LAST TIME OUT
- The Hilltoppers took two of three games against Valpo in their first series of the season.
- WKU earned a 9-3 win in its opener, with Michael Darrell-Hicks recording the win in his first appearance on the mound since 2018 while fanning eight batters and allowing just one hit and no runs in 5.0 innings of action.
- The Hilltoppers took game two against Valpo via a 6-2 victory, with the bottom of their lineup recording a majority of their plate production. The team's six through eight hitters (Matt Phipps, Sam McElreath and Kevin Lambert) accounted for two of the squad's five hits and five of the team's six runs.
- WKU dropped its series finale against the Crusaders, with Valpo earning a 5-3 win in extras after scoring two runs in the 10th inning.
SERIES HISTORY
- WKU and Murray State have faced each other 133 times in a series that dates back to 1932, with the Hilltoppers owning a slight 67-65-1 all-time edge.
- The two teams last met on Feb. 27, 2019, with the Hilltoppers recorded a 9-5 home victory against Murray State.
- WKU has won 20 of its past 22 meetings against the Racers dating back to 1980.
WKU PREVIEW
- The Hilltoppers are 2-1 on the season following their first series of the year against the Valpo Crusaders.
- Offensively, WKU currently has two players hitting over .300 on the season in Lambert (.364) and Phipps (.333). Lambert currently paces the team in hits (four), runs (four), RBI (four) and doubles (three).
- The Hilltoppers have seen some strong performances on the mound to start the season, with the team currently owning a 2.57 ERA while recording 33 strikeouts in 28.0 innings of play. Jake Kates currently leads the squad with 10 strikeouts, followed closely behind by Darrell-Hicks with eight.
MURRAY STATE PREVIEW
- The Racers are 0-3 on the year after dropping three contests to Southern Miss this past weekend.
- At the plate, Murray State is led by Jordan Holly and Ryan Perkins, with Holly compiling a .500 batting average and Perkins hitting .364 on the season.
- The Racers currently own a 5.25 ERA on the year, with Shane Burns leading the team in strikeouts after fanning seven batters in his first appearance of the season.
