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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — For the first time in 25 months, WKU Baseball will head across town to 300 East 8th Avenue and take to the dirt of Bowling Green Ballpark for a marquee matchup against in-state, SEC rival Kentucky. First pitch on Tuesday, April 23 between the Hilltoppers and Wildcats will be at 5 p.m., with righty Jeff Ciocco facing off against lefty Dillon Marsh.
Fans are encouraged to wear red to match the Hilltopper Baseball team jerseys. All WKU students receive free admission, and the first 250 students also get a free red t-shirt. Tickets are available for purchase online HERE, by calling 1-800-5-BIGRED or at the ticket window at Bowling Green Ballpark.
SERIES HISTORY
- The Hilltoppers and Wildcats have met 64Â times on the diamond, with Kentucky holding a 36-28 advantage in the all-time series. However, the Hilltoppers boast a 13-13 record in home games.
- WKU and Kentucky first met in 1967, with the Hilltoppers winning by a score of 9-7 in Lexington. Since 1995, the programs have played at least once every season except for 2005.
- WKU is currently on a four-game losing streak against the Wildcats, the team's longest skid in the series since a seven-game skid from 1992-95.
- Kentucky defeated the Hilltoppers 15-0 in Lexington on March 13. In the previous two meetings, the Wildcats eked out 4-3 victories. Recaps: Feb. 27, 2018 (L, 3-4) | March 21, 2017 (L, 3-4)
- Today marks the six-year anniversary of the longest game in Hilltopper history, when WKU defeated Kentucky by a score of 3-2 in 18 innings on April 23, 2013. Outfielder Trevor Lowe hit a walk-off homerun to win the contest at Bowling Green Ballpark.
WKU PREVIEW
- WKU past week recaps: TUESDAY at Belmont (W, 12-7) | FRIDAY & SATURDAY vs. Florida Atlantic (L, 5-8 & W, 11-4) | SUNDAY vs. Florida Atlantic (L, 4-6)
- Starter Jeff Ciocco currently sports a 4.30 earned run average across 14.2 innings in eight appearances. The junior from Blue Anchor, N.J., is enjoying his best year as a Hilltopper, allowing only 14 hits and a .259 batting average against. Ciocco actually started for WKU in the last game at Bowling Green Ballpark; he went four frames and allowed four runs on six hits on March 21, 2017 against Kentucky. (RECAP)
- Right fielder Jake Sanford continues his hitting tear, and now leads Conference USA in virtually every offensive category with a .408/.489/.868 slash line, 18 homeruns, 32 extra-base hits, 55 runs batted in, 49 runs scored and 132 total bases. His .868 slugging percentage actually leads the country, while his 132 total bases are second, 18 homeruns are third and 55 runs batted in are fifth.
- The Hilltoppers are 7-2 all-time at Bowling Green Ballpark, including 4-1 against the Wildcats. This season, WKU is 14-8-1 in the state of Kentucky, 5-6 in night games (starting at 5 p.m. or later), 3-3 on Tuesday's, 9-8-1 wearing red jerseys, 8-5 wearing red caps, 2-8 on grass (at least infield), 7-3 in one-run games, 5-1 in walk-off wins, 9-3 when scoring in the first inning and 13-4 when out-hitting the opponent.
KENTUCKY PREVIEW
- Kentucky past week recaps: TUESDAY vs. Louisville (L, 6-18) | THURSDAY vs. Tennessee (L, 2-4) | FRIDAY vs. Tennessee (L, 1-16) | SATURDAY vs. Tennessee (L, 2-8)
- The Wildcats enter the week with a 20-20 overall record, including 16-6Â in non-conference play. After sweeping No. 10 Ole Miss on a doubleheader on Sunday, April 14, Kentucky is on a four-game losing skid, falling to the Cardinals in midweek before suffering a sweep at the hands of the Volunteers this past weekend.
- Left fielder Ryan Shinn leads most offensive categories, boasting a .313/.407/.639 slash line while starting all 40 games. He has scored 33 runs while smacking 15 doubles and 11 homeruns. Shinn and Hilltopper infielder Joey Schwartz both went to Harford CC (Md.).
- Freshman Dillon Marsh has made 10 starts in his rookie campaign and boasts a 2-1 record and 6.32 earned run average in 31.1 frames. He has allowed 36 hits while holding opponents to a .275 batting average against, and also recording 31 strikeouts. In the teams' previous meeting on March 13, Marsh had his best outing of the year, going four scoreless innings while posting three strikeouts and allowing only one hit.
- Despite a 20-20 overall record, the Wildcats rank 38th in the most recent RPI calculation; they are the only club at a .500 mark in the top 64. The unrelenting SEC schedule continues for Big Blue following this midweek game, as the team travels to Gainesville, Fla., for a three-game set against the Gators, then return to Lexington to host No. 8 Arkansas.
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.
