The 2024 Evansville Purple Aces baseball team represented the University of Evansville as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference during the 2024 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Purple Aces played their home games at Charles H. Braun Stadium.
Previous season The Purple Aces finished the 2023 season with a trip to the MVC Championship Game against Indiana State, winning one out of two games before being eliminated. For the season, Evansville compiled a record of 37–24 and finished fourth in the MVC with a 15–12 mark.
Offseason Coaching changes The following coaches left the program: Volunteer assistant Evan Berkey left to play for the Ottawa Titans.
The following coaches were hired: Griffin McCormick was hired as a volunteer assistant. Jarrett Blunt was hired as a graduate assistant.
Departures 2023 MLB draft
Undrafted Mark Shallenberger OF None
Outgoing transfers OF Blake Herrmann transferred to Oakland City. OF Kannon Stull transferred to Olney Central. OF Adam Euler transferred to Southern Indiana. UTL Caden Crawford transferred to Fort Lauderdale. RHP Nate Hardman transferred to Notre Dame.
Retirements RHP Jarrett Blunt UTL Danny Borgstrom LHP Tyler Denu 2B Brendon Herrin RHP John MacCauley C Max Malley LHP Michael Parks RHP Garrett Presko UTL Eric Roberts RHP Ryan Schneider
Other RHP Kieren Hall signed with the Perth Heat of the Australian Baseball League (ABL). LHP Willard Peterson was suspended.
Additions Recruiting class The following players signed National Letter of Intents to play for Evansville in 2024.
Pitchers Kenton Deverman Dardenne Prairie, Missouri Fort Zumwalt West (MO) Kevin Reed Paragon, Indiana Martinsville (IN) Kellen Roberts Monroe, Michigan Monroe (MI) Hitters Chance Bentley Connersville, Indiana Connersville (IN) Charlie Longmeier Seymour, Indiana Seymour (IN) Aaron Nehls Newburgh, Indiana Evansville North (IN) Brodie Peart Markham, Ontario Peoples Christian Academy (ON)
Incoming transfers RHP Andrew Dusablon transferred in from Cypress. RHP Drew Fieger transferred in from Lincoln Trail. LHP Jacob Jarvis transferred in from Jefferson. RHP Parker MacCauley transferred in from Tennessee Tech. RHP Matt Maloney transferred in from Southwestern Illinois. 2B Cal McGinnis transferred in from Bradley. OF Harrison Taubert transferred in from Northeast.
New walk-ons C Kaleb Wilkey
Preseason Preseason MVC awards and honors First baseman Chase Hug was named to the Preseason All-MVC Team.
Preseason All-MVC Team Player No. Position Class Chase Hug 11 1B Graduate
Coaches poll The MVC baseball coaches' poll was released on February 6, 2024.
MVC Coaches' Poll Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place) 1 Indiana State 95 (8) 2 Missouri State 89 (1) 3 Evansville 81 (1) 4 Murray State 67 5 Southern Illinois 63 6 Belmont 40 7 Illinois State 39 8 UIC 34 9 Valparaiso 22 10 Bradley 20
Personnel Roster
Note: While listed above as a graduate student for NCAA eligibility purposes, Meyer is a fifth-year senior.
Starters Starting Lineup C 0 Brendan Hord Graduate 1B 11 Chase Hug Graduate 2B 7 Cal McGinnis Junior 3B 3 Brent Widder Graduate SS 9 Simon Scherry Senior LF 32 Mark Shallenberger Graduate CF 2 Ty Rumsey Junior RF 21 Harrison Taubert Junior DH 18 Kip Fougerousse Junior
Weekend Pitching Rotation Friday 42 Donovan Schultz Senior Saturday 16 Kenton Deverman Freshman Sunday 24 Kevin Reed Freshman
Coaching staff 2024 Evansville Purple Aces coaching staff Name Position Season at Evansville Wes Carroll Head coach 16th Tyler Shipley Pitching coach/recruiting coordinator 2nd Matt Wollenzin Hitting coach 2nd Griffin McCormick Volunteer assistant 1st Jarrett Blunt Graduate assistant 1st Eric Harcourt Athletic trainer 4th
Schedule and results
