The University of Evansville will be closed on Friday, March 29, for the observance of Good Friday. all administrative and academic offices will be closed.

Dr. David Green, professor of History at Harlaxton College, was presented the Exemplary Teacher Award at the Spring Faculty Meeting on Thursday, February 29. The award recognizes exceptional achievements in the classroom by creating distinctive opportunities and promoting intellectual, moral, social, and emotional growth of our students.  Dr. Green teaches British Studies and medieval history at Harlaxton and exemplifies these traits through his student interaction and teaching.

Congratulations, Dr. Green!

The UE Music Conservatory will present a guest recital performed by Greg Danner (horn), Dr. Yu-Han Kuan (piano), and Andrew Uhe (violin) at the Wheeler Concert Hall on March 12 (Tuesday) at 7:30 PM. The program includes works by the composer Amy Beach, Brahms, Ravel, and others. The concert is free and open to the public.

Help us celebrate National Disability Awareness Month!

• Are you a senior looking for full-time employment? 
• Not a senior, and looking for a summer internship or part-time position? 
• Could you use practice with your interviewing skills?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this event is for you! 

You will have the opportunity to interview with multiple employers AND receive feedback to help you perfect your skills. Following interviews, there will be time for networking.

All majors and classes are welcome to attend.

Space is limited, so register in Handshake today! 

Speed Networking Event

Tuesday, March 19th

6:00pm-8:30pm

Eykamp Hall, RUC

Questions? Want to update your resume ahead of this event? Contact the Center for Career Development at 812-488-1083 or career@evansville.edu

The 2024 UE Student Research and Honors Symposium is scheduled for Wednesday, April 17. This event will showcase the scholarly activities of students of diverse disciplines across UE’s campus, including the graduating seniors of the Honors Program.

All students are invited to apply to participate by submitting an abstract for their papers. For more information or to submit an abstract, please visit: https://www.evansville.edu/undergraduateresearch/student-research-symposium.cfm

The deadline for submitting an abstract is Friday, March 22.

Contact Jayme Williams at jw504@evansville.edu with any questions.

Please support our mission to better understand infant mortality in Vanderburgh County. We cannot change what we do not understand. Join us on March 18th for a stimulating conversation and meet local community partners.

Award-winning scholar, Dr. Margaret Stevenson will be joining us on Tuesday, March 12 for the 3rd annual Bettye A. Statham Lecture in Sociology. The title of Dr. Stevenson's talk is "Child Sexual Abuse: How Race Shapes Criminal Legal Processes." This lecture is at 6:00pm in SB 170 and is open to the community.

Welcome to Bracket Busters Team Step Challenge! Here’s how it works:

- Create your own teams (teams of 4 please!). This is not an individual challenge.

• Each team should designate a team leader & choose a team name.

• Each participant is required to sign up!

• Team leaders are responsible for submitting their team’s total weekly steps (a separate link will be provided at the start of the challenge)

- Each participant should track their steps (Monday-Sunday) and submit to their team leader by the following Monday.

• Track your steps using your favorite step counter such as an Apple Watch, Fitbit, or pedometer

• Each team’s total steps are due by the end of the day every Monday. An updated bracket with each team’s steps will be sent out every Tuesday!

• The number of rounds and eliminations will depend on the number of teams that participate.

The teams with the highest weekly steps will move on to the next round! We will have 4 x $50 gift cards for the overall team!!

SIGN UP HERE: https://forms.gle/cVVkJZRECqXuw5Cb9

It was the desire of the donor, Margery Florence Kahn, that her scholarship be awarded to "dedicated and conscientious students who exhibit a true passion for their chosen fields of study, and who, in the opinion of the members of the University of Evansville faculty, are likely to bring the same enthusiasm into the performance of their jobs or the practice of the professions which they will pursue following graduation."

All University of Evansville full-time undergraduate students who will be juniors or seniors in the 2024-25 academic year may apply. An essay of about 300 words must accompany the application along with two to five faculty recommendation letters.

View the application and faculty recommendation information.

Completed applications and recommendation letters should be returned to the Office of Student Financial Services by MAY 10, 2024.

Questions may be directed to the Office of Student Financial Services at 812-488-2364 or studentfinancialservices@evansville.edu.

March 2024

New Issue Available!

The second issue of Foundations, the newsletter for the Office of Facilities Management and Planning, is now available to read. Click the link below to learn more about what has been going on around campus.

Read the Latest Issue

Are you anticipating complete your degree this spring or summer?

