Ohio salvaged its weekend series against Eastern Kentucky with a shutout win last Sunday. With its second win of the season in hand, Ohio looks to gain traction with a trip to Evansville, Indiana. It will begin the weekend with a game against UIC, and then close the road trip out with a two-game series against Evansville.
Here's what to look for in Ohio's road trip this weekend:
UIC Game Information:
Opponent: University of Illinois Chicago (3-3)
Location: German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium
Date and Time: March 4 at 12 p.m. CST
Probable Starter:
Nate Peterson (1-0, 1.32 ERA)
Stat Leaders:
Batting average: James Harris (.333)
On-base percentage: Breck Nowik (.478)
Strikeouts: Peterson (21)
Series History:
The two programs last played each other in a three-game series during the 2015 season. Ohio swept UIC and leads the all-time series 3-0.
Player to Watch:
Peterson — Peterson has gotten off to a strong start this season. He recorded 13 strikeouts, gave up five hits and allowed just one run in seven innings during his season debut against New Mexico State. Peterson then followed up that performance by striking out eight in 6.2 innings against California a week later. He was named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week for his performance against California.
Evansville Series Information
Opponent: Evansville (1-7)
Location: German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium (Evansville, Indiana)
Date and Time: March 5 at 12 p.m. CT and March 6 at 1 p.m. CT
Probable Starters:
Nick Smith (0-1, 3.86 ERA)
Tyler Denu (0-1, 17.18 ERA)
Stat Leaders:
Batting average: Mark Shallenberger (.296)
On-base percentage: Eric Roberts (.424)
Strikeouts: Nate Hardman, Shane Gray (9)
Series History:
This series will be the first time that Ohio and Evansville will have faced each other.
Player to Watch:
Tanner Craig — The fifth year leads the Purple Aces in hits and RBI, and he has gotten off to a scorching start this season. In Evansville's game against Kentucky on Wednesday, Craig hit a three-run home run to take the lead in the second inning.
