The University of Evansville's 155th Commencement ceremony will take place this Saturday, May 4, at the Ford Center in downtown Evansville. The ceremony starts at 1:30 p.m. with student robing at 12:30 p.m. and faculty robing at 12:45 p.m. The Baccalaureate service will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday in Neu Chapel.

Graduates, if you have family and friends who will be unable to attend, please let them know that they can watch Commencement via live streaming at http://www.evansville.edu/commencement/live.cfm. A video of the Commencement ceremony will be posted on this page next week. 

The UE softball team is partnering with ZTA to host a PINK game tomorrow, Wednesday, May t at 6:00 pm. There will be raffles and t-shirts for sale. All proceeds will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. If you are still in town the Aces would love your support for this great cause!

The Office of the Registrar and the Center for Academic Advisement are closing at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 3 in order to prepare for Saturday's commencement ceremony. The offices will continue to work with faculty members via phone and e-mail regarding any final grading issues on Friday.

Come join TEAM UE as we attempt to defend our Gold bracket title in the Midwest Dragon Boat Race on June 1. This is a fun, exciting event that anyone can participate in (students, faculty, or staff). To sign up or for more information please  contact  Angie Stauber  ext 2622 or email as547 to be a team member.

Libraries will observe the following schedule of hours during Summer 2013. Contact William Louden, University Librarian, with questions at 488.2376 or  wflouden@evansville.edu .

Summer 2013 Hours  
May Intersession  (May 1-May 12)
• Monday:         8:00 a.m.  -  5:00 p.m.
• Tuesday:         8:00 a.m.  -  5:00 p.m.
• Wednesday:  8:00 a.m.  -  5:00 p.m.
• Thursday:        8:00 a.m.  -  5:00 p.m.
• Friday:              8:00 a.m.  -  5:00 p.m.
• Saturday:        CLOSED
• Sunday:           CLOSED

Summer Session I   (May 13–June 14)
• Monday:            7:30 a.m.  -  8:00 p.m.
• Tuesday:            7:30 a.m.  -  8:00 p.m.
• Wednesday:     7:30 a.m.  -  8:00 p.m.
• Thursday:           7:30 a.m.  -  8:00 p.m.
• Friday:                 7:30 a.m.   -  5:00 p.m.
• Saturday:            CLOSED
• Sunday:               CLOSED

Exception:   Memorial Day  (May 27)  -  CLOSED
 
Summer Session II  (June 17–July 19)
• Monday:              7:30 a.m.  -  8:00 p.m.
• Tuesday:              7:30 a.m.  -  8:00 p.m.
• Wednesday:       7:30 a.m.  -  8:00 p.m.
• Thursday:             7:30 a.m.  -  8:00 p.m.
• Friday:                    7:30 a.m.  -  5:00 p.m.
• Saturday:              CLOSED
• Sunday:                 CLOSED

Exception:  Independence Day  (July 4)  -  CLOSED

Summer Intersession  (July 20–August 27)
• Monday:                8:00 a.m.  -  5:00 p.m.
• Tuesday:                8:00 a.m.  -  5:00 p.m.
• Wednesday:         8:00 a.m.  -  5:00 p.m.
• Thursday:               8:00 a.m.  -  5:00 p.m.
• Friday:                     8:00 a.m.  -  5:00 p.m. 
• Saturday:               CLOSED
• Sunday:                  CLOSED

The UE Bookstore will be open on Saturday, May 4 - Graduation Day - from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for any last minute preparations. The Bookstore will be closed on Sunday, May 5. 

The Bookstore is having a 20% OFF sale April 25 through May 1.  All UE Clothing and Gift items will be discounted 20% off the original price of the item.  There are also a few clearance items still priced to sell.  It's a good time to get something for that special graduate.

Summer session I books are available for purchase in the store and on the bookstore website.  During buyback (Apr 24-May 1) the textbook area is closed BUT if you need a book for summer session I all you have to do is ask store staff and they will be happy to retrieve your book for you.  Once buyback is over (May 2) the textbook area will be open as usual.  If you have any questions please contact the Bookstore. 

This is a reminder that all UrEntal books are due back in the Bookstore by May 1 at 5PM.  Rentals returned after that date will be assessed a late fee of $10.  Students that rented books from SKYO can also return their books to the Bookstore and the Bookstore will ship those books back for you.  UrEntal books are desiginated by the purple and white sticker on the spine, SKYO rentals have no designation on them.  During Buyback please bring all rental returns only to the station marked as the "Rental Returns".  Those books that are not rentals can be sold at the Buyback table next to the return area.  If you have any questions in regard to your rental books please contact the UE Bookstore.

