The University of Evansville baseball team found itself ranked among the national leaders in various team and individual categories in Tuesday’s latest NCAA statistical rankings, including ranking third nationally in double plays turned defensively.

The UE defense ranked just behind Southern Miss (66) and Middle Tennessee State (63) with 61 twin-killings on the year to rank third nationally at the Division I level in double plays.  UE also found itself ranked seventh nationally in double plays per game (1.17), 13th nationally in stolen bases (109) and 19th nationally in both stolen bases per game (2.1) and defensive fielding percentage (.975) to rank among the nation’s top 20 in five different team categories.

Individually, freshman shortstop Eric Stamets continued to rank among the nation’s leaders in stolen bases, as he will enter this week’s action ranked fifth nationally with 40 thefts, while ranking ninth nationally in stolen bases per game at 0.77 per contest.  Stamets is the only freshman in the country to rank among the nation’s top 30 in the stolen base category this spring.

Junior outfielder Greg Wallace also found himself ranked fifth nationally in triples with nine, while also ranking sixth nationally in triples per game (0.17) and 16th nationally in RBI (68).  Senior closer Tom Heithoff also will enter this week’s action ranked 21st nationally with nine saves.

Evansville will return home to host league-leading Illinois State in a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series this weekend, beginning on Thursday night at 6:00 p.m.  The series will continue on both Friday night (6:00 p.m.) and Saturday afternoon (1:00 p.m.), as the Purple Aces and Redbirds will wrap up the 2010 regular-season.  Evansville will bring a 28-24 overall record and 8-10 MVC mark into this weekend’s series, while Illinois State will counter with a 26-20 overall mark and 14-4 MVC record.  UE will honor its six-member senior class of Alex Acheson, Corey Davisson, Keegan Dennis, Tom Heithoff, Matt Major and Andy Pascoe prior to Saturday’s 1:00 p.m. regular-season finale.