May 14, 2014
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -WKU Baseball (27-25, 13-14 SBC) looks to pick up momentum for the postseason in its final regular-season series of the season this weekend as the Hilltoppers welcome league rival Georgia State (24-29, 10-17 SBC) to Nick Denes Field for the first time. Thursday's first pitch is set for 6 p.m. (CT).
With next week's Sun Belt Conference Tournament on the horizon, the entire league schedule has been shifted to Thursday, Friday and Saturday contests. WKU is jockeying for seed position while Georgia State is trying to stay alive for a tournament berth. The Hilltoppers can clinch fifth place and the No. 5 seed in the tournament with one victory against the Panthers this weekend. A number of tournament clinching scenarios exist for the Panthers, with the simplest being a series win over WKU.
The Hilltoppers are two wins shy of their 14th, 20-win season at Nick Denes Field and can accomplish the feat with a series win against Georgia State. WKU returns to the confines of home after a 2-4 Sun Belt Conference road swing at ULM and Texas Arlington. After winning the series at ULM two weeks ago, WKU was swept for the first time since 2013 last weekend at Texas Arlington.
WKU leads the all-time series 5-2 and captured a series win over the Panthers in Atlanta in March. All three games were decided by one run and the finale went to extras, where the Hilltoppers won 6-5.
Both teams feature two of the best offenses in not only the league, but the nation. WKU enters the series batting .292 as a team while Georgia State boasts a team average of .298. The Panthers rank fourth nationally with 117 doubles while the Hilltoppers rank eighth with 110 doubles. Georgia State holds a slight statistical edge in nearly every offensive category but WKU has hit three more triples and struck out 80 less times than the Panthers.
Georgia State's offense is led by the slugging duo of Nic Wilson and Chase Raffield, who have combined for 109 RBI, 36 doubles and 32 home runs. Wilson ranks third in the nation with 18 homers while Raffield ranks sixth with 14 bombs.
Six Hilltoppers currently sport batting averages better than .300, led by senior outfielder David Simmons' clip of .372. Simmons is hitting .475 in Sun Belt Conference action and has an overall OPS of 1.065. Junior first baseman Ryan Church leads WKU with 37 RBI and has racked up 39 of his 63 hits in league play this season. Senior outfielder Regan Flaherty paces WKU with 64 hits, 18 of which have been in the form of doubles.
Senior right-hander Justin Hageman and the WKU pitching staff will have its hands full with the Panther offense. Hageman (5-2, 3.00 ERA) will make his 46th career start Thursday night and will face off with Georgia State southpaw Kenny Anderson (5-4, 5.87 ERA). Sophomore righty Josh Bartley (5-4, 4.76 ERA) gets the nod Friday while senior Jake Thompson (4-3, 4.02 ERA) will start Saturday. The Panthers will throw right-handed Nathan Bates (1-2, 5.01 ERA) against WKU Friday and have yet to announce a starter for the series finale.
Thursday's 6 p.m. game will feature $2 weekday specials, with tickets, food and concession specials available for just $2. Friday's game will also get underway at 6 p.m. as well, with students K-8 receiving free admission by bringing a report card with an "A" on it. Friends and family may purchase additional tickets for $3.
Saturday's game will begin at 1 p.m. and WKU's six seniors, Austin Clay, Regan Flaherty, Justin Hageman, David Simmons, Jake Thompson and Scott Wilcox will all be honored in a Senior Day ceremony beforehand. Party One Kid Zone inflatables will also be behind the third base dugout Saturday.
For tickets and more information on WKU Baseball, call 1-800-5 BIGRED or visit WKUSports.com.