The semester end book buyback at the UE Bookstore runs Noon, April 24th through 4PM on May 1st.  We freely quote books whether used on this campus or not.  Please remember to bring all components of books you purchased as it may affect the price you receive.  Workbooks and programmed texts generally need to be clean of marks to have any value.  We have a large listing of books we are offering special pricing well above wholesale.  Also everytime you sell books you can register for the drawing where we are giving away an iPad and a $100 Bookstore gift card. Winners will be notified.  Also during the week all clothing and gifts will be 20% off the regular price during the buyback period.  And don't forget if your group is registered for the Group Buyback Promotion be sure to use your code to credit your group's total so that your group can win the $200 first prize.  Bring your student ID as well, you do NOT need your original receipt to sell books.  AND YOU ALWAYS GET CASH ON THE SPOT!  If you have any questions please contact the UE Bookstore. 

Sport management student Bryce Weiler was interviewed by KMOX Sports Director Tom Ackerman. The interview will air during the pregame show prior to the St. Louis Cardinals game today. The pregame show should begin on ESPN 106.7 locally or on Sirius XM channel 145 at 12:15 p.m.

Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy Yuri Yoshida recently had two articles published in professional journals. One article - "Association between long-term quadriceps weakness and early walking muscle co-contraction after total knee arthroplasty" - was published in The Knee in January. The second article - "A new Physical Therapy Protocol to Improve Ability of Stair Descending and Quality of Life for Individuals Following Total Knee Arthroplasty" - was published in The Journal of Japanese Physical Therapy Association 2013 40(2):110-111 (This is the most highly regarded journal for the physical therapy field in Japan,)

University of Evansville junior Quinn Vilneff finished in sixth place as his 4-under 68 helped the Purple Aces finish sixth at the Missouri Valley Conference Championship at Dalhousie Country Club.

“We had our best round of the day today and am proud of the way we finished,” head coach Jim Hamilton said.  “Quinn joins an elite group of players to be named All-Conference.  We are a very young team and have a bright future ahead.”

Vilneff finished Monday’s opening day with a 150 before recording a 68 in Tuesday’s final round to finish in sixth place, just one stroke out of a three-way tie for third place.  His 68 tied for the lowest round of the tournament.  His efforts helped him earn a berth on the All-Conference Team while he also earned the Elite 18 Award.  That is given to the player in the top 18 finishers with the top GPA.

Next on the list for UE was freshman Alex Turner.  Following a 155 in day one, he improved to tally a 73 on his way to a 228 and a tie for 17th overall.  Rick Voyvodic, another freshman, was tied with Vilneff on Monday, but his 79 saw him finish tied for 24th.

Parker Hensley tied for 37th with a 239 while Will Knights was three behind him with a 242 while finishing in a tie for 41st.

After holding a strong lead after day one, Wichita State cruise to the win as a team and individual.  The Shockers added to their lead in the third round, shooting the lowest round of the day (289) while finishing with an 858.  Their final total was 32 strokes ahead of Illinois State’s 890.  Southern Illinois took third with an 896 while Bradley (908) and Drake (909) completed the top five.  The Aces completed play just two shots out of the top five with a 911.

Medalist honors went to Rafael Becker of the Shockers, who finished four shots ahead of teammate Hunter Sparks.  Becker notched a 68 in the final two rounds to win by four shots.  Sparks’ second-place effort, coupled with his performance throughout the season, helped him to be named the MVC Golfer of the Year.

The Aces had a solid season, despite losing three of its top players to graduation last season.  Three freshmen (Knights, Turner and Voyvodic) received extensive playing time while junior Quinn Vilneff showed his experience while rallying at the MVC finale.

The University of Evansville baseball team will host cross-town rival Southern Indiana Wednesday night at 6 p.m. at Braun Stadium for the eighth “Battle at the Braun” presented by the Evansville Teachers Federal Credit Union.

Evansville (16-29) enters Wednesday’s contest having won just two of its last 10 games, after dropping two of three games to Missouri State in a Missouri Valley Conference series last weekend at Braun Stadium.  The Bears won the opener, 9-5, before the Aces rebounded with a 2-1, walk-off victory Saturday afternoon.  However, MSU grabbed the series by posting a 2-1 win Sunday on UE’s Senior Day. 

