacek, is still having paperwork processed (he originally signed with UNC Wilmington) and will be announced separately.

—Welcome to big-time college hoops, Wichita State. Off a Final Four run, the Shockers are now hosting guarantee games — they pay opponents to play at Koch Arena with no return game — to fill out the schedule. Next year’s guarantee games include contests against Western Kentucky and Oral Roberts. At least for the WKU game, Wichita State will dole out a reported $100,000 and get the game on an ESPN network.

—UE men’s golfer Quinn Vilneff, a junior from Ontario, made the MVC’s scholar-athlete team to extend quite a streak: the Aces have had representation on the team in each of the last nine years. Vilneff has a 3.941 grade-point average as a sports management major — the highest GPA of the nine MVC honorees — and he made all-conference as well after finishing sixth at the MVC championship earlier this month.

—Recruiting is a funny thing. Forty-eight hours ago, UE’s men’s basketball team had two scholarships open with the NCAA’s signing period running down. The Aces’ staff needed guards — one a shooter and one a slasher — but a number of options had committed elsewhere. All those problems solved themselves when The Rock (Fla.) School’s Christian Benzon and Padua Franciscan (Ohio) High School’s Tyler Ptacek both committed on Tuesday.

—The signing period does end today. Benzon confirmed with me that he’ll sign and send his binding letter of intent to UE (look for an interview with him here later). No word yet from Ptacek, but you can assume the same. After all paperwork is processed, coach Marty Simmons can announce the new recruits and discuss them with the media. That may happen today or later this week.

—The two additions give Simmons a full 13 scholarship players heading into a season for the second year in a row, assuming there will be no transfers. He accomplished it for the first time in his tenure at UE when the Aces added Egidijus Mockevicius in August 2012, and the team stayed in place until forward Jordan Jahr transferred midseason. There is only one walk-on back from last year’s team — rising sophomore Mike Leazer — so the Aces could add there as well.

—UE’s baseball team dropped its home finale and second game this season to Western Kentucky by a 7-6 score Tuesday night at Braun Stadium. The Aces led by five runs before the Hilltoppers rallied in their half of the sixth inning, which started with four straight singles and a sacrifice bunt before UE coach Wes Carroll lifted starting pitcher Cole Isom. The bullpen was good from there, allowing just one more run after the sixth, but the Aces’ offense couldn’t put together a comeback of its own.

—UE wraps up the regular season at 6 p.m. today with a road game against SIU Edwardsville. The Aces are done with Missouri Valley Conference play, and at 10-10 in the league, won’t be affected by the last round of weekend series left before they go into next week’s double-elimination tournament as the No. 5 seed.

—The Indianapolis Star’s Mark Ambrogi published another intriguing story — this one the enterprise look — at what area seventh grader Katlyn Gilbert’s commitment to the UE women’s basketball team means. Essentially, Gilbert doesn’t have to fret over finding another scholarship offer. She’s committed to UE’s staff — coach Oties Epps in particular — and should Epps leave UE before Gilbert heads to college, she would follow with her commitment to the next stop.

—UE’s baseball team closes the regular season this week, first with a 6 p.m. meeting today against Western Kentucky at Braun Stadium before a 6 p.m. Wednesday road game at SIU Edwardsville. The Aces are 21-31 overall and 10-10 in Missouri Valley Conference play. They’re locked into next week’s double-elimination MVC tournament as the No. 5 seed.

—The NCAA’s current signing period ends Wednesday, and though the men’s basketball staff has a pair of scholarships open, there have been no reports of commitments from available players this spring. Look for an update today or tomorrow from coach Marty Simmons on whether the Aces plan to fill either of those spots.

—UE athletic director John Stanley reflected last week on his teams’ performances during the 2012-2013 academic year and explained what comes next for the Aces this summer in a Q&A with the Courier & Press.

—There are still four days left to take the athletic department’s survey regarding men’s basketball game day experiences. After attendance at the Ford Center dipped significantly from year one to year two, I wrote last weekend how UE plans to use those results.

—The newest trend in social media is Vine, a mobile-based app that allows users to upload quick video clips — for instance, UE signee Jaylon Brown throwing down some one-handed dunks or the Aces women’s basketball team during summer workouts that started last week.

—UE softball players and coaches preached all season that they had the type of team that could make some noise in the postseason. The Aces (23-30) did in their run to the Missouri Valley Conference tournament title game last weekend, where they led Northern Iowa 1-0 on Saturday before the Panthers rallied with two runs in the sixth inning to take the MVC’s automatic NCAA bid. UE’s three MVC tournament victories this year were the first under coach Mark Redburn as well as the program’s first since 2004.

—UE’s softball team survived day one of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament by knocking off Missouri State 4-2 in extra innings Thursday before a late night 5-3 victory over Illinois State. Next for the Aces is a 2:35 p.m. meeting against second-seeded Drake in the tournament’s semifinals in Omaha (steamed online at Valley Live and WUEV.org). Before Thursday, UE’s program hadn’t won an MVC tournament game since 2004.

—Coach Wes Carroll’s UE baseball team wraps up MVC play this weekend with a three-game set at Illinois State. Game times between the Aces (20-29, 9-8 MVC) and Redbirds (31-17, 11-4 MVC) are 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Depending on the weekend’s results, UE could finish anywhere from second in the league to sixth. It’ll take victories against Illinois State, a winner in 17 of its last 20 games, to improve the Aces’ current fifth-place standing.

—The Cleveland Plain Dealer, after UE signee Duane Gibson’s state championship season at Villa Angela-St. Joseph’s High School, named him the paper’s Boys’ Player of the Year to headline all-star teams. Gibson averaged 11.9 points, 8.9 assists 6.4 rebounds and 3.9 steals per game as a senior.