Commencement Central is an event where degree candidates can check their diploma name, and degree programs. Additionally, candidates will touch base with the University Bookstore, Alumni Relations, and the Center for Career Development to gather important information. Even if you do not plan to attend the Commencement Ceremony, you should attend this event as it is when you can ensure your degree and diploma information is correct.

Commencement Central will be held in Eykamp Hall (2^nd floor of Ridgway University Center) during these dates and times:

• Tuesday, March 12, 2024 from 11am-1pm  
• Wednesday March 13, 2024 from 11am-1pm
• Wednesday March 13, 2024 4pm-6pm

Please use the link below to sign up for a 20 minute time slot to attend Commencement Central.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0F44ABA923ABFA7-47965497-2024#/

The February issue of the Crescent Magazine is available online and in print. The Crescent Magazine is produced by Student Media is a student organization at the University of Evansville. The Crescent Magazine published online and in print three times a semester. Student Media utilizes design, photography, video, and sound towards experiential and academic learning in journalistic endeavors and engaging storytelling. Student Media elevates the voice of the student body and connects the campus and community to important information and points of view.

The print issues can be found all over campus be sure to pick up your copy. Student Media produces over a dozen podcasts available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and RSS. And don’t forget about Fireside Aces Radio

To learn more visit https://crescent.evansville.edu or https://fireside.evansville.edu

College Mentors for Kids provides UE students valuable opportunities to make a difference in a young child's life. Students come to UE's campus on Wednesday afternoons to meet one-on-one with a college mentor.

Here at UE, we mentor 1st-5th graders from a local elementary school. Our program initiates character development, gives little buddies a role model and a friend, and exposes them to the possibility of going to college. In addition to promoting higher education, 81% of all little buddies report working harder in school, 75% attend college or trade school, and 95% avoid the criminal justice system.

College Mentors for Kids is accepting applications for leadership positions with the program for next year. Working with CMFK is a great way to complete volunteer hours while possibly changing the life and future of a young child. Meet new friends at UE and join College Mentors. We need you!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend! I am excited to announce that we are launching the International Ambassadors Program! Applications are open NOW until March 11^th

Student leaders with a passion for learning about different cultures, engaging in cross-cultural interactions, helping others through transitions, as well as those wanting to ensure students coming to UE have a strong sense of belonging and connectedness on campus are highly encouraged to apply!

The IAP is a redesigned version of our previous Intl Orientation Leaders. IAs will go through a spring and summer/fall training, assist with online/ pre-arrival orientation for Intl Students, help with International Welcome (the week leading to SOAR III) and guide Intl Students through their first year at the University through monthly meet-ups and check-ins.

This program has been developed in collaboration with two of our own UE students through the Changelab Program.

The aim of IAP is to build a strong sense of community for Intl Students and make UE a place they feel safe to call home for many years to come!

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Abagail Catania or Stacie Miller!

In preparation for Pep and Vim, UE's Day of Giving, we are looking for students to film Thank You videos to send to donors and alumni for making their gifts to UE. Videos will be 1-2 minutes and we will help you prepare your script. Please come dressed in your best Purple to show your love for UE!

Videos will be filmed in the Igleheart Building (corner of Lincoln and Rotherwood) on the 2nd floor. Upon completing your video, you will receive an entry to win an iPad to be awarded in April.

Sign up today at http://tinyurl.com/24ThankView

Each student, staff member, faculty, and employee will be provided with a pair of eclipse glasses, to be distributed one week prior to the occurrence of the eclipse.

Employee glasses will be distributed by campus mail to the employee’s department. Students will have the option to pick up glasses in Ridgway a week before the Eclipse.

View the UE campus eclipse map.

It's that time! Be sure to apply now to graduate via Self-Service.

Employees - Ascension St. Vincent is providing mobile mammography services for the University of Evansville. The mobile mammography bus will be located next to the Krannert Building on March 14th from 9:00AM - 2:00PM. Please click the link below to sign up for an appointment time! An Ascension Breast Center representative will call you prior to your appointment date to verify all necessary registration information.

Register for an examination

Congratulations to Catie Taylor on her Service Award from the Indiana Association for College Admission Counseling.  This award is so well deserved for all of the countless hours Catie puts in daily to this organization and to the University of Evansville.  Congrats Catie!

University of Evansville professor Dr. Cindy Crowe was selected to present the keynote speech along with Emory University professor Dr. Yun Kim at the 2024 Phi Sigma Iota Conference in February.

Phi Sigma Iota, founded in 1922, is the International Foreign Language Honor Society and the highest academic honor in the field of foreign languages. UE's Epsilon Beta Chapter was installed on April 8, 2000.