Freshman Jonathan Ramon led Evansville offensively by going 3-for-10 in the series with a double, a triple and three RBI.  Redshirt junior Nick Hathcoat provided the game-winning hit Saturday with a single to right and senior pitcher Kyle Lloyd earned MVC Pitcher of the Week honors for his complete-game, five-hit performance Saturday, in which he tied a career-high with 12 strikeouts.

As a team, the Aces are hitting .264 with 45 doubles, eight triples and 12 home runs for a .331 slugging percentage.  UE enters Wednesday’s matchup with a .356 on-base percentage and 37 stolen bases in 55 attempts.  Defensively, Evansville is fielding .968 as a team with 54 errors in its 45 games.

Redshirt sophomore Kevin Kaczmarski leads the Aces individually with a .343 batting average, .486 slugging percentage, 12 doubles, four home runs and 12 stolen bases.  Senior Chris Pearson boasts a .315 average with five doubles, three homers and a team-best 27 RBI, and brings a 15-game hitting streak into the midweek tilt with the Screaming Eagles.  Fellow senior Jason Hockemeyer is hitting .293 on the year with four doubles, two triples and 24 RBI.  Hockemeyer has drawn a team-high 34 walks and leads the squad with a .437 on-base percentage to go with eight stolen bases.

Aces’ pitchers have combined for a 4.52 ERA, .283 opposing batting average and 327 strikeouts over 384.0 innings.  Lloyd leads the staff with a 2.35 ERA, 6-2 record and 87 punch outs in his 76.2 innings of work, while sophomore Kyle Freeland is 3-7 on the year with a 4.06 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 71.0 frames.  Junior left-hander Cole Isom is slated to get the start for UE Wednesday and enters the game with a 2-5 record and 5.11 ERA in his previous six starts.

Southern Indiana (29-15) has won its last seven games and nine of its last 11.  The Eagles swept McKendree in a four-game Great Lakes Valley Conference series last weekend in Evansville and outscored the Bearcats, 18-5.

USI is hitting .296 as a team with 70 doubles, seven triples and eight homers for a .374 slugging percentage.  Southern Indiana is reaching base at a .380 clip and is 68-for-92 in the stolen base column.  The Eagles are fielding .970 as a team, as they have made 47 defensive miscues in 44 games.

Brent Weinzapfel leads USI with a .379 batting average and .529 slugging percentage.  Weinzapfel has driven in 28 runs and tallied five doubles, a triple and two homers.  Reece Rounder sports a .372 average with a team-best 58 hits to go with eight doubles, 24 RBI and 12 stolen bases.  Hamilton Carr and Kyle Niemeier own .358 and .357 averages, respectively, while Brad Wannemuehler is hitting .313 with five doubles, a triple and 13 RBI.

The Southern Indiana pitching staff has posted a 2.85 ERA, .264 opposing batting average and 257 strikeouts in 370.0 innings collectively.  Ben Wright leads the Eagles with a 2.16 ERA and is 6-4 in 11 starts with 44 strikeouts in his 83.1 innings on the mound.  Matt Bowles owns an 8-3 mark with a 2.97 ERA and a team-best 52 strikeouts in his 69.2 innings of work.  Craig Austin is scheduled to start for USI Wednesday, as he is 2-0 this spring with a 2.73 ERA in his 12 appearances, including three previous starts.

Wednesday will mark the eighth time that Evansville and Southern Indiana have played at Braun Stadium and the Aces have won all seven of the previous meetings.  UE leads the all-time series with the Eagles, 31-18.

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP (UE STARTER LISTED FIRST)
Cole Isom (Jr., LHP, 2-5, 5.11 ERA) vs. Craig Austin (So., RHP, 2-0, 2.73 ERA)

Come out Wednesday, May 1 to cheer on your Ace's Softball team as they face Western Kentucky in the first annual "Save Second Base" game. This game is raising money for Susan G Komen. $1 from every ticket will go to the foundation. The game starts at 6 pm but get there early to check out the t-shirts for sale and raffles. Donations are welcome. So please come out and support Susan G Komen and UE Softball May 1st. And don't forget to wear pink! If you have any questions email Heather Sisk at hs92@evansville.edu. Hope to see you there!