It’s that time of year again – time for hotdogs, nachos, and pretzels in the stands of a baseball game! Amid all the action on the field and courts, there are many exciting updates underway across the University of Evansville Purple Aces athletic programs.
The UE softball team recently completed its new clubhouse, complete with new coaches’ offices, a beauty bar, and an air hockey/pool/ping pong table made possible by the generosity of many local donors. The softball team opened its conference play against Illinois State at home on March 6, led by their new coaching staff: Bailey Dillender, Alyssa Richards, Mia Aldridge, and Jeanay Riley. The Aces concluded their preseason games with a record of 6-10.
Construction on the UE baseball team’s Freeland Clubhouse, a new multimillion-dollar project, is under full swing. The clubhouse will be completed in the coming months and will feature a new player locker room, coaches’ offices, team lounge, and outdoor viewing pavilion. The baseball team currently holds a preseason record of 3-7, with conference play beginning on March 27.
The UE women’s basketball team completed its final two MVC games, playing Bradley on March 5 and Southern Illinois on March 8. The team ended the season with a record of 7-24. Camryn Runner (freshman) earned MVC Player of the Week on March 3 after a historic, record-setting week. She became the second fastest and 22nd player overall in program history to record 1,000 career points on February 26, 2026. Two days later, she scored the most points (36) in regulation in program history and became the 8th player in the country and first MVC player since 2002 to have 36 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds in a single game.
The UE men’s basketball team concluded conference play on March 1st against Southern Illinois, finishing with an overall record of 7-24. Arguably the most memorable moment for the Aces this year was on November 7th, 2025 when the Ford Center erupted in “6-7” chants, earning the UE basketball team 10.6 million views in 24 hours and coverage on @overtime page.
The UE cross country and track and field teams just wrapped up their seasons at the MVC Indoor Championships on March 1. Track and field and soccer dual-sport athlete Taylor Johnson (junior) reset her own program record in the 400 meters with a time of 56.69, and the UE Distance Medley Relay team of Connor Shin (junior), Tommaso Losma (junior), Jake Antibus (freshman), and Tanner Spence (junior), broke the program record of 10:16:39.
The UE swim and dive team completed its 2026 MVC championships on February 28th at the local Deaconess Aquatic Center. Diver Levi McKinney (senior) earned All-MVC Honorable Mention after advancing to the finals in both the 1M and 3M dives and finishing 7th in each event on March 1. Earlier in the season, following their meet at Bellarmine on February 10, four swimmers received MVC honors: Logan Tenison (sophomore) for Men’s Swimmer of the Week, Alex Willis for Men’s Freshman of the Week, Jadyn Dauphinais (freshman) for Women’s Swimmer of the Week, and Jillian Giese for Women’s Freshman of the Week.
To be updated on all exciting developments related to UE Athletics including game times, awards, and updates, follow the @ueathletics handle on Instagram, Facebook, or X and visit https://gopurpleaces.com/index.aspx, the official website of University of Evansville Athletics.