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1988 Evansville Purple Aces baseball team

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1988 Evansville Purple Aces baseball
MCC South Division champions
MCC regular season champions
MCC tournament champions
ConferenceMidwestern Collegiate Conference
DivisionSouth Division
Record44–20 (11–1 MCC)
Head coach
Home stadiumBosse Field
Seasons
← 1987
1989 →
1988 Midwestern Collegiate Conference baseball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
North Division
Notre Dame x‍‍‍ 9 3   .750 39 22   .639
Detroit ‍‍‍ 8 8   .500 31 24   .564
Xavier ‍‍‍ 5 7   .417 19 37   .339
Dayton ‍‍‍ 2 10   .167 20 29   .408
South Division
Evansville xy 11 1   .917 44 20   .688
Butler ‍‍‍ 3 5   .375 15 26   .366
Saint Louis ‍‍‍ 2 6   .250 11 29   .275
x – Division champion
† – Conference champion
‡ – Tournament champion
y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament
As of June 30, 1988[1]
Rankings from Collegiate Baseball

The 1988 Evansville Purple Aces baseball team represented the University of Evansville as a member of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference during the 1988 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Purple Aces played their home games at Bosse Field. The team was coached by Jim Brownlee in his ninth season at Evansville.

After going 39–17 (11–1 MCC) in the regular season, Evansville would win the MCC South Division title and the MCC Tournament. After receiving an automatic bid, Evansville reached the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first time since transitioning to Division I in 1977. In the Tempe Regional, Evansville would upset No. 1 Arizona State before losing back-to-back games to UNLV and Central Michigan.[2] Evansville would finish the season with a 44–20 record. As of 2024, 44 wins is still the most in the program's history. They also set team records for shutouts (18), complete games (37), and lowest ERA (2.99).[3][4]

Following the season, pitcher Andy Benes was selected first overall by the San Diego Padres during the 1988 Major League Baseball draft, marking the first time that an Evansville player was selected in the first round of the MLB draft.

Roster

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1988 Evansville Purple Aces roster
 

Pitchers

  • 30 Andy Benes
  • – Jim Burger
  • – Craig Fischer
  • – John Schultheis
 

Catchers

Infielders

  • – Jeff Breivogel
  • – Kenneth Fields
  • Rob Maurer
  • – Brad Tyler
  • – John Olson
 

Outfielders

  • – John Bauser
  • – Brad Tyler

Schedule and results

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Legend
  Evansville win
  Evansville loss
Bold Evansville team member
* Non-conference game
1988 Evansville Purple Aces game log: 44–20
Regular season: 39–17
Postseason: 5–3

Awards and honors

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John Bauser
  • MCC All-Tournament Team
Andy Benes
Jeff Breivogel
  • MCC All-Tournamnet Team
Jim Brownlee
  • MCC Coach of the Year
Jim Burger
  • All-MCC Second Team
Kenny Fields
  • All-MCC Second Team
Craig Fischer
  • MCC All-Tournament Team
John Olson
  • All-MCC Second Team
Rob Maurer
  • All-MCC Second Team
  • MCC All-Tournament Team
John Schultheis
  • All-MCC Second Team
Brad Tyler
  • MCC Tournament Most Valuable Player

1988 MLB Draft

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Round Pick Player Position Team
1 1 Andy Benes RHP San Diego Padres
6 141 Rob Maurer 1B Texas Rangers

References

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  1. ^ "College Baseball Conference Standings – 1988". Boydsworld.com. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
  2. ^ "Andy Benes: Making his name in Evansville". goaces.com. June 28, 2024. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  3. ^ "2021 Baseball Record Book" (PDF). gopurpleaces.com. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  4. ^ "1988 Evansville Purple Aces". thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
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