THE SCHEDULE
- The Hilltoppers will open their series on Friday, March 6 with a 3 p.m. CT matchup against Purdue.
- WKU will play game two against the Boilermakers at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 7.
- The Hilltoppers will close out their series with Purdue on Sunday, March 8 at 1 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
- The Hilltoppers dropped a back-and-forth battle, 9-7, to Belmont on Tuesday, March 3 at Nick Denes Field.
- There were three ties and three lead changes during the game before the Bruins eventually pulled away with a three-run eighth inning.
- Davis Sims provided a lift to the WKU offense throughout the game, producing career-highs in hits (four), doubles (two) and RBI (five).
NO DOUBLE TROUBLE
- The Hilltoppers currently rank 12th in the nation and first in Conference USA with 30 doubles through their first 12 games, averaging out to 2.50 doubles per game.
- Jack Wilson leads the squad with eight doubles on the year, which ranks 2nd in the country and first in C-USA.
STRONG GLOVE GAME
- Through 12 contests, the Hilltoppers sit at 16th in the nation with a team fielding percentage of .985, which ranks first in the conference.
- The squad has committed just seven errors in 465 chances, as opposed to 17 errors in 424 chances (.960) by their opponents.
RUN IT UP
- With 92 runs scored so far this season, WKU currently ranks 34th in the country and third in C-USA in runs through its first 12 games.
- Jackson Swiney paces the team with 17 runs on the season, which ranks 12th in the nation and first among conference players.
PRODUCTION AT THE PLATE
- WKU currently owns a team batting average of .280 on the season, compared to a .268 average by Hilltopper opponents.
- Six regulars are hitting .270 or better so far this year, including four players at .327 or above.
- Wilson currently leads the team with a .340 batting average, followed by both Matt Phipps and Ray Zuberer III at .333 and Sims at .327.
MOWING THEM DOWN ON THE MOUND
- The Hilltopper pitching staff has struck out 107 batters through 109.0 innings of action so far this season, which equates to 8.83 strikeouts per nine innings.
- Five pitchers have fanned 10 or more batters on the season, with Jake Kates (25), Michael Darrell-Hicks (14), Collin Lollar (13), Sean Bergeron (11) and Bailey Sutton (10) all in double digits.
- Kates' 25 strikeouts have come in just 13.1 innings of play, giving him an impressive strikeout rate of 16.88 per nine innings, which ranks ninth in the nation and first in C-USA.
BLAST FROM THE PURDUE PAST
- Assistant Coach Ben Wolgamot played at Purdue in 2008 and 2009 after transferring to the Boilermakers from Danville Area CC.
- In his two seasons with the team, Wolgamot produced a .311 batting average and .411 on-base percentage to go along with 87 hits, 13 doubles, 46 RBI, 41 walks and 66 runs.
SERIES HISTORY
- WKU and Purdue have met just nine times in program history, with the Boilermakers owning a slight 5-4 all-time edge against the Hilltoppers.
- The two teams' last game came on March 2, 2008, with the Hilltoppers earning a 5-0 home victory.
- WKU has come out victorious in its past four matchups against Purdue.
SCOUTING THE BOILERMAKERS
- The Boilermakers are 6-5 on the season, most recently dropping a midweek matchup to Indiana, 17-2.
- Purdue has two players currently hitting over .300 for the year, led by Zac Fascia at .314.
- The Boilermakers pitching staff has accumulated a 5.57 team ERA to-date, while recording 84 strikeouts through 95.1 innings of play.