—The Aces will need help in each of those statistical categories — mainly points and assists — next season now that Colt Ryan has graduated. UE’s all-time leading scorer is still training in hopes of signing a professional contract this summer. Keep up with Ryan on his Twitter page (@cryan_11).

—Another former UE basketball player working on the future is Samantha Heck, a recently graduated senior playing in China for a United States all-star team. Heck is two-thirds through the foreign tour in which many players go on to play professionally, mainly in Europe having been seen by scouts.

—A number of news outlets, headlined by CBS Sports, reported Thursday that the NCAA will likely keep its shot clock at 35 seconds next season but will look at other rules, particularly block/charge calls and defending that prevents a player’s freedom of motion.

—Now that UE has hired Manolo Concepcion to replace Mike Swan as head volleyball coach, the Aces’ athletic department is seeking an assistant. UE’s support staff last season was made up of assistant coach Dean Torgerson, graduate assistant Stephanie Budde and volunteer coach Nathan Antoine.

—UE’s softball team opens play today at the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. It’s win or go home for the seventh-seeded Aces, who face sixth-seeded Missouri State in a first round game at 1:35 p.m. in Omaha, Neb. The MVC will stream the game on its “Valley Live” web channel, and live stats are available here.

—The UE baseball team held off SIU Edwardsville on Wednesday at Braun Stadium, winning 11-7 to take its fourth straight game. The Aces (20-29) are on a roll at the right time with one MVC series left to play this weekend at Illinois State. Then come non-conference return games with Western Kentucky and SIU-E before the league tournament starts May 21.

—With now less than a week left in the NCAA’s spring signing period, a new men’s basketball recruit appeared Wednesday on UE’s radar. Former North Carolina Wilmington signee Tyler Ptacek has the Aces in his top two schools along with NCAA tournament Cinderella Florida Gulf Coast. Ptacek, a senior from the Cleveland area, is a two-star prospect by Rivals and ESPN.

—UE senior Samantha Heck, the women’s basketball team’s top scorer last season, is coming into her own while representing the United States in China. Heck scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds Wednesday in an 85-47 win over Brazil’s team, which moved the U.S. to 4-1 so far overseas.

—In other recruiting news, it doesn’t seem UE is recruiting Indiana transfer and Louisville native Remy Abell. The Indianapolis Star reported Tuesday that Abell will move on to play at either St. Mary’s, Xavier or Saint Louis after growing unhappy about his role for the Hoosiers. The Indy Star also reported Wednesday that Evan Gordon, brother of Eric Gordon, will transfer from Arizona State to play closer to home.

—Speedway High School shooting guard Anthony Jones, a class of 2015 prospect, tweeted Wednesday that he had a discussion with UE assistant Jimmy Elgas. The Indiana Recruiting Guide rates Jones as the state’s 20th-best sophomore recruit and a “good all-around player who can fill it up.” Shy Ely also played at Speedway before going on to a big scoring career both collegiately at UE as well as professionally in the NBA D-League and overseas.

—The Horizon League moved quickly in replacing the University of Loyola Chicago, adding former Summit League member Oakland this week. Loyola, of course, announced plans to join the Missouri Valley Conference last month and enters the league next season.

—UE celebrated commencement over the weekend, when a number of student-athletes graduated including all six of the men’s basketball team’s seniors. It continues a streak that I wrote about last fall: 77 four-year players in a row have graduated in a streak that dates back to 1989.

—Other graduates Saturday included Kristen Davis from the women’s soccer team. Her newscasting uncle, Al Roker, and aunt, Deborah Roberts, attended the ceremony at the Ford Center.

—Since Cowley County (Kansas) Community College guard Ben Vozzola announced Saturday that he’ll attend Cal State Northridge and play for new coach Reggie Theus, no new names have popped up online on UE’s recruiting radar. Still in the mix is Virginia native Travis Hester, a prep school guard also offered by Theus.

—UE’s baseball team swept a two-game, rain-shortened series at Indiana State and enters the regular season’s final stretch fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference standings behind the Sycamores, Southern Illinois and Bradley. Up next is a mid-week home game against SIU Edwardsville at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

—The Aces’ softball team, which finished the regular season 20-29 after rain washed out its series with Illinois State over the weekend, heads into the MVC tournament in Omaha, Neb., as the seventh seed. UE plays sixth-seeded Missouri State at 1:35 p.m. Thursday. The MVC will broadcast all tournament games online.

—Basketball website “Scouting the Mid-Majors” recently wrote about UE senior Colt Ryan’s professional aspirations. Ryan, the Aces’ all-time leading scorer, is still training out of town as he searches for the right fit but did make it back to Evansville for graduation.

—UE women’s basketball coach Oties Epps tweeted some impressive academic numbers for his team: a 3.463 grade-point average during the spring semester and 3.4 for the year.

—UE is surveying fans on the men’s basketball experience — everything from in-game promotions to media coverage. Let them know you like the newspaper guy.

—A pair of UE cross country runners competed in the country’s largest mini marathon over the weekend, the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini Marathon in Indianapolis. Among women’s runners, junior Kelby Jenkins finished ninth overall with a time of 1:23:24. Fellow junior Nicole Kruzman ended up 15^th with a time of 1:26:07.

—Diamond Taylor, a rising senior guard at Southern Illinois, plans to transfer following a season marred by his off-the-court legal issues. Taylor, who was in his fourth year of college basketball after another transfer from Wisconsin, averaged fewer than a point and a rebound a game for the Salukis last season.