BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- After a rain-shortened weekend in which the Hilltoppers were only able to play one of four games, WKU will be eager to take the field on Wednesday in Nashville, Tenn. as the Toppers face Vanderbilt at 4:00 PM at Hawkins Field. WKU has dropped its last four games in Nashville to the Commodores by a combined total of 44-10 since winning 10-6 in 2004. (Obtain the complete version of game notes by downloading the PDF below.)
GAME #2:
WKU at Vanderbilt
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Charles Hawkins Field (3,700) Nashville, Tenn.
►SIZING UP THE COMMODORES: Vanderbilt returns 20 letterwinners from last year's team that went 41-22 overall and finished fourth in the powerful SEC East Division. Sixth-year skipper Tim Corbin may only have three starters back among position players, but does return 11 of 14 arms from 2008.
►FAMILIAR FOE: Wednesday will mark the 90th meeting between Vanderbilt and WKU with the Commodores holding a 56-31-2 advantage. The long-time series represents the eighth-most meetings with WKU by one opponent, the sixth-most among non-conference foes, and the third-most among non-conference, out-of-state programs.
►SEASON OPENERS: In 90 season openers, WKU is now 49-40-1 all-time for a .550 winning percentage. Since joining the Sun Belt Conference in 1983, the Toppers are 12-15 in season openers, winning the last three. A win over Toledo on Friday gave WKU three-straight season opening victories, their longest stretch since claiming four in a row from 1950 to 1953.
►GAMES ADDED: Following the cancellation of three of the four games opening weekend versus Toledo due to weather, WKU has announced the addtion of two games to their schedule. The March 17 game at EKU in Richmond, Ky. has been changed to a doubleheader and moved to 12:00 PM while the home contest versus the Colonels on April 22 at Nick Denes Field as also been made into a twinbill starting at 3:00 PM.
►HOME OPENERS: WKU is 61-26-2 all-time in home openers for a .697 winning percentage including winning four of their last five.
►HOME SWEET HOME: Since Nick Denes Field opened in 1969, the Toppers are 676-378-4 (.641). In 40 seasons, WKU has had just two losing campaigns at "The Nick".
►SUN BELT SUCCESS: Despite not being a member of the Sun Belt Conference for the first five years of the league's existence, WKU still ranks second all-time in overall wins (763), third in Sun Belt Conference victories (267), and tied for second in SBC Tournament wins (30).
►CHALLENGING 2009 SLATE: WKU's challenging 56-game schedule features 32 home games and 10 contests against teams that competed in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. “We are very excited about our 2009 schedule,” said Head Coach Chris Finwood, entering his fourth season on the Hill. “We have five games against SEC teams and 10 games against NCAA Tournament teams to go along with the always tough Sun Belt schedule. Again, we have 32 home games at the “Nick” including Kentucky and Louisville so our fans should be able to get a good look at their Hilltoppers. We play 15 of our first 19 at home so hopefully that will get us off to a good start.” The Hilltoppers, coming off their second SBC Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance in five seasons, will try and become the league’s first repeat winners of the event since South Alabama in 2000-01 when the 2009 edition takes place on May 20-23 in Troy, Ala.
►WALLACE WATCH LIST: A pair of Western Kentucky University baseball players have been named to the 2009 Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Watch List, the College Baseball Foundation announced. Chad Cregar and Matt Ridings are two of the seven players from Sun Belt Conference to make the prestigious 204-member preseason list. In partnership with Mizuno, the Wallace Award is presented annually to the nation's top collegiate baseball player in conjunction with the College Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. The 2009 awards banquet will be held Thursday, July 2 at 7:00 PM at the United Spirit Arena on the campus of Texas Tech University. The Wallace Award is dedicated to the memory of former Texas Texas player and assistant coach Brooks Wallace. Wallace was a slick-fielding shortstop for the Red Raiders from 1977 to 1980. Wallace went on to play two years in the Texas Rangers organization before returning to his alma mater to coach. In the summer of 1984, Wallace was diagnosed with cancer and courageously fought the disease until his death in 1985 at the age of 27.
►CREGAR, RIDINGS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: Two WKU baseball players have earned preseason All-America honors. Senior slugger Chad Cregar was named to the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) First-Team as the top designated hitter as well as to the Louisville Slugger Second-Team as an outfielder. Junior pitcher Matt Ridings was selected to the Louisville Slugger Second-Team. Among all three teams of both All-America lists, WKU owned three of the five spots occupied by the Sun Belt Conference.
