January 6, 2019 marks 40 days until Opening Day for the 100th Season of WKU Hilltopper Baseball, and over the next 40 days, WKU Athletics will treat fans to unique moments and interesting history from Hilltopper Baseball, all leading up to First Pitch at Nick Denes Field on February 15, 2019.
| DAY 40 (January 6) |
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| Third baseman Danny Hudzina hit his way into the WKU record books with a .408 batting average in 2016, tied for the eighth-best performance in program history. His 89 hits that year are tied for the 10th-most by a Hilltopper, and his 29-game hit streak that spanned from 2015-16 is the second-longest. He became the first Conference USA player to eclipse the .400 mark since Chad Zurcher of Memphis in 2011. Hudzina was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 10th round of the 2016 MLB Draft. |
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| DAY 39 (January 7) |
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| First baseman Mike Williams was one of the first true power hitters to suit up for the Hilltoppers. From 1978-81, Williams smacked 53 homeruns (which remain tied for the most in WKU history), 208 RBI (second-most) and racked up 228 hits (12th-most). With 23 dingers in 1980 and 21 more in 1981, he is the only Hilltopper to ever hit 20+ homeruns in multiple seasons. And with a .420 batting average in 1981 and a .423 mark in 1980, he is 1-of-2 WKU players to hit over .400 in multiple campaigns. |
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| DAY 38 (January 8) |
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| Infielder Matt Ransdell scattered 232 hits (11th all-time) from 2003-06 with the Hilltoppers. Son of Dr. Gary Ransdell (the ninth president of Western Kentucky University) and brother of Patrick Randell (lettered for WKU from 1999-02), Matt played in all 63 games for the 2004 squad that saw WKU reach the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 1980. He was placed on the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team in both 2005 and 2006, while also earning Second Team All-Sun Belt honors in 2005. |
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| DAY 37 (January 9) |
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| Rye Davis came back from a gruesome injury to have one of the best seasons ever by a WKU reliever. A line drive to the face in preseason practice caused Davis to miss the entire 2009 campaign, but he came back in 2010 with a vengeance. As a redshirt sophomore, he had 63 strikeouts and a 2.72 ERA in 50 innings, while his 33 appearances and nine saves both tied for the third-most in a single season in Hilltopper history. He earned All-South Central Region and First Team All-SBC honors. |
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| DAY 36 (January 10) |
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| Assistant coach Tim Weisheim (right) talks with lefty Greg Raymer (left) and infielder Jim Rathbun (center) during the 1982 season. A former All-SEC Tournament Teamer in 1979 with Mississippi State, Weisheim was on The Hill for two years. Raymer wrapped up his Hilltopper career that season with a 5-1 record and 2.92 ERA in nine starts, striking out 60 in 49 innings. Rathbun came to WKU in 1982 as a JuCo transfer from Lakeland CC (Ill.); he hit .359 with eight homeruns and 38 RBI that season. |
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| DAY 35 (January 11) |
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| First baseman Jake Wells had a stellar career for WKU from 2007-10, but the 2008 Sun Belt Tournament was his shining moment. Wells earned Most Valuable Player honors after slashing .571/.600/.905 in five games, hitting 12-for-21 with four extra-base hits, eight RBI and six runs scored, leading the Hilltoppers to a 4-1 record and the conference championship. Overall, his 236 career hits are tied for eighth all-time in program history, while his 52 career doubles rank fourth on the charts. |
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| DAY 34 (January 12) |
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| With four innings pitched with the Montreal Expos in 1994, righty Heath Haynes is the fourth-most recent Hilltopper to reach the Major Leagues. On The Hill, Haynes dealt on the regular from 1988-91. His 49 starts (tied for fourth), 325 innings pitched (third), 24 wins (third), 253 strikeouts (fourth) and 12 complete games (third) are all in the top five on the all-time charts. With 10 wins and 111 strikeouts in 1991, Haynes is only 1-of-2 pitchers in WKU history with 10+ and 100+ in a season. |
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| DAY 33 (January 13) |
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| Completed in late 1968, Nick Denes Field has been the home of the Hilltoppers since the 1969 spring season, meaning 2019 will be the 50th anniversary year. The venue is named after WKU Athletic Hall of Famer Nick Denes, who coached the baseball team from 1958-62 and football team from 1957-67. Overall, WKU has a 844-500-5 record at Nick Denes Field with 40 winning seasons. The Hilltoppers put forth a 27-3 home mark during the 2009 campaign, which is a program-record. |
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| DAY 32 (January 14) |
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| The 2004 WKU Baseball club went 35-28 under the direction of coach Joel Murrie. Although the Hilltoppers went 12-12 in regular-season Sun Belt Conference play, they went on a 4-0 run in the SBC Tournament to take the title. WKU was led offensively by Matt Gunning's .375 batting average (99-for-264), 23 doubles, 15 homeruns and 73 RBI. On the mound, Grady Hinchman earned SBC Tournament MVP honors, while for the season overall the lefty struck out 114 and posted a 3.00 ERA. |
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| DAY 31 (January 15) |
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| Outfielder Anderson Miller was selected 98th overall in the 2015 MLB Draft, as the third-highest pick in WKU history. A Louisville native, Miller was a First Team All-Conference USA player in 2015 and a Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference pick the season before. As a Hilltopper, he slashed .302/.395/.484 with 139 hits in 127 career games, including 23 doubles and 15 homeruns. He currently plays for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, the Double-A MiLB affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. |
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