Dr. Kim, Associate Professor of Linguistics at Emory, presented her research on the neurological and cognitive benefits of multilingualism. Dr. Crowe, Assistant Professor of Spanish, presented from her research on the individual and societal advantages of foreign language learning, factors that influence students’ choice of major, and initiatives to strengthen world language programs.

“It was a privilege to speak on the importance of language study to an audience comprised of university foreign language professors and students," said Dr. Crowe. "I am hopeful that some of the research I shared might be useful as we collectively strive to enhance our world language programs at a time when the challenges of our contemporary global society necessitate an understanding of languages and cultures.”

“To meet these global challenges, we strongly encourage our UE students to continue their foreign language studies past the required level so they may obtain all the benefits of language study and connect with cultures other than their own in order to build bridges and intercultural harmony."

The Purple Aces are headed to the postseason!  On Monday, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team officially accepted an invitation to the 2024 College Basketball Invitational to mark its first postseason appearance since 2015.

“This year's group has been committed to working extremely hard to be a better version of themselves on a daily basis,” UE head coach David Ragland said.  “Through the continuous hard work, we have been able to generate a very competitive product on the court resulting in more wins than our program has had in a long time.”

“Our staff and player goals since we set foot on campus have been to revive a storied program.  There are certain progressive steps to take in order to reach those goals.  Receiving an invitation to play in a post-season tournament is a great honor and one that this group truly deserves.”

Running from March 23-27, the CBI will take place at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Fla.  Brackets and opponent information will be released on Selection Sunday.  Opening round games will take place on the 23rd and 24th.

Ticket information will be available following the release of the bracket on Selection Sunday.  If you are interested in attending, please reach out to Logan Belz at 812-488-2623 to be added to a distribution list for the most up-to-date information as soon as it becomes available.

Evansville earned 16 victories in 2023-24, more than tripling its win total from a season ago.  UE picked up six Missouri Valley Conference victories, doubling its conference win total from the previous two seasons combined.  In its trip to Arch Madness, the Aces defeated Illinois State in the opening round, picking up its first win in St. Louis since 2017.

The CBI is a single-elimination, fully-bracketed men's basketball postseason tournament featuring 16 teams from across the country competing for a championship in Florida. The field consists of teams not selected for the NCAA Tournament.

The Mississippi State baseball team scored runs in every inning from the second through sixth innings on Saturday, as the Bulldogs powered past the visiting University of Evansville Purple Aces, 8-3, at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville, Mississippi.

“It is tough to lose a series on Saturday, as we came down here with expectations, but just have not played well enough to win in the first two games,” said UE head coach Wes Carroll.  “We have also run up against a very good opponent who is playing really good baseball right now, and their middle of the order has really done some damage this weekend.

“I am really looking forward to coming to the yard tomorrow, and seeing our character show.  I know that we are going to get a good effort tomorrow, and hopefully, we can salvage one here on Sunday and show what we are capable of.”

Mississippi State opened the scoring in the second inning thanks to a lead-off walk and then back-to-back singles by third baseman Logan Kohler and outfielder Connor Hujsak.  Catcher Joe Powell then delivered a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 2-0 after two innings.

Evansville threatened to tie the game in the top of the third inning after a two-out double by junior outfielder Harrison Taubert and a walk by Mark Shallenberger, but MSU starter Khal Stephen (2-1) induced a fly-out to end the inning.  Mississippi State first baseman Hunter Hines followed in the bottom of the third inning with a solo home run to right field to push the lead to 3-0.

Stephen would proceed to retire nine of the next 10 UE batters, while his teammates would extend the lead in every frame through the sixth inning.  A two-out RBI double by shortstop Dylan Cupp in the fourth inning moved the MSU lead to 4-0, before outfielder Dakota Jordan delivered a towering two-run home run in the fifth inning and a two-run double in the sixth inning to give the Bulldogs an 8-0 lead.  Through the first two games of the series, Jordan has gone 6-for-7 with two doubles, two home runs, eight RBI and two runs scored.

Evansville’s offense would finally get on the scoreboard in the eighth inning, as Taubert crushed a two-run home run to left-center field and graduate third baseman Brent Widder followed two batters later with a solo home run to left field to trim the MSU lead to 8-3.  That would be as close as Evansville would come though.

Taubert led Evansville by going 2-for-4 with a double, home run, and two RBI.  Widder also went 1-for-4 with his team-leading fifth home run of the year.

