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Western Illinois University Athletics

Diego Munoz
Matthew A. Smith

Leathernecks and Aces Meet in Weekend Duel

| By: WIU Athletic Communications

WIU heads to Evansville for a four-game series this weekend.

Who | Western Illinois (1-3) at Evansville (3-5)
When | Friday (March 5) at 6 p.m. - Saturday (March 6) Doubleheader at Noon - Sunday (March 7) at 1 p.m. 
Where | Charles H. Braun Stadium - Evansville, Ind. 
Watch | ESPN+ on Sunday 
Social Media | Twitter + Facebook #TRADITIONofTOUGH

First Pitch | Following a midweek setback at SIU, the Western Illinois baseball team heads to Evansville for a four-game weekend series. 

Tickets / COVID-19 Protocols | Evansville baseball tickets will not be for sale for the general public for the 2021 season. Attendance will be limited to invited friends and family of the home and away teams and a limited number of student tickets.

Schedule Update | The Leathernecks have added a midweek contest against in-state rival Illinois State on Tuesday (March 9) at 6 p.m.

Headlines 
  • Last Friday, the Leathernecks upset No. 4 Louisville 8-3 in the season opener to give head coach Andy Pascoe his first career victory. The most recent win over a ranked opponent occurred at No. 24 Iowa in 2015, and the Leathernecks also notably defeated No. 1 Arkansas on opening weekend in 2013.
  • Pascoe returns to his alma mater this weekend, where he was a four-year letter winner and served as an assistant coach from 2011-15 
  • Newcomer Derek Botaletto hit .500 with six hits and a 1.154 OPS on the opening weekend at Louisville, highlighted by a 4-5 performance in the series opener.  
  • Brett Sears (1-0) earned his first career victory on Friday as he pitched five innings and limited the Cards to two hits and three runs. Brian Raymond threw four shutout frames out of the pen with six strikeouts en route to his first career save.  
  •  Kevin Raisbeck knocked his 22nd career multi-hit game of his career and third of the season at SIU. The senior is averaging 2 hits pre-game to pace 8th in the country.  
  • On the opening weekend, four student-athletes - Derek Botaletto, Kory Olsen, Jacob Greenan, and Will Jaynes - all made their Leatherneck debuts. 
  • Jack Bell, Gage Cruz, Jackson Gray, and Parker Heidorf made their 2021 season debuts at SIU. 
  • Head coach Andy Pascoe enters his second season at the helm of Western Illinois and is currently the third youngest head coach in Division I baseball. 
  • Prior to the start of the season, Trenton Bauer was named a Summit League Player to Watch, and Austin Edwards was selected as a Summit League Pitcher to Watch.  
Scouting the Opposition | Evansville owns the all-time series 9-5 with a sweep the last time both sides met in 2018… similar to WIU, the Purple Aces knocked off a ranked opponent in the season opener against No. 12 Georgia, 3-2… they are coming off a 5-8 loss at Kentucky on Wednesday… just one Ace who played for Evansville in 2020 does not return for the 2021 campaign. 

The Glory Days | A four-year letter winner, Pascoe played in 151 games between 2007 and 2010 at Evansville. During his playing career, he was a designated hitter, catcher, and infielder. As a junior, he was a Second Team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection at DH, leading the Purple Aces in hitting with a .331 average. 

After Pascoe completed his collegiate career in 2010, he remained with Evansville as a volunteer assistant before being promoted to assistant coach from 2011 to 2015. He helped the Purple Aces to an overall record of 147-131, a regular-season conference title (2014), and seven MLB draft picks. The program also amassed four All-Americans, a conference player of the year, and 22 all-conference selections.

Last Time Out | WIU traveled to in-state competition Southern Illinois (8-0) for the season's first midweek game. The Salukis took the contest, 9-1. After being retired in order in the first two innings, SIU, who owns the second-longest win streak in the country (13) - won the last five in 2020 - chipped away throughout the game, scoring in five of the last six innings. 

The Leathernecks were only retired in order the first two frames and left 10 total runners on while just being outhit, 11-10.

The Return | Shortly after the 2020 season was canceled, seniors Trenton Bauer, Kevin Raisbeck, and Jackson Gray were granted an extra year of eligibility. The transfer trio has combined for 133 games in the Purple and Gold, including helping set the program's all-time Summit League victories (16) and handing Oral Roberts, the 18-time league champion, first-ever sweep in league play. In addition, Western returns its team-leaders in every offensive, defensive, and pitching category. 

Quick Start Part 2 | Catcher Jayden Gibson made his collegiate debut in the season opener last year at Tennessee one to remember as he recorded both of Western's two hits in the series opener and threw out a runner. The backstop mirrored the performance as he knocked a hit in his first at-bat of the season and threw out three runners at Louisville. 

Bullpen | The WIU bullpen returns 13 of 15 arms from last season, led by the team-leaders in appearances, starts, strikeouts, and innings pitched. 

Newcomers | Nine newcomers suit up for the Purple and Gold this season - Derek Botaletto, Kory Olsen, Caden Kratz, Collin Drake, Christian McKelvey, Gavin Terry, Thurman Thomas III, Jacob Greenan, and Will Jaynes. 

On Deck | WIU heads to Saint Louis for a three-game tilt against the Billikens on March 12-14.  

 
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