The Basics: 
The Drake softball team is heading to Carbondale, Ill. for the 2023 MVC Tournament. They are scheduled to play Evansville on Wednesday, May 10 at 10 a.m. Drake, originally selected seventh in the MVC preseason poll, earned the No. 8 seed in this year's bracket.
 
About the Bulldogs
Sophomore Emma Dighton and senior Aubree Beitzinger both finished the regular season with batting averages over .300. Dighton also led Drake in OPS and slugging percentage. Her team-high eight home runs were tied for eighth-best in the conference.
 
The Bulldogs will miss the hot bat of Beitzinger as she suffered an injury in Drake's final series of the 2023 season. Her effort against UIC and Iowa State was enough to push her senior-year batting average slightly over the .300 mark. Emily Valtman has also been a key contributor for Drake, hitting .297 with a .763 OPS and three home runs in her senior season. 
 
Mackenzie Hupke has been one of the top hurlers in the conference throughout the season. Hupke finished with a 2.63 ERA, a 1.44 WHIP, seven complete games and eight wins in her senior year campaign. Her 157 strikeouts were the fourth most in the MVC. 
 
Scouting the Competition
The No. 8 Bulldogs will square off against the No. 9 Evansville Purple Aces on Wednesday, May 10 at 10 a.m. The entire tournament will be held in Carbondale.
 
Drake holds a commanding 35-15 all-time record in games against their first-round opponent Evansville. Drake has yet to play against the Purple Aces in 2023, with their most recent matchup being a three-game series in 2022. Evansville won two of three games in that series. 
 
Evansville is 22-31 overall and 8-19 in conference play in 2023. The Purple Aces hold a similar record to the Bulldogs coming into play, however, the Bulldogs will look to play their cards right and display their historical dominance over Evansville. 
 
Up Next
If Drake defeats Evansville, they will play against UNI on Thursday, May 11 at 10 a.m.