►WKU PICKED TO WIN SUN BELT CONFERENCE: After winning the 2008 Sun Belt Conference Tournament and advancing to the program's third NCAA Tournament, Western Kentucky University has been picked to capture the school's first-ever SBC Regular Season Baseball Championship, according to a poll of the league's 11 head coaches. WKU garnered nine of 11 first-place tallies and totalled 119 points. Troy came in second in the balloting with 100 points followed by ULM (84) in third. New Orleans (79) and Louisiana-Lafayette (78) split the remaining two first-place votes and finished third and fourth respectively. The Hilltoppers return eight starters and 12 of 14 position players in addition to nine of their top 12 arms from a squad that went 33-27 overall and 16-14 against Sun Belt foe in 2008. After a tie for fifth place finish, WKU went 4-1 in the Sun Belt Tournament to earn the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Regional.
►RIDINGS NAMED SBC PRESEASON PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Junior ace Matt Ridings was selected as the SBC Preseason Pitcher of the Year. The 6-1 right-hander from Brentwood, Tenn., was 10-3 record in 15 starts and a 3.88 earned run average. The 2007 Ping! Freshman All-American tossed one complete game while recording one save.
►RIDINGS, CREGAR, AND GAYNOR NAMED SBC PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE: Matt Ridings, Chad Cregar, and Wade Gaynor have all been named to the 14-member Preseason Sun Belt All-Conference team.
►RIVALS.COM LIKES WKU TO TAKE IT ALL; THREE TOPPERS HONORED WITH PRESEASON ACCLAIM: Rivals.com has selected Western Kentucky University as its preseason favorite to win the 2009 Sun Belt Conference Championship. If the national media outlet is correct, it would be the first SBC Regular Season Title for the Hilltoppers. Chad Cregar, Wade Gaynor, and Matt Ridings were also named to the Rivals.com Preseason All-Conference team. The defending 2008 Sun Belt Conference Tournament Champions were also picked as the "Team on the Rise." "After learning the ropes as an assistant at Auburn, [head] coach Chris Finwood decided to try his luck at WKU, which hadn't exactly competed for the Sun Belt crown. But in just three seasons, Finwood has changed the dynamic of the program both on and off the field," wrote Kendall Rogers, college baseball editor for Rivals.com. "WKU certainly has a wealth of competition in the Sun Belt, but Finwood already is earning rave reviews from his peers in the coaching community."
►ANOINTING OF A CHAMPION: Two more publications have anointed Western Kentucky University as the team to beat for the 2009 Sun Belt Conference Championship. Southeastern Baseball and Collegiate Baseball both tabbed the Hilltoppers as the conference's preseason favorite, joining Rivals.com in that camp.
"WKU has the players to grab a Sun Belt Conference title. [Chad] Cregar is a power source and he has plenty of veterans around him. [Matt] Ridings will make them the favorite most Fridays. This is the year the Hilltoppers have pointed towards," commented Southeastern Baseball. "WKU will have every opportunity to win the Sun Belt Conference and make a return trip to the NCAA Regional."
►MORE TOPPERS TOUTED: In addition to picking the Hilltoppers to win the Sun Belt, Collegiate Baseball named Chad Cregar as the "Projected Player of the Year" and Matt Ridings as the "Projected Pitcher of the Year." Terrence Dayleg and Wade Gaynor made the list of "Other Top Players to Watch." Cregar, a 6-3 senior outfielder from Oxford, Miss., was a 47th round draft pick by the Chicago Cubs after his first year on the Hill. He finished with a team-high .360 batting average and tied for the team lead in hits with 90, earning All-American Second-Team honors by the NCBWA. Named the Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year, Cregar was an All-SBC First-Team selection in 2008. Matt Ridings, a 6-1 right-handed pitcher from Brentwood, Tenn., has now been selected as the preseason Pitcher of the Year by both Collegiate Baseball and Rivals.com. Last season, the junior was the ace of the Toppers staff with a 10-3 record in 15 starts and a 3.88 earned run average. He tossed one complete game while recording one save. In 97.1 innings pitched, Ridings allowed 42 runs and 99 hits, striking out 98 and walking just 36. Terrence Dayleg, a 6-1 senior from Surrey, B.C., was named to the 2008 Preseason Sun Belt All-Conference team. The Toppers' shortstop hit .347 with 15 doubles and seven home runs last season. His 16-game hitting streak was the longest by a Topper in 2008. He also posted an impressive .972 fielding percentage for WKU. Wade Gaynor, a 6-4 native of Hawesville, Ky., was also selected to the preseason Rivals.com All-Conference squad as a designated hitter. Last season, Gaynor earned Sun Belt Second-Team All-Conference honors after batting .347 with a team-best 24 doubles, tying the single season school record for two-baggers. The junior third baseman finished with a team-leading 90 hits and was second in home runs, smacking 13. After batting .480 and slugging .600 in the 2008 SBC Tournament, he earned All-Tournament honors.
