UE baseball’s offense continues to grow

TL;DR

The University of Evansville baseball team is improving in Missouri Valley Conference play, highlighted by Tanner Graham being named freshman of the week and Drew McConnell as player of the week. The team has secured three recent walk-off victories, showcasing their resilience but seeking more consistent offensive performance.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT) — The University of Evansville baseball team has find their stride in Missouri Valley Conference play, but are still looking for consistent play at the plate.

This week, Purple Aces pitcher Tanner Graham was named the freshman of the week while Drew McConnell was named the player of the week in the MVC.

UE has started to stack some wins in very entertaining ways, that would concern some fans. The comeback kids have now walked off three games in the span of about two weeks. It began on March 27th with a three-run home run by Ryan Seddon to knock off Illinois State 5-2. Then a comeback 5-4 win over Indiana in 11 innings due to a Tate Deal RBI single. The final was last Friday, April 10th also in extras against Southern Illinois. Seddon singled to right to pull out the 6-5 win in the 10th.

“I feel like we’ve just got to get an early lead earlier,” said infielder Reagan Reeder. “Like go punch them in the mouth right away. And then, I mean it is awesome to walk off but it’s nice to win in 8 1/2 innings also.”

While no team wants to be in the position of needing a walk-off to win so many time head coach Wes Carroll says this Aces team will go as their offense continues to grow.

“We’re building a lot of character from it. And we know when we get in the conference tournament it’s going to have to be those late innings kind of heroics for our offense to go get a game or be able to extend the lead. So all in all, we’re still searching for the best version of our club and we feel like here we are really learning a lot about ourselves,” he said.

Evansville will be back action Wednesday, April 15th, in Bloomington to face the Hoosiers. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. on Big Ten Plus.

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Q&A

Who were the recent award winners in UE baseball?

Tanner Graham was named freshman of the week, while Drew McConnell received the player of the week award in the Missouri Valley Conference.

What notable victories has the UE baseball team achieved recently?

The UE baseball team has achieved three walk-off victories in two weeks, including wins against Illinois State, Indiana, and Southern Illinois.

What does the UE baseball team need to improve on according to their players?

Players believe the team needs to establish an early lead in games to enhance their chances of winning, rather than relying on late-game comebacks.