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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Back for the lone Conference USA series at Nick Denes Field this month, WKU Baseball hosts Florida Atlantic for a three-game set from April 19-21. The Friday-to-Sunday series between the Hilltoppers and Owls will have first pitch times of 3 p.m., 1 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.
The first two contests will feature righty Reece Calvert and lefty Troy Newell for WKU, while Florida Atlantic will send righties Blake Sanderson and Mike Ruff to the bump.
SERIES HISTORY
- The Owls hold a 27-12 advantage in the all-time series, having won 8-of-10 games against the Hilltoppers over the past four seasons as C-USA foes.
- Florida Atlantic swept WKU in two-game sets in 2015 and 2018, while the Owls all three contests in 2016 in Boca Raton.
- The Hilltoppers won 2-of-3 in Bowling Green in 2017, their first winning series against Florida Atlantic since 2011. WKU also won 2-of-3 games in 2009.
- Both of the series wins in 2011 and 2009 were at Nick Denes Field. The Hilltoppers are 7-11 in the head-to-head series at home and 3-4 at neutral sites, but only 2-12 on the road.
WKU PREVIEW
- WKU past week recaps: FRIDAY at Marshall (L, 2-8) | SATURDAY DH at Marshall (L, 7-11 & W, 16-11) | TUESDAY at Belmont (W, 12-7)
- With Davis Sims and Richard Constantine due to miss the remainder of the 2019 season, the Hilltoppers will look to continue their outstanding production at the first base position. Those two combined to go 64-for-168 at the plate for a .380 batting average, reach base at a .464 clip and post a slugging percentage of .577. They scored 40 runs, drove in 33 and smacked 17 extra-base hits — nine doubles and eight homeruns.
- Other than right fielder Jake Sanford, WKU's leading hitter has been infielder Jack Wilson. The Elizabethtown native boasts a .308/.429/.419 slash line, leading tying for the team lead with 11 doubles while pacing the club with 10 hit by pitches, which ranks 76th in the country. Wilson has 36 hits, 23 runs scored, 19 batted in and has drawn 15 walks at the plate.
- The Hilltoppers are 12-5-1 at home, 5-2-1 on Sunday's, 4-1-1 when wearing white caps, 7-3 in one-run games, 5-1 in walk-off wins, 15-9-1 on turf (at least infield), 5-0 when their starter goes five-plus innings, 14-9-1 when the opponent starts a righty, 12-3-1 when the opponent's starter goes fewer than five innings, 9-2 when scoring in the first inning, 4-9 when the opponent scores in the first inning and 12-4 when out-hitting their opponent.
- WKU Athletics will honor the 1969 Hilltopper Baseball team for its 50-year reunion on Saturday, April 20 at Nick Denes Field before the 2019 club's game vs. Florida Atlantic that begins at 1 p.m. Around 15 members of the team along with their guests are expected to return. With gates opening at 11 a.m., the group will gather down the third-base line prior to the game, and be honored on the field prior to first pitch, estimated at 12:40 p.m. (MORE INFO)
FLORIDA ATLANTIC PREVIEW
- Florida Atlantic past week recaps: FRIDAY vs. Louisiana Tech (L, 3-5) | SATURDAY vs. Louisiana Tech (L, 1-2) | SUNDAY vs. Louisiana Tech (W, 11-3) | TUESDAY at UCF (W, 5-3)
- The Owls enter the series with a 25-11 overall record and a 12-3 C-USA mark to lead the league. Florida Atlantic dropped 2-of-3 against the Bulldogs, but has swept Rice, FIU and Charlotte in league play, while also taking 2-of-3 from UAB.
- The Owls have won five of six road contests against league foes. They now have also won 4-of-5 midweek games after defeating the Knights on Tuesday, 5-3. Utility player Andru Summerall hit his second home run in as many games, and the pitching staff gave up only two earned runs to lower its season ERA to 4.00, the lowest in the league.
- Three-hole hitter and second baseman Francisco Urbaez leads Florida Atlantic with a .358/.446/.597 slash line, seven homeruns and 32 runs scored, while his 27 batted in are tied for most. Leadoff man and center fielder Eric Rivera has started all 36 games and has 110 put-outs in the outfield. At the plate, Rivera is slashing .338/.420/.465 with a team-high 53 hits — 10 of them for extra-bases — to go along with 30 runs scored and 27 batted in.
- On the mound, Friday starter Blake Sanderson boasts a 7-1 record and 3.51 earned run average in nine starts. He has struck out 45 while hitting five and only issuing 12 walks in 59 innings. He has held opponents to 61 knocks and a .264 batting average. Saturday starter Mike Ruff owns a 4-1 mark and 5.05 earned run average in nine starts. He has more of a swing-and-miss knack, with 60 punch outs in 52 innings pitched. He has held opponents to a .257 batting average while issuing 19 walks but zero hit by pitches.
PROMOTIONS
- Saturday: Free WKU jersey towels for the first 100 fans in attendance ... Free Easter egg hunt for children on the field after the game ... Honoring the 50-year reunion of the 1969 Hilltopper team.
- Sunday Funday: All fans receive free admission ... 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.