|-style="background: #ffdddd;" | February 16 | J. L. Johnson Stadium | | align="left"| at No. 26 Oral Roberts* | 10–12 | Ure (1–0) | Harris (0–1) | Patten (1) | 0–1 | 0–0 | |-style="background: #ddffdd;" | February 17 | J. L. Johnson Stadium | | align="left"| at No. 26 Oral Roberts* | 14–3 | Deverman (1–0) | Fowler (0–1) | — | 1–1 | 0–0 | |-style="background: #ddffdd;" | February 18 | J. L. Johnson Stadium | | align="left"| at No. 26 Oral Roberts* | 7–6 | Reed (1–0) | Ruthardt (0–1) | Meyer (1) | 2–1 | 0–0 | |-style="background: #ddffdd;" | February 20 | Charles H. Braun Stadium | | align="left"| vs. Bellarmine* | 16–6 | Bell (1–0) | Irwin (0–1) | — | 3–1 | 0–0 | |-style="background: #ffdddd;" | February 23 | Maestri Field at Privateer Park | | align="left"| at New Orleans* | 8–10 | Tyson-Long (1–0) | Meyer (0–1) | Dennis (1) | 3–2 | 0–0 | |-style="background: #ffdddd;" | February 24 | Maestri Field at Privateer Park | | align="left"| at New Orleans* | 2–3 | Blasick (1–0) | Meyer (0–2) | — | 3–3 | 0–0 | |-style="background: #ddffdd;" | February 25 | Maestri Field at Privateer Park | | align="left"| at New Orleans* | 18–4 | Harris (1–1) | Seroski (1–1) | — | 4–3 | 0–0 | |-style="background: #ffdddd;" | February 28 | Hawkins Field | | align="left"| at No. 13 Vanderbilt* | 3–7 | Ginther (1–0) | Harris (1–2) | — | 4–4 | 0–0
|-style="background: #ddffdd;" | March 1 | Charles H. Braun Stadium | | align="left"| vs. Purdue Fort Wayne* | 18–5 | Bell (2–0) | Ayres (0–2) | — | 5–4 | 0–0 | |-style="background: #ffdddd;" | March 2 | Charles H. Braun Stadium | | align="left"| vs. Purdue Fort Wayne* | 3–11 | Sabol (1–2) | Smith (0–1) | — | 5–5 | 0–0 | |-style="background: #ddffdd;" | March 2 | Charles H. Braun Stadium | | align="left"| vs. Purdue Fort Wayne* | 16–3 | Deverman (2–0) | Kuhns (0–2) | — | 6–5 | 0–0 | |-style="background: #ddffdd;" | March 3 | Charles H. Braun Stadium | | align="left"| vs. Purdue Fort Wayne* | 10–9 | Reed (2–0) | Fine (0–2) | Hansmann (1) | 7–5 | 0–0 | |-style="background: #ffdddd;" | March 8 | Dudy Noble Field | | align="left"| at Mississippi State* | 2–5 | Dohm (3–0) | Smith (0–2) | Auger (2) | 7–6 | 0–0 | |-style="background: #ffdddd;" | March 9 | Dudy Noble Field | | align="left"| at Mississippi State* | 3–8 | Stephen (2–1) | Schultz (0–1) | — | 7–7 | 0–0 | |-style="background: #ffdddd;" | March 10 | Dudy Noble Field | | align="left"| at Mississippi State* | 3–13 | Cijntje (3–0) | Deverman (2–1) | — | 7–8 | 0–0 | |-style="background: #ddffdd;" | March 13 | Charles H. Braun Stadium | | align="left"| vs. Southeast Missouri State* | 6–5 | Meyer (1–2) | White (0–1) | — | 8–8 | 0–0 | |-style="background: #ffdddd;" | March 15 | McLane Baseball Stadium | | align="left"| at Michigan State* | 3–11 | Dzierwa (2–1) | Smith (0–3) | — | 8–9 | 0–0 | |-style="background: #ddffdd;" | March 16 | McLane Baseball Stadium | | align="left"| at Michigan State* | 5–3 | Meyer (2–2) | Szczepanski (0–2) | — | 9–9 | 0–0 | |-style="background: #ffdddd;" | March 17 | McLane Baseball Stadium | | align="left"| at Michigan State* | 5–6 | Pianto (1–0) | Harris (1–3) | Szczepanski (2) | 9–10 | 0–0 | |-style="background: #ffdddd;" | March 19 | Kentucky Proud Park | | align="left"| at No. 21 Kentucky* | 3–11 | Cleaver (2–0) | Bell (1–2) | — | 9–11 | 0–0 | |-style="background: #ffdddd;" | March 22 | Charles H. Braun Stadium | | align="left"| vs. Murray State | 6–13 | Vernon (4–1) | Smith (0–4) | — | 9–12 | 0–1 | |-style="background: #ffdddd;" | March 23 | Charles H. Braun Stadium | | align="left"| vs. Murray State | 6–7 | Roulette (3–1) | Harris (1–4) | Holler (4) | 9–13 | 0–2 | |-style="background: #ffdddd;" | March 24 | Charles H. Braun Stadium | | align="left"| vs. Murray State | 5–6 | McNabb (2–0) | Meyer (2–3) | — | 9–14 | 0–3 | |-style="background: #ffdddd;" | March 26 | Charles H. Braun Stadium | | align="left"| vs. SIU Edwardsville* | 6–14 | Martin (1–0) | Meyer (2–4) | — | 9–15 | 0–3 | |-style="background: #ddffdd;" | March 28 | Charles H. Braun Stadium | | align="left"| vs. Southern Illinois | 12–2 | Harris (2–4) | Hansell (3–2) | — | 10–15 | 1–3 | |-style="background: #ffdddd;" | March 29 | Charles H. Braun Stadium | | align="left"| vs. Southern Illinois | 6–10 | Dermody (2–0) | Hansmann (0–1) | — | 10–16 | 1–4 | |-style="background: #ddffdd;" | March 30 | Charles H. Braun Stadium | | align="left"| vs. Southern Illinois | 11–10 | Smith (1–4) | Harper (1–2) | — | 11–16 | 2–4