With the victory, Mississippi State extends its winning streak to eight-straight games, as the Bulldogs improve to 11-4 overall.  Evansville, meanwhile, sees its season record even at 7-7.  The series will conclude on Sunday at 1 p.m.  Freshman left-hander Kenton Deverman (2-0, 2.55 ERA) is expected to get the start for UE.  Sunday’s game can be seen live on the SEC Network+ streaming service.

The University of Evansville men’s swimming and diving team broke three program records on Saturday, and freshman Boris Tavrovsky (Jerusalem, Israel) placed third overall in the men’s 200-Yard Backstroke to wrap up competition at the 2024 Mid-American Conference Swimming & Diving Championships in Carbondale, Illinois.

Tavrovsky placed third in the 200 Back after breaking the program record in the event earlier in the day in the preliminary round.  In fact, both Tavrovsky and junior Patrik Vilbergsson (Kopavogur, Iceland) went below the previous record of 1:47.14 in the preliminary round with times of 1:46.00 and 1:46.16 respectively.  Tavrovsky came back in Saturday night’s final session and placed third overall with a time of 1:46.25, while Vilbergsson was fifth with a time of 1:47.19.  Tavrovsky nearly placed second, but was out-touched by 0.01 seconds at the wall by Miami’s Owen Blazer.

The 200-Yard Backstroke record was not the only record to fall on Saturday, though, as senior distance swimmer Jackson Caudill (Mount Sterling, Ky./Montgomery County) broke a pair of school records while placing fourth overall in the 1,650-Yard Freestyle event.  Caudill’s 1,000-Yard split time of 9:22.50 broke the previous school record by over three seconds, while his 1,650-Yard final time of 15:38.79 edged his previous school record, set last year.

Sophomore diver Levi McKinney (Boonville, Ind./Boonville) continued UE’s strong Saturday performance in the three-meter diving finals on Saturday night, as he placed sixth overall in the MAC with a final-round score of 283.75.

Evansville also had a pair of freshmen compete in the B Finals on Saturday night.  Freshman Yousef Hassan (Doha, Qatar) placed 14th overall in the 200-Yard Backstroke by placing sixth in the B Final with a time of 1:50.36, which ranks him as the eighth-fastest UE male in the event in school history.  Fellow freshman Joao Pereira (Curitiba, Brazil) also placed 16th overall in the MAC in the 200-Yard Breaststroke, posting a finals time of 2:06.24.  He posted a time of 2:02.88 in the preliminary round, which ranks him as the fourth-fastest UE male in the event in school history.

UE also placed sixth in the 400-Yard Freestyle Relay with a time of 3:02.12.  Junior Daniel Santos Lopez (Madrid, Spain) posted one of the fastest 100-Yard Freestyle times in UE history to open the relay, posting a lead-split time of 45.12, which ranks him third-fastest all-time at UE.

As a team, Evansville finished sixth overall at the 2024 MAC Championships.  Miami of Ohio took home the overall team title, holding off Missouri State on the final day of competition.  Evansville will now turn its sights to the post-season, as a group of swimmers will go on to compete at the CSCAA National Invitational Championships in Ocala, Florida from Thursday, March 14 through Saturday, March 16.  UE divers Levi McKinney and Madison Rollett (Evansville, Ind./Reitz) will also compete at the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships in Louisville, Kentucky from Wednesday, March 13 through Saturday, March 16.

The Mississippi State baseball team scored seven two-out runs on Sunday, as the Bulldogs swept a three-game series from the visiting University of Evansville Purple Aces with a 13-3 victory at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville, Mississippi.

The Bulldogs took control of the contest in the first inning thanks to a pair of home runs.  With one out, outfielder Dakota Jordan launched his third home run of the series with a two-run blast to left-center field to open the scoring.  Jordan went 1-for-2 on the day and was intentionally walked three times, as he finished the series going 7-for-9 with two doubles, three home runs and 10 RBI. 

The two-out magic then began for Mississippi State, as a two-out single and walk preceded a three-run home run to dead center field by outfielder Connor Hujsak just outside of the reach of UE center-fielder Ty Rumsey to push the lead to 5-0 after one inning.

Rumsey would get Evansville back into the contest briefly in the fourth inning, as he launched a three-run home run to right field to trim the MSU lead to 5-3.  That would be as close as Evansville would come though, as the Bulldogs would score a run in the fourth inning, before scoring two two-out runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to push the lead to 10-3.  Mississippi State scored three runs in the eighth inning to enact the mercy rule.

Rumsey led Evansville by going 2-for-3 with his second home run of the year and three RBI.  Junior second baseman Cal McGinnis also went 2-for-4 for the Purple Aces.  Shortstop Dylan Cupp led Mississippi State by going 4-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and three RBI.

