LIVE STATS (all games)
AUDIO: G1 | G2 | G3
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — The 100th Season of WKU Baseball begins on Friday, Feb. 15, as the Hilltoppers host in-state foe Northern Kentucky with a 1 p.m. first pitch at Nick Denes Field. The Norse are in town for a three-game series over the weekend, with games on Saturday and Sunday - also at 1 p.m. - to follow.
SERIES HISTORY
- It will be the first-ever meeting for WKU and NKU, who have never faced off on the diamond.
- The Hilltoppers are coming off a 21-31 season, while the Norse finished with a 14-39 record.
- NKU and WKU share four common non-conference opponents this season: Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisville and Eastern Kentucky.
WKU PREVIEW
- WKU returns junior shortstop Kevin Lambert, who has started 100 consecutive games at shortstop and 107 overall since he came to The Hill; he improved his fielding percentage to .968 in 2018 from .945 in 2017. Junior Ray Zuberer III plans to make the full-time switch to the outfield after he made a handful of starts there in 2018; he slashed .315/.401/.430 last year with 10 extra-base hits in 44 starts, primarily at designated hitter.
- Notable graduate transfers Davis Sims (from Murray State) and Joe Filosa (Ohio Dominican) are primed to make their Hilltopper debuts this weekend. The infielder Sims boasts a .333/.402/.552 career slash line with 150 base hits in 112 starts for the Racers; he also tied for the 2018 Cape Cod League lead with eight homeruns. Filosa posted a 15-14 record with the Panthers and a 5.02 ERA and 158 strikeouts in 204 career innings.
NORTHERN KENTUCKYÂ PREVIEW
- NKU returns senior Will Haueter, who led the Horizon League and earned First Team honors with a .360 batting average in 2018. He also ranked second in the league with 19 doubles, a .451 on-base percentage and a .600 slugging percentage. Sophomore Griffin Doersching is also a notable Norse, as he was named 2018 Horizon League Freshman of the Year with 13 homeruns, 24 runs scored and 49 runs batted in. He also garnered Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American and First Team league honors in his debut season.
- NKU Baseball was named the recipient of the Horizon League's Bobby Fong Award in 2018, which recognizes a student-athlete or team which encompasses the values of integrity, respect and stewardship.
- The Norse are led by 19th-season head coach Todd Asalon, who has piled up a 532-496-1 record with the program. He and assistant coaches Dizzy Peyton and Pat Hyde are all alumni of the university.
PROMOTIONS
- Friday: Free schedule magnets for the first 250 fans & National Anthem by Rye Davis (see below)
- Saturday: Free admission for all fans.
- Sunday Funday: Children aged 12 and under receive free admission, and a kid's lunch special that includes a hot dog, bag of chips and can of soda will be $5. After the game, children are invited to run the bases with Big Red.
- Fresh off being named to the Hilltopper Baseball All-Century Team, former WKU reliever - and current country music artist - Rye Davis will be in town to sing the National Anthem on Opening Day. Davis ranks third in program history with 16 career saves. He led the club with four saves in 2008, then returned from injury to record a team-high nine in 2010, earning All-Sun Belt Conference honors.
- Rye Davis has performed hundreds of shows nationwide over the past five years. In that time he has opened for names like The Steel Woods, Ted Nugent, Chris Knight, Sunny Sweeney, Emi Sunshine, Dallas Moore, Whitey Morgan, Ward Davis, Bucky Covington, Puddle of Mudd and Uncle Cracker. He has been an invited performer at Nashville's famous Bluebird Cafe and was featured on ABC's Rising Star competition.
Flexible season ticket packages are now available for purchase, including 30 tickets for $50 that can be used at any of the 29 home games throughout the 2019 campaign. Fans can purchase tickets HERE, by calling 1-800-5-BIGRED or in person at the WKU Ticket Office during business hours.
