THE SCHEDULE
- The Hilltoppers will open their series on Friday, April 16 with a 5 p.m. CT matchup against Middle Tennessee.
- WKU will then play a seven-inning doubleheader against the Blue Raiders beginning at noon on Saturday, April 17.
- The Hilltoppers will close out their series with Middle Tennessee on Sunday, April 18 at 1 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
- WKU swept its four-game home series against Marshall.
- The Hilltoppers opened the weekend by taking both games in their Friday doubleheader against The Herd, with Jake Kates and Sean Bergeron each throwing complete games on the day.
- WKU clinched the series with a 5-2 win in game three, with Devyn Terbrak tossing the team's third consecutive complete game.
- The Hilltoppers finished off their sweep of Marshall with an 8-1 win in the finale.
GRAY TABBED C-USA HITTER OF THE WEEK
- Jackson Gray was tabbed the Conference USA Hitter of the Week, as announced by league officials on Monday, April 12.
- The recognition marks the second time this season a Hilltopper has been named C-USA Hitter of the Week, as Ray Zuberer III received the honor on March 15.
- Gray slashed an impressive .700/.750/1.100 during the Hilltoppers' four-game sweep of Marshall over the weekend. In total, he racked up seven hits, five RBI, four walks, three runs, two steals, one home run and one double.
- Gray's home run proved to be his most important hit of the weekend, as it came with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to give WKU a 1-0 walk-off win against The Herd in game one of Friday's doubleheader.
- For the season, Gray now ranks first in C-USA with a .400 batting average and second in the league with a .513 on-base percentage.
NO DOUBLE TROUBLE
- WKU currently ranks second in the nation and first in Conference USA with 72 doubles on the season, with the squad averaging 2.25 doubles per game.
- Matthew Meyer leads the team with 12 doubles on the year, which ranks 13th in the country and second in the conference.
- In the shortened 2020 season, the Hilltoppers closed out their campaign ranked 10th in the nation and first in C-USA with 41 doubles in just 16 games.
SERIES HISTORY
- WKU and Middle Tennessee have met 236 times in program history, with the Hilltoppers owning a 126-108-2 all-time edge.
- The teams last met on April 7, 2019, with WKU dropping an 11-4 road decision at Middle Tennessee.
- The Hilltoppers' last win against the Blue Raiders came on March 18, 2018, where WKU recorded a 10-7 home victory.
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
- WKU is 16-16 on the season following its four-game sweep of Marshall.
- Offensively, there are two Hilltopper regulars batting over .300 on the year in Jackson Gray (.400) and Matthew Meyer (.354).
- Gray and Meyer both currently rank in the top-10 in Conference USA for both batting average and on-base percentage.
- On the mound, WKU pitchers have struck out 263 batters while allowing just 79 walks through 270.0 innings of action.
- Jake Kates currently ranks 17th in the nation with 63 strikeouts on the season, while Sean Bergeron ranks 19th in the country with a 9.20 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
SCOUTING THE BLUE RAIDERS
- Middle Tennessee is 16-14-1 on the year after dropping its recent weekend series against UTSA, three games to one.
- At the plate, the Blue Raiders are led by Cole Escher, who owns a team-high .354 batting average.
- Middle Tennessee's pitching staff currently boasts a 3.88 ERA while recording 272 strikeouts in 260.0 innings of work.
TICKETS AVAILABLE
- Capacity at WKU Baseball home games has increased to 50 percent. A limited number of tickets will now be sold at the gate beginning an hour prior to each contest. Tickets will be available on a first-come, first served basis. Tickets can be purchased for $5 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under. Fans are required to wear masks and practice social distancing during the game.
