BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Fall practices are in full swing for WKU Baseball as the Hilltoppers hit the halfway point in their fall preparation for the upcoming 2015 season. Practices will culminate Oct. 16-18 at Nick Denes Field with the annual Fall World Series.
Pitching has been the hallmark of the Hilltoppers since Matt Myers' arrival as an assistant coach in 2007 and has carried over since Myers' ascension to head coach in 2012. WKU boasted a 4.35 ERA as a staff in 2014, led by First Team All-Conference ace Justin Hageman and reliever Ian Tompkins.
With the departure of Hageman, Tompkins and the other pieces of WKU's 2014 rotation, Jake Thompson and Austin Clay, the Hilltoppers have some big shoes to fill. The above mentioned quartet combined for 211 of WKU's 389 strikeouts last season and accounted for 15 of WKU's 29 wins.
Myers and his coaching staff have countered those losses with the addition of seven new faces on the pitching staff, including JUCO transfer southpaws John Harman and Austin King. Harman registered 11 quality starts and struck out 78 batters in 104.1 innings at Darton State in 2014 while King fanned 78 batters compared to four walks as a sophomore at Seward County CC.
WKUSports.com will chat with head coach Matt Myers and players throughout the fall as the Hilltoppers work toward their inaugural Conference USA season, which begins Feb. 15, 2015 against Maryland in Myrtle Beach, S.C. For the most up to date information on WKU Baseball, follow the team on Twitter at @WKUBaseball.
