WKU Game Notes (PDF)
BOCA RATON, Fla. — Hoping to dodge raindrops in The Sunshine State, WKU Baseball will play Florida Atlantic in a three-game set to cap the regular season. The Hilltoppers and Owls face off on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with the game times (in CT) at 3 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 12 noon, respectively.
Series History
Since the first meeting in 2007, WKU and FAU have played a series every season except 2014, with the Owls boasting a 25-12 advantage. The Hilltoppers went 2-1 against FAU in the 2008 Sun Belt Tournament to win the conference championship and qualify for NCAA Regionals.
Going into the 2017 series in Bowling Green, WKU had lost 10 consecutive games against the Owls, but the Hilltoppers won 2-of-3 the weekend of May 12-14.
On Friday night, starter Ryan Thurston earned the win with 6.1 innings of 3-run ball, and reliever Jackson Sowell closed out the final 2.2 frames for the save. Senior Thomas Peter went 3-for-4 with a homerun in the eighth inning to get the score to its final of 6-4. With the game at a 5-4 tally in the top of the inning, the right fielder threw out the potential tying run at home plate for the third out.
On Saturday, FAU hung on for a 5-3 victory after getting out to a 4-0 lead in the third inning. Colie Currie and former Hilltopper Wyatt Featherston each hit a solo homerun.
On Sunday, which was Senior Day for WKU, the hosts pounded out 12 hits to overcome a 4-0 deficit in the third inning. Currie, Kevin Lambert, Hunter Wood and Leiff Clarkson had multi-knock efforts, and Ben Morrison got the final six outs without allowing a hit to clinch the 7-6 win. With the game knotted at 6-6 in the eighth, Currie singled with two outs, stole second, then scored on a pair of Owl errors.
Series Preview
Florida Atlantic is 34-15-1 overall and has a 17-8-1 record in Conference USA play, good for second in the league standings. The Owls took 2-of-3 games at Middle Tennessee last weekend.
Shortstop Tyler Frank and right fielder David Miranda represent FAU's best bats, typically hitting No. 2 and 3 in the lineup.
Frank leads the team with 30 extra-base hits (11 homeruns, 18 doubles and one triple), as well as 53 runs and a .320/.445/.593 slash line. In the field, the junior has committed 13 errors in 216 total chances (.940).
Miranda is the most recent C-USA Hitter of the Week, earning the honor after hitting three homeruns with eight RBI. In the three contests against the Blue Raiders and a midweek against UCF, the senior slashed .333/.400/1.000.
On the mound, the Owls are projected to pitch lefty Jake Miednik on Thursday, followed by righties Vince Coletti and Mark Nowatnick.
Miednick is 6-1 with a 3.24 ERA in 10 starts and leads FAU with 74 strikeouts, and only 13 walks issued, in 66.2 innings pitched. Meanwhile, bullpen righties Zach Schneider and Drew Peden have combined for a 12-1 record and 16 saves in 46 appearances.
Ryan Thurston will get the Thursday nod for the Hilltoppers, followed by TBA and TBA in the final two contests. The lefty stands at 297 career strikeouts at WKU and will be making his 14th start for the third-straight year. With his second out of the game, he would surpass his career-high mark of 79.1 innings pitched.
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