Life in the Valley

Tennessee Downs Purple Aces, 12-1, in Super Regional Finale

“Great teams aren’t always great. They’re just great when they have to be.” – John Facenda.

“Rocky Top,” blared, the Tennessee Vols dogpiled, and the Evansville players looked on from the dugout, the first thoughts going through each player’s head contemplating not only Sunday’s 12-1 defeat, but probably how close they came to Omaha and a trip to the College World Series.

Disappointment will be understandable and it will linger for a while. Most folks probably thought they’d never see a day where UE would play a game where with a win, a trip to the College World Series would be the reward. And who knows if and when the Purple Aces, or any other Missouri Valley Conference team, will be this way again.

And there’s the fact that it’s the end for a large group of veteran players who have taken Evansville baseball beyond where it had even dared to dream of before. That memory, and the entire journey it took over several years to get to Sunday, should be a valuable life experience for the rest of time that will be appreciated.

Things started in a much different place for the Purple Aces (39-26), who scored in the top of the 1st inning to take the lead. Brent Widder’s single scored Simon Scherry, who used an excellent slide to beat the tag at the plate and give UE a 1-0 advantage.

Unfortunately, that was about the last offensive highlight for the Purple Aces Sunday. Tennessee (55-12) starter Zander Sechrist worked 6 1/3 innings, not allowing another run, conceding 6 hits, not walking anyone, and striking out 6. Nate Snead, Dylan Loy, Kirby Connell, and Marcus Phillips got the final 8 outs without allowing UE any life.

Tennessee’s bats, however, had plenty left in them and it was on display as the Vols hit 7 homers, 2 each by Christian Moore and Dalton Bargo, and 1 apiece off the bats of Billy Amick, Dean Curley, and Cal Stark. It was Tennessee doing what this Tennessee team does. The Vols have now hit 173 homers this season, the most in the country. Blake Burke didn’t homer, but went 4-for-5 with a run and an RBI, including 3 doubles to give him 31 on the season.

All 6 UE hits were singles and the Purple Aces managed to draw just 1 walk.

But any imperfections tonight will probably be forgotten pretty quickly. There’s too many moments in this UE voyage far more worth looking back on. Going back to the start of the MVC Tournament, Evansville went 8-3 in the postseason, picking up 2 trophies along the way and leaving a trail of memories that should fill up quite a few pages in the baseball media guide for years to come. And given how this rendition of the College World Series is going to be dominated by Power Conference teams, UE’s run also made them a national story and “America’s Team,” for as long as their run could last.

Seeing UE in Omaha would have been some kind of treat. It’s a shame it didn’t come to pass, but when you remember 305 teams play Division-1 baseball, being one of the Omaha 8 is really difficult. Even being one of the last 16 teams still standing to play in Super Regionals is a massive accomplishment.

There will be time this offseason to look ahead at what next season might bring. There will be a lot of roster turnover at UE, new head coaches at Indiana State and Missouri State, and new talent and potential stars all around the conference. With Missouri State leaving the MVC after the ’25 season, there will also likely be talk of expansion to secure the league’s future.

All of that will be here on the blog, but that’s conjecture and discussion for another day. Tonight is just a good time to tip my hat to this Evansville baseball team, the coaching staff, and the fans who supported them so fervently throughout this run. It also shows what is possible at UE, and gives every program something to strive for. The phrase, “We can’t,” is no longer acceptable. Hopefully, it’s a lesson and a launching point for the athletics department and the university as a whole.

On a personal note, this season of Valley baseball was special. Thanks for stopping here each day as part of the ride. The MVC baseball season might be over, but there’s lots to talk about and write about here in the coming weeks and months. Stay tuned.

Life in the Valley founder and writer Ed Morgans is a 1995 University of Evansville grad, and former baseball broadcaster for WUEV radio.