WKU NOTES
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Back on The Hill following a five-game spring break road trip, WKU Softball will host rival Middle Tennessee for a Saturday-Sunday series at the WKU Softball Complex. First pitch of Saturday's doubleheader is slated for 1 p.m. CT, while Sunday's finale will start at 1 p.m. as well.
WEEKEND INFORMATION
Sat., March 17 – Bowling Green, Ky. – 1 p.m. CT | CUSA.tv | Stats
Bowling Green, Ky. – 3 p.m. CT | CUSA.tv | Stats
Sun., March 18 – Bowling Green, Ky. – 1 p.m. CT | Stats
Two of the top teams in Conference USA – WKU and Middle Tennessee – are set to square off during the second week of league play. The Hilltoppers claimed their opening series on the road 2-1 over Southern Miss while the Blue Raiders dropped their series in Murfreesboro, Tenn., to Louisiana Tech by the same margin.
MTSU enters the weekend with an 18-8 reading on the 2018 season while WKU owns a 17-9 mark. The squads have not faced a common opponent to date.
The Hilltoppers have faced the Blue Raiders more than any other opponent in program history. In the all-time series, the Red and White own the advantage with a 35-25 record over MTSU. WKU has claimed the last five decisions thanks to a series sweep on the road to open the 2017 C-USA slate. When playing on The Hill, WKU owns an 18-13 series lead.
WKU enters the weekend with an 8-3 record when playing at the WKU Softball Complex this season while Middle Tennessee is 1-1 in true road contests.
For the first time since the preseason of the 2016 campaign, WKU Softball has received votes in the latest USA Today/NCFA DI Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Hilltoppers are one of 12 teams receiving votes in the Tuesday, March 13 poll and the only Conference USA representative listed. The last time that WKU was ranked or received votes during the regular season was 2015.
The Hilltopper offense has been a force to be reckoned with this season as the team owns a collective batting average of .305 while leading Conference USA in runs (146), doubles (47), triples (10), RBI (126), total bases (322), slugging percentage (.475), walks drawn (95) and on base percentage (.396). WKU's 1.81 doubles per game ranks fifth in the nation.
Individually, Shelby Nunn ranks 15th in victories with 11 already. Kelsey Aikey owns one of the 58 no-hitters recorded – including the only extra-inning no-hitter - this year while ranking 25th in the NCAA with two saves to her name. Jordan Thomas ranks fourth in walks with 0.92 per game while ranking second in the nation with 24 total walks. Thomas owns 10 doubles to rank sixth in the country.
Following the weekend series with the Blue Raiders, WKU will close out its four-game homestand with a midweek non-conference tilt with Jacksonville State on Thursday.
How to Follow the Hilltoppers: For complete information on WKU Softball, follow the team on Twitter at @WKUSoftball, Instagram @WKU_Softball and Facebook /WKUSoftball.
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