With the victory, Mississippi State has now won nine games in a row, as the Bulldogs improve to 12-4 overall.  Evansville, meanwhile, drops to 7-8 with the loss.  The Purple Aces will return home briefly to German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium on Wednesday night to host Southeast Missouri State at 6 p.m.

On Sunday, the University of Evansville softball team erupted for 36 runs in two games to defeat St Bonaventure and Bellarmine.  With the performance, the Purple Aces have won four of their last five games.

Game 1 – UE 19, St. Bonaventure 4

Evansville scored 10 runs in the first inning and never looked back, cruising to a 19-4 victory over St. Bonaventure in the first game of the day.  Marah Wood got things rolling with a 3-run home run.  Hits by Alexa Davis and Brooke Voss set the table to Jenna Nink, who brought both in on a 2-run single.

Kayley Batts was hit by a pitch before Zoe Frossard singled to load the bases for Hannah Hood.  She came through with a grand slam to left that capped the 10-run start.  Batts and Nink each had RBI hits while Jess Willsey added a sac fly in a 3-run second inning before Brooke Voss had a 2-run shot in the third to give the Purple Aces a 15-3 lead.

Four more runs would score in the fifth as Lacy Smith, Taylor Howe and Callie Meinel picked up RBI hits to complete the scoring and a 19-4 UE win.  Mikayla Jolly made the start.  She pitched three innings with three runs scoring.  Elle Jarrett threw the final two frames.  Voss and Nink picked up three hits apiece while Hood led the way with four RBI.  Voss added a team-high four runs scored.

Game 2 – UE 17, Bellarmine 7

Another nice start saw Evansville pick up three runs in both the first and second innings on its way to a 17-7 victory.  Marah Wood and Abby Bode each had RBIs in the first while Bode struck again with a 2-run single in the top half of the second.

Two more runs crossed the plate in the third as Hannah Hood picked up a sacrifice fly and Jess Willsey picked up an RBI single to extend the lead to 8-2.  Evansville put a 5-spot on the board in the fifth.  Kayley Batts and Willsey each picked up 2-RBI hits in the frame while Hannah Hood notched an RBI single.

Following scoreless 5th and 6th innings, the Aces were back at it with a 4-run seventh with all four scoring with two outs.  After Hood led the inning off with a double, two quick fly outs brought Abby Bode to the plate.  She launched a 2-run homer to bring in hood.  Alexa Davis reached on a dropped fly ball to bring up Brooke Voss, who hit a homer of her own to make it a 17-7 game and that would be the final.

The Aces accumulated 17 runs on 16 hits in the game as Willsey led the way with three hits.  Bode notched a team-high five RBI while Willsey notched three.  Frossard and Hood scored three runs apiece.  Sydney Weatherford made the start, giving up five runs in 2 1/3 innings.  Megan Brenton threw the final 4 2/3 with two runs scoring on four hits.

Missouri Valley Conference action begins this week with UE facing Indiana State at 5 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday at Tri-State Orthopaedics Field at James & Dorothy Cooper Stadium.

For the third-straight day, University of Evansville junior swimmer Daniel Santos Lopez (Madrid, Spain) broke a school record on Friday, this time in the 100-Yard Butterfly event, as the Purple Aces had a strong third day at the 2024 Mid-American Conference Swimming & Diving Championships in Carbondale, Illinois.

After helping UE break the 200-Yard Medley Record on Wednesday and breaking the 50-Yard Freestyle record on Thursday, Santos Lopez rewrote his own record in the 100 Fly with a preliminary round time of 47.88 to advance to Friday’s A Final.  He would go on to place eighth overall in the MAC with a finals time of 48.05, and he was one of eight different Purple Aces who advanced to the final round on Friday.

Joining Santos Lopez in an A Final on Friday night were junior Patrik Vilbergsson (Kopavogur, Iceland) in the 100-Yard Backstroke and sophomore Daniil Goncharuk (Kyiv, Ukraine) in the 100-Yard Breaststroke.  Vilbergsson would place eighth in the 100 Back with a finals time of 49.08, while Goncharuk would also place eighth in the 100 Breast with a finals time of 54.89.  Goncharuk earned the finals berth in the A Final after posting a P.R. time of 54.73 in the preliminary round, which ranks him as the second-fastest UE male in the event in school history.

