| WKU Baseball at FIU | |
| Date | Time | April 17-19 | Fri. - 3 p.m. | Sat. - 5 p.m. | Sun. 12 p.m. (All times CT) |
| Location | Miami, Fla. | FIU Baseball Stadium |
| Live Stats | fiusports.com |
| Game Notes | WKU Game Notes |
| Friday | LHP John Harman (3-2, 4.02 ERA) vs. RHP Cody Crouse (3-3, 3.75 ERA) |
| Saturday | LHP Austin King (1-4, 5.31 ERA) vs. RHP Andres Nunez (4-3, 4.02 ERA) |
| Sunday | TBA vs. Chris Mourelle (5-3, 3.49 ERA) |
MIAMI, Fla. -- Fresh off two midweek wins over in-state rivals, WKU Baseball heads south for a pivotal Conference USA showdown at FIU this weekend in Miami, Fla. Friday's first pitch at FIU Baseball Stadium is slated for 3 p.m. (CT).
The Hilltoppers (18-16) and Panthers (16-20) are deadlocked at 7-8 at the halfway point of the Conference USA season as they battle for a spot in May's C-USA Championship. If the season ended today, WKU and FIU would be the last two teams in the eight-team tournament.
This weekend's meeting renews an old Sun Belt Conference rivalry that saw WKU and FIU tangle 55 times between 1999 and 2013. The Hilltoppers lead the all-time series 29-26 and have won two-straight three-game series in Miami against the Panthers.
The matchup pits two of the best power hitters in the league with WKU's Anderson Miller and FIU's Edwin Rios. Miller has 19 extra-base hits, including nine homers, and ranks second in the league with a .667 slugging percentage. Rios paces the conference with 11 home runs and has 17 extra-base knocks overall.
WKU junior southpaw John Harman (3-2, 4.02 ERA) gets the Friday-night nod after teaming with reliever Kevin Elder for a shutout of Southern Miss last week. Harman took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and only allowed one runner to enter scoring position after 5.1 innings of shutout work against the Golden Eagles. He'll square off with FIU right-hander Cody Crouse (3-3, 3.75 ERA) in the series opener.
Junior lefty Austin King (1-4, 5.31 ERA) slides into the Saturday role this weekend and he'll face Panther right-hander Andres Nunez (4-3, 4.02 ERA). Nunez has been FIU's top strikeout pitcher this season as he's fanned 45 in 10 appearances. Saturday's game will begin at 5 p.m.
FIU will send Chris Mourelle (5-3, 3.49 ERA) to the bump in Sunday's 12 p.m. finale and he'll face a Hilltopper pitcher to be determined.
All three games will have an online audio stream available to subscribers of WKUSports.tv. The broadcasts can also be heard on local stations ESPN 102.7 FM and 1450 AM.
