GAME NOTES (PDF)
LIVE STATS (all games)
AUDIO: DHÂ | G3
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Baseball hosts Eastern Illinois for a three-game set at Nick Denes Field, with a doubleheader on Sunday, Feb. 24 starting at 12 noon and the final contest on Monday, Feb. 25 at 3 p.m. Originally scheduled for a four-game series from Friday-to-Sunday, weather conditions forced the Hilltoppers and Panthers to instead play three games on Sunday and Monday.
SERIES HISTORY
- It will be the 17th, 18th and 19th all-time meetings for WKU and EIU.
- The Hilltoppers lead by a 12-4 margin, with all 16 games being played at Nick Denes Field.
- There have been five doubleheaders in the series, with four WKU sweeps and one split.
- The most recent game played in the series was on Feb. 24, 1991, exactly 28 years to the date.
WKU PREVIEW
- WKU game recaps: FRIDAY (W, 9-6) | SATURDAY (W, 5-4 [10]) | SUNDAY (W, 19-2) | TUESDAY (L, 1-3)
- The Hilltoppers outscored visiting NKU 33-12 in their opening series, including a 19-2 victory to clinch the sweep on Sunday afternoon. It was the first opening-series sweep for WKU since defeated Bowling Green three times to open the 2011 season. That year, the Hilltoppers started out 5-0 with wins over Lipscomb and Kansas State that followed.
- Over the weekend, the WKU offense had nine players with multiple hits, nine with multiple runs scored, eight with multiple runs batted in, eight with multiple walks and eight with extra-base hits. Eight different Hilltoppers have at least five plate appearances and boast a batting average .333 or higher and an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of .817 or higher.
- On the pitching side, the Hilltopper staff held the Norse to a .234 batting average against with only six extra-base hits. The combination of Friday starter Troy Newell, Saturday reliever Kenny LaPierre and Sunday reliever Dalton Shoemake went 14 innings with 16 strikeouts, while allowing only one run on six hits and four walks. In all, 12 of the 20 possible pitchers on the WKU roster made an appearance.
EASTERN ILLINOISÂ PREVIEW
- EIU game recaps: SATURDAY (L, 7-15 & L, 3-12) | SUNDAY (L, 2-3)
- EIU finished 2018 with a 23-31 record including a 12-18 mark in Ohio Valley Conference. This year, the Panthers and Hilltoppers have common opponents in Murray State, Belmont, Eastern Kentucky and Austin Peay.
- EIU will go with a trio of RHP in their weekend rotation, Tyler Jones, Michael YaSenka and Spenser Dexter. Dexter pitched four innings with three hits allowed and two strikeouts against No. 12 Arkansas on Sunday. He heads into the weekend sporting an ERA of 2.25.
- One of the Panthers' leading hitters is second baseman Jimmy Govern. Govern went 5-for-12 in the series against No. 12 Arkansas, finishing the weekend with six total bases, four runs, two RBI, a double and a walk.
PROMOTIONS
- Doubleheader: One ticket will be good for admission to both games on Sunday.
- Sunday Funday: Children aged 12 and under receive free admission, and a kid's lunch special that includes a hot dog, bag of chips and can of soda will be $5. After the game, children are invited to run the bases with Big Red.
Flexible season ticket packages are now available for purchase, including 30 tickets for $50 that can be used at any of the 29 home games throughout the 2019 campaign. Fans can purchase tickets HERE, by calling 1-800-5-BIGRED or in person at the WKU Ticket Office during business hours.