Vilbergsson was joined in the 100-Yard Backstroke finals on Friday by freshman Boris Tavrovsky (Jerusalem, Israel), who became the fourth-fastest UE male in the event in the prelims with a time of 49.61, before posting a B Final time of 49.88 to place 16th overall in the MAC.  Meanwhile, Goncharuk was joined in the 100-Yard Breaststroke finals by junior Carlos Souto (A Coruna, Spain), who placed 13th overall in the MAC with a finals time of 55.27.  He moved into third place on UE’s career chart earlier in the day by posting a preliminary round time of 54.92.

Freshman Omar Hassan (Doha, Qatar) also competed on Friday night in the event finals, as he placed 15th overall in the 400-Yard IM with a time of 4:00.17.  Hassan nearly became just the second UE male to break the four-minute barrier in the 400 IM with his finals time.  Fellow freshman Joseph Capo (Luling, La./Jesuit) also advanced to Friday’s B Final in the 200-Yard Freestyle, where he placed 13th overall with a time of 1:40.18.  That time ranks Capo as the sixth-fastest male in UE history in the event.

Evansville nearly broke another school record to cap the evening on Friday, as UE fell just 0.11 seconds shy of the school record in the 200-Yard Freestyle Relay, as the Purple Aces posted a time of 1:21.40 to place fifth overall.

On the diving boards, sophomore Levi McKinney (Boonville, Ind./Boonville) had a strong showing in the preliminary round of the men’s three-meter diving competition.  McKinney placed eighth overall in prelims with a score of 280.95 to advance to Saturday’s A Final in the event.

Overall, Evansville ranks sixth as a team heading into Saturday’s final day of competition.  Miami of Ohio currently holds a 29-point lead over Missouri State in the team standings.

The 2024 MAC Swimming & Diving Championships conclude on Saturday with preliminary round action beginning at 10:30 a.m. and final-round action beginning at 6 p.m.  Saturday’s event list includes action in the 200-Yard Backstroke, the 100-Yard Freestyle, the 200-Yard Breaststroke, the 200-Yard Butterfly, the 1,650-Yard Freestyle, the main final of the men’s three-meter diving competition, and the 400-Yard Freestyle Relay.

Bellarmine opened the day with a 14-3 win over the University of Evansville softball team, but a strong all-around effort in the second game saw the Purple Aces score three runs in the 8th inning to take an 8-5 win to split Saturday’s games in Louisville.

Game 1 – Bellarmine 14, UE 3

A 7-run first inning by Bellarmine set the tone in a 14-3 loss to the Knights.  In the first frame, Bellarmine drew seven walks, scoring seven runs on just one hit.  They added six more run in the second to extend the advantage to 13-0.

Kayley Batts led off the third with a single to center and Hannah Would reached on a 2-out walk.  That brought Jess Willsey to the plate and she got UE on the board with a 2-run double.  Lacy Smith added UE’s third run of the game in the fourth.

Bellarmine’s final run scored in the bottom of the fourth as they took the 14-3 decision.  Megan Brenton suffered the loss, allowing four runs and four walks.  Elle Jarrett pitched four innings of relief.  Claire Lehmkuhler was credited with the win, giving up three runs on five hits in four frames.

Game 2 – UE 8, Bellarmine 5 (8 innings)

In a back-and-forth contest, the Purple Aces scored three runs in the top of the 8th to defeat Bellarmine by an 8-5 final in Saturday’s second game.  UE had a much better start, posting a single run in the first before plating four in the top half of the second.

Jenna Nink opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the to bring in Zoe Frossard.  Evansville utilized small ball to perfection in the second as Marah Wood hit a leadoff single, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sac fly from Kayley Batts.  Alexa Davis drew a walk in the inning, stole second, moved to third on Batts’ sac fly and came home on a Niki Bode sac.

Frossard connected on a triple to left center before Hannah Hood was hit by a pitch.  Both would score on a 2-run single by Jess Willsey to extend the lead to 5-0.  Things remained that way until the bottom of the fourth when the Knights put a 5-spot on the board to tie the game.  Neither team could score through the 7th and the game headed to extras.

Opening the inning on second, Frossard advanced on a sac bunt by Lacy Smith and scored the go-ahead run on a triple from Wood.  That brought Davis to the plate, who delivered a sacrifice fly to make it a 2-run game.  Evansville’s run continued as they loaded the bases for Hood, who earned a walk to put her team in front at 8-5.  Megan Brenton got the job done in the bottom of the frame, sitting the Knights down in order to clinch the win.

Both squads picked up six hits with Wood accounting for three.  Frossard scored three runs and walked three times.  Mikayla Jolly made the start, allowing five runs in 3 2/3 innings. Sydney Weatherford tossed 2 1/3 frames of 1-hit ball before Brenton threw the final two innings on the way to the win.