|-style="background: #ddffdd;" | April 2 | Charles H. Braun Stadium | | align="left"| vs. Austin Peay* | 13–6 | Smith (2–4) | Washington (0–1) | — | 12–16 | 2–4 | |-style="background: #ddffdd;" | April 5 | E. S. Rose Park | | align="left"| at Belmont | 3–2 | Deverman (3–1) | Pryor (3–2) | Harris (1) | 13–16 | 3–4 | |-style="background: #ddffdd;" | April 6 | E. S. Rose Park | | align="left"| at Belmont | 8–3 | Schultz (1–1) | Baratta (3–2) | — | 14–16 | 4–4 | |-style="background: #ffdddd;" | April 7 | E. S. Rose Park | | align="left"| at Belmont | 0–12 | Ruzicka (3–3) | Smith (2–5) | — | 14–17 | 4–5 | |-style="background: #ddffdd;" | April 9 | Bulldog Park | | align="left"| at Butler* | 15–5 | Kressin (1–0) | Finnigan (0–1) | — | 15–17 | 4–5 | |-style="background: #ddffdd;" | April 12 | Charles H. Braun Stadium | | align="left"| vs. Illinois State | 9–1 | Deverman (4–1) | Mabee (4–2) | — | 16–17 | 5–5 | |-style="background: #ddffdd;" | April 13 | Charles H. Braun Stadium | | align="left"| vs. Illinois State | 6–5 | Meyer (3–4) | Husak (2–2) | — | 17–17 | 6–5 | |-style="background: #ddffdd;" | April 14 | Charles H. Braun Stadium | | align="left"| vs. Illinois State | 13–1 | Harris (3–4) | Perry (4–4) | — | 18–17 | 7–5 | |-style="background: #ddffdd;" | April 16 | Bart Kaufman Field | | align="left"| at Indiana* | 5–4 | Reed (3–0) | Moffitt (1–2) | Hansmann (2) | 19–17 | 7–5 | |-style="background: #ddffdd;" | April 19 | Dozer Park | | align="left"| at Bradley | 9–7 | Deverman (5–1) | Edders (4–5) | Meyer (2) | 20–17 | 8–5 | |-style="background: #ddffdd;" | April 20 | Dozer Park | | align="left"| at Bradley | 6–1 | Schultz (2–1) | Lutz (2–6) | — | 21–17 | 9–5 | |-style="background: #ddffdd;" | April 21 | Dozer Park | | align="left"| at Bradley | 7–2 | Harris (4–4) | Marks (0–4) | — | 22–17 | 10–5 | |-style="background: #dddddd;" | April 23 | Alexander Field | | align="left"| at Purdue* | colspan="6"| Postponed (rain); Makeup: April 24 | |-style="background: #ffdddd;" | April 24 | Alexander Field | | align="left"| at Purdue* | 6–10 | Pratt (1–0) | Reed (3–1) | — | 22–18 | 10–5 | |-style="background: #ddffdd;" | April 26 | Charles H. Braun Stadium | | align="left"| vs. Missouri State | 4–1 | Deverman (6–1) | Thompson (5–1) | — | 23–18 | 11–5 | |-style="background: #ddffdd;" | April 27 | Charles H. Braun Stadium | | align="left"| vs. Missouri State | 8–7 | Schultz (3–1) | Schaaf (2–2) | Meyer (3) | 24–18 | 12–5 | |-style="background: #ffdddd;" | April 28 | Charles H. Braun Stadium | | align="left"| vs. Missouri State | 8–19 | Schissler (1–0) | Harris (4–5) | — | 24–19 | 12–6 | |-style="background: #ddffdd;" | April 30 | Capaha Field | | align="left"| at Southeast Missouri State* | 7–6 | Hansmann (1–1) | Miller (3–2) | — | 25–19 | 12–6
|-style="background: #ddffdd;" | May 3 | Emory G. Bauer Field | | align="left"| at Valparaiso | 13–1 | Deverman (7–1) | Krier (1–6) | — | 26–19 | 13–6 | |-style="background: #ffdddd;" | May 4 | Emory G. Bauer Field | | align="left"| at Valparaiso | 4–8 | Jablonski (3–1) | Fieger (0–1) | Jakubowski (2) | 26–20 | 13–7 | |-style="background: #ddffdd;" | May 5 | Emory G. Bauer Field | | align="left"| at Valparaiso | 9–0 | Harris (5–5) | Konitzer (1–2) | — | 27–20 | 14–7 | |-style="background: #ddffdd;" | May 7 | Charles H. Braun Stadium | | align="left"| vs. Southern Indiana* | 10–0 | Reed (4–1) | Weihe (1–3) | — | 28–20 | 14–7 | |-style="background: #ffdddd;" | May 10 | Bob Warn Field | | align="left"| at No. 17 Indiana State | 4–5 | Pruitt (3–2) | Harris (5–6) | — | 28–21 | 14–8 | |-style="background: #ffdddd;" | May 11 | Bob Warn Field | | align="left"| at No. 17 Indiana State | 4–6 | Davidson (3–1) | Schultz (3–2)