Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Evansville
Players Mentioned
Racers Go Back-to-Back With Tuesday and Wednesday Contests
4/9/2018 3:22:00 PM | Baseball
GAMES 31-32
Murray State (16-14) at Evansville (6-19) and vs. Austin Peay (18-14)
April 10-11, 2018
First Pitch: Tuesday: 6 p.m., Wednesday: 6 p.m.
Stadium: Braun Stadium and Reagan Field
Dimensions: 330 (LF) | 400 (CF) | 330 (RF)
Series History: UE leads the all-time series 40-18 and MSU leads the all-time series vs. APSU 109-98-1
Last Meeting: MSU 11, UE 9 – April 4, 2018 and MSU 7, APSU 19 – March 18, 2018
Watch Live (UE Game)
Live Stats: UE | APSU
Twitter In-Game: @RacersBaseball
First Pitch
For the second time in less than a week, the Racers and Purple Aces will meet each other. MSU is coming off an 8-5 victory Friday over Harris-Stowe while Evansville opened conference play over the weekend against Missouri State, losing all three contests in Springfield. UE is 5-1 at home this season while the Racers are 1-11 on the road.
The Racers and Governors will meet for the fourth time this season Wednesday, which will be a non-conference matchup. The mid-week tilt is not a part of the Heritage Bank Battle of the Border series. APSU has a Tuesday contest as well, as the Govs face Lipscomb in Nashville.
Inside the Matchups
Although Evansville has historically controlled the series with the Racers - MSU has now won three in a row in the series, dating back to last season. Prior to that, the Purple Aces had won five straight. Last season, MSU won for just the fourth time ever at Evansville (4-26 all-time). Before that, 2004 was the last time MSU won at UE.
The Governors swept the OVC series with the Racers earlier this season in Clarksville. MSU is 56-35 all-time at home against the Govs and won 2-of-3 at Reagan Field last season, the last time the two squads met in Murray. APSU is 5-10 in road contests this season while the Racers are 13-3 at Reagan Field in 2018.
Scouting Evansville
Troy Beilsmith leads Evansville in most offensive categories and is the only Purple Ace that is hitting above .300 (.303). Beilsmith leads UE in runs (21), hits (27), doubles (10), home runs (3), walks (11), RBIs (16) and stolen bases (6). Beilsmith is also one of just three players that has played in all 25 games this season for the Purple Aces. As a team, UE is hitting .239 overall and is averaging 4.5 runs per contest. The Purple Aces are 26-of-32 on stolen-base attempts in 2018.
Adam Lukas leads the squad in ERA at 1.64 and is one of six Purple Aces with a victory this season. Austin Allinger leads UE with 32 strikeouts this season and has pitched a team-best 30 innings. Jimmy Ward leads the team with 15 appearances this season, most of which have come out of the bullpen. Austin Ruesch has the lone save in 2018 for the Purple Aces. UE has a team ERA of 5.65 this season and has allowed an opponent batting average of .275.
Scouting Austin Peay
The Governors' potent offense is led by Garrett Kueber's .373 average and 29 RBIs. Kueber also leads the team with 13 extra-base hits. Garrett Giovannelli leads Austin Peay with 32 runs scored and 11 stolen bases in 2018. Parker Phillips and Nick Walker each have four home runs to lead the Govs this season. APSU is hitting .276 as a team this season and has three batters hitting well above .300 this season. The Govs are averaging seven runs scored per game.
Brett Newberg leads APSU with a 2.64 ERA and has a team-best 14 apperances this season, all out of the bullpen. Newberg has a team-high three saves. Michael Costanzo leads the Governors with five victories in 2018 and 60 strikeouts while Jacques Pucheu leads the team logging 48.1 innings on the season. APSU has a 6.86 team ERA and a .292 opponent batting average. Travis Janssen leads the Governors in his third season as head coach.
Probable Pitching Matchups
Tuesday: Luke Brown (LHP) (1-2, 7.40 ERA) vs. Alex Weigand (LHP) (1-3, 6.52 ERA)
Wednesday: Blake Clynes (LHP) (1-2, 6.83 ERA) vs. TBA