The University of Evansville women’s basketball celebrated its two graduating players in a 67-46 loss to the Northern Iowa Panthers.

The Purple Aces offense didn’t find its rhythm until the second half in their final game at Meeks Family Fieldhouse. UE had only 12 points through the first half but got back into the game in the second half with another big performance from freshman forward Nevaeh Thomas. Thomas added her sixth double-double of the season with 19 points and 12 rebounds in 34 minutes.

“I thought we battled so hard, we just shot so poorly,” said Head Coach Robyn Scherr-Wells following the game. “We had good chances. And we made a nice run at it. Lots of credit to UNI for making a couple of big threes to widen the gap again and put a stop to our little run. They did a good job in that stretch when we made a push at it. They had answers to it.

“But I’m really proud of our ladies. We’ve been so banged up. To the point where I was worried, we wouldn’t play against Drake on Thursday. We thought we weren’t going to have more than six bodies available. To then get to today and have eight players available. I’m proud of our fight. We’ve had to play so many different lineups in the last week. But our team has been really tough through that process.”

Evansville got the first bucket of the game for Senior Day as graduate center Barbora Tomancova had a second-chance layup two and a half minutes in. But the Aces didn’t score another point until the final minute and a half of the first quarter. UNI built only an eight-point lead in the other five minutes as both teams struggled to score in the opening frame. A four-point run for the Panthers in the final minute had UE down by only 10 points despite shooting 6.3%.

The second quarter didn’t get any easier for Evansville as the team went three of nine from the floor. It took nearly four minutes for either team to make a shot in the second but the first went to UNI at 6:22. The Aces had their first field goal of the quarter at 4:33 on a layup from Thomas. But another long scoreless stretch for UE made it a 17-point game with under two minutes left in the half. Guard Sydney Bradley broke Evansville’s scoreless streak with an open jump shot that sparked a six to two run to end the half.

Both teams' offense improved in the second half, with the Aces having their best quarter in the third. A three-point play for Thomas opened UE’s scoring in the half. The and-1 opportunity sparked a back-and-forth game through most of the third quarter. Evansville did end the quarter on a quick five-point run to get back within single digits. But the Panthers ended the quarter with a jump shot to again make it a double-digit deficit for the Aces.

The final ten minutes began with a quick three for UNI to begin pulling away from UE. But Evansville didn’t back down as Thomas had another three-point play to get within 11. The Panthers responded with a five-point run that made it a 16-point game with just under seven minutes left to play.  It became a shot-for-shot game over the next three minutes.

The Aces put together their final scoring run of the regular season as Thomas made a layup and two free throws in just under a minute. But UNI ended UE’s potential comeback with an eight-point run to close out the game. Evansville got the final bucket as Thomas added another layup on an assist from guard Tené Smith to make the final score 67-46.

While it was a tough game on offense for the Aces, UE stayed in the game with a strong defensive presence. Evansville outrebounded the Panthers 39 to 34 while also blocking four shots. The Aces' best offensive category came on second-chance points with 10 while tying UNI in points in the paint with 28 each.

UE gets its shot in the postseason next week at Hoops in the Heartland in Moline, Ill. Evansville is locked into the 12th seed in the tournament and will play the fifth seed on Thursday afternoon. Tip-off for the Aces from Vibrant Arena at the MARK is set for 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 14.

Tucker DeVries scored a game-high 19 points to pace Drake to a 79-58 victory over the University of Evansville men’s basketball team in Friday’s Arch Madness contest inside the Enterprise Center.

“We want to start by congratulating Drake.  They set the tone with the physicality on the defensive end and it took us a little while to settle in.  It evened out in the second half but it was a little too late,” Evansville head men’s basketball coach David Ragland stated.  “I could not be more proud of our group; we have phenomenal people in that locker room.  I would not change that experience for the world.  Tonight does not define us or who we are.”

Yacine Toumi led the Purple Aces with 14 points and 9 rebounds.  Kenny Strawbridge Jr. and Chuck Bailey III had 9 points apiece while Antonio Thomas registered 8.  DeVries led a trio of Bulldogs in double figures.

Drake’s quick start saw them open a 5-0 lead.  Evansville quickly countered by scoring seven in a row to take their first lead at 7-5.  After scoring Evansville’s first basket of the game, Yacine Toumi forced a turnover and took it in for the slam to make it a 5-4 game.  That is when Ben Humrichous got on the board with a triple to put UE in front.

