The Evansville baseball team has already made history, but they have a chance to make even more history.
The Purple Aces (38-24) are the only No. 4 seed to advance past the regional round and just the ninth team in NCAA baseball tournament history to do so. The Purple Aces will have another chance to make history by defeating No. 1 seed Tennessee (53-11) and advancing to the College World Series.
Must read: Five things to know about Evansville baseball ahead of NCAA Super Regional vs. No. 1 Tennessee
In the Greenville Regional, the Purple Aces beat No. 16 East Carolina, 4-1, in the opening round before beating VCU, 17-11, in the winners’ tournament. Host ECU beat Evansville, 6-5, on Sunday to set up Monday’s winner-take-all championship, but the Aces advanced with a 6-5 victory.
As Evansville prepares for the most important baseball series in its history, it’s natural to wonder what the Purple Aces are all about. Here’s everything you need to know about the name, including its history and origins, as UE looks to advance in the 2024 NCAA baseball tournament.
More Info:Watch Evansville vs Vols in the Knoxville Super Regional 2024 NCAA Baseball Tournament on Fubo (Free Trial)
Why is Evansville’s nickname the “Purple Aces”?
The nickname was coined by University of Louisville basketball coach Fred Enke, according to the school’s website. After Evansville beat the Cardinals 59-39 in the fourth game of the season, Enke told Evansville coach John Harmon, “You don’t have four aces up your sleeve, you have five!”
Harmon mentioned this to Dan Schism, then sports editor of the Evansville Courier, and both agreed that they preferred the nickname to the school’s nickname at the time, “Pioneers.” Because the school’s colors were purple and white, the nickname “Purple Aces” became popular in college sports by 1926.
What is the Evansville mascot?
The Ace was originally created by local sports cartoonist Larry Hill as a “turn-of-the-century image of a riverboat gambler, representing Evansville’s location on the banks of the Ohio River.” However, the stigma of Ace Purple and his depiction of a mascot wielding a club with a nail on one side and carrying a gun made him “not a very likable character.” The university objected, and the mascot was soon dropped, but the nickname “Purple Ace” remained.
First-year sports information director Greg Nipping contacted Keith Butts, who had revamped Purdue’s live mascot, Boilermaker Pete, when Evansville advanced to Division I in 1977. Butts remade Ace Purple into a more likable character, and Nipping persuaded university officials to adopt the character. Nipping died on Dec. 13, 1977, in a plane crash involving the Evansville basketball team.
Former UE basketball player Peter Van Tongeren helped modernize the Aces’ modern look as a graduation gift in 2011. Columbus, Ohio-based marketing and branding firm Ology helped “refresh” the school’s organizational marks, including a logo, updated mascot and branding platform.
What conference does the Evansville baseball team belong to?
Evansville is making its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and first since winning the Mountain Valley Conference Tournament in 2006. The Aces hosted the conference tournament at their home ground of German-American Bank Field at Charles H. Brown Stadium.
Evansville has played in the MVC since 1995. Previously, the Aces played in the Midwest College Conference (now known as the Horizon League).
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