Evansville stayed within a possession for the majority of the first half.  After the Bulldogs took 6-point edge, Chuck Bailey III hit a nice floater as he drove down the lane and the Aces chopped the deficit back down to three.  With 5:16 left in the half, Kevin Overton capped a 7-0 Drake run as they took the first double digit lead of the game at 28-18.

Tanner Cuff made a nice move to cut to the basket and end a scoring drought of just under four minutes before the Bulldogs added seven in a row to extend their lead to 15 as the half entered its final two minutes.  The rally for Drake continued as they went into the halftime break with a 43-22 lead.  Over the final 8:10 of the period, DU outscored UE by a 22-4 margin.

Converting its first three field goal attempts of the second half, the Purple Aces chopped the deficit down to 17 points.  Kenny Strawbridge Jr. registered the first basket of the second half while Gage Bobe added a triple and Toumi moved into double figures with his fifth basket of the contest.  Another quick spurt by the Bulldogs saw them take a 54-31 advantage with 16:27 remaining.

The final 16 minutes of the night saw the lead hover between 18 and 26 points.  UE was poised to cut the deficit to under 18 as it attempted a comeback, but Drake answered each time and completed the night with the 79-58 win.  The Bulldogs completed the night shooting 41.9% while the Aces checked in at 41.8%.  Drake finished with a 37-31 edge on the boards.

UE finished the season with 16 victories is awaiting the potential opportunity for postseason play.

“We are going to talk about it and see what is best for us as a team,” Ragland said.  “Leaving things better than you find them is important and the respect this group has earned from other teams in the Valley, around the country, officials and fans around the country has been impressive.  Just to be talking about it is a great thing for our program.”

A three-run home run by Mississippi State outfielder Dakota Jordan in the bottom of the third inning proved to be the difference on Friday night, as the host Bulldogs picked up a 5-2 victory over the visiting University of Evansville baseball team in the series opener at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville, Mississippi.

“We had a chance tonight,” said UE head coach Wes Carroll.  “I thought our offense did a great job of putting us into position to have a chance in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings tonight, but we just couldn’t get that next big hit to really unlock things.  You really have to credit their bullpen, as they did a great job of mixing and matching their relievers tonight.

“Overall, I thought we gave a great effort today, and it was just a really good college baseball game that didn’t go our way.  We are ready to get ourselves back in the series tomorrow.”

Jordan drilled a 1-2 fastball from UE starter Nick Smith (0-2) to left field for his sixth home run of the year to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead.  It came as part of a 4-for-4 night for Jordan, as he teamed with first baseman Hunter Hines to produce seven of Mississippi State’s 11 hits on the night, and drive in all five runs for the Bulldogs.

Following Jordan’s home run in the third inning, Evansville answered back with a run of its own in the fourth thanks to a triple off the wall in right field by senior first baseman Kip Fougerousse and a sacrifice fly by junior outfielder Ty Rumsey to cut the MSU lead to 3-1.  Jordan would follow in the fourth with another RBI single though, and Hines beat out an infield single to push the Mississippi State lead to 5-1.

The score would remain 5-1 until the seventh inning, when Evansville would load the bases and score a run on an infield RBI single by graduate third baseman Brent Widder.  UE would load the bases in the seventh, but back-to-back strikeouts would end UE’s threat.

Evansville would then bring the tying run to the plate in the eighth inning as well, after a double by graduate catcher Brendan Hord and a single by Rumsey, but the Bulldogs would once again escape the jam with a fly out and ground out.  Mississippi State closer Brooks Auger then worked around a single by Widder in the ninth inning to slam the door on Evansville for his second save of the year.

Widder paced Evansville offensively by going 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI.  Rumsey also went 2-for-3 with an RBI.  Overall, Evansville pounded out 11 base hits, including three doubles on the evening.  Reliever Shane Harris kept Evansville in the contest, as he entered the game in the fifth inning with two on and no one out, and tossed 4.0 scoreless innings of relief, while striking out five men.

“The job that Shane Harris did tonight was special,” said Carroll.  “To come in with runners on first and second and no one out and then to put up a goose egg was huge.  And, he just continued to battle all night from there and really did a great job of giving us a chance.  I am really proud of his effort tonight.”

With the victory, Mississippi State improves to 10-4 on the season, as the Bulldogs run their win streak to seven-straight games.  Evansville, meanwhile, falls to 7-6 with the loss.  The series will continue on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m., as UE will send senior LHP Donovan Schultz to the mound for the start.  Saturday’s game can be seen live on the SEC Network+ streaming service.