THE SCHEDULE
- The Hilltoppers will open their series on Friday, April 23 with a 4 p.m. CT matchup against Southern Miss.
- WKU will then play a seven-inning doubleheader against the Golden Eagles beginning at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 24.
- The Hilltoppers will close out their series with Southern Miss on Sunday, April 25 at 1 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
- WKU split its four-game home series against Middle Tennessee, dropping the first two games of the weekend before bouncing back for two straight wins to even the series.
- The Hilltoppers fell in the opener, 7-5, after their comeback attempt following an early 5-0 deficit came up short.
- WKU then dropped game one of its Saturday doubleheader, 3-0, before taking game two via a 5-4 victory.
- The Hilltoppers closed out the series with a 3-1 win in the finale.
FIRST AIN'T FREE
- The Hilltoppers currently rank seventh in the nation and third in Conference USA with just 2.56 walks allowed per nine innings.
- WKU also ranks 13th in the country and third in the conference with a 3.35 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
- Individually, Sean Bergeron currently ranks seventh in the nation with 0.83 walks allowed per nine innings and 11th with a 9.60 strikeout-to-walk ratio, while ranking first in the league in both categories.
NO DOUBLE TROUBLE
- WKU currently ranks 12th in the nation and third in Conference USA with 74 doubles on the season, with the squad averaging 2.06 doubles per game.
- Matthew Meyer leads the team with 12 doubles on the year, which ranks 34th in the country and fourth 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 Southern Miss have met just 12 times in program history, with the Golden Eagles currently owning a 10-2 all-time edge.
- The teams last met on April 8, 2018, with Southern Miss earning a 14-1 home win.
- The Hilltoppers' last victory against the Golden Eagles came on April 7, 2018, with the squad recording a 7-1 road win.
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
- WKU is 18-18 (8-8 C-USA) on the season following its series split against Middle Tennessee.
- Offensively, there are two Hilltopper regulars batting over .300 on the year in Jackson Gray (.412) and Matthew Meyer (.327).
- Gray currently ranks first in Conference USA in batting average while ranking second in the league with a .523 on-base percentage.
- On the mound, WKU pitchers have struck out 288 batters while allowing just 86 walks through 301.0 innings of action.
- Jake Kates currently leads the team with 66 strikeouts on the season, which ranks 38th in the country and fourth in the conference.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
- Southern Miss is 23-12 (10-5 C-USA) on the year after splitting its road series at No. 13 Louisiana Tech.
- The Golden Eagles are currently receiving votes in the NCBWA and USA Today Coaches Poll while ranking 15th nationally in RPI.
- At the plate, Southern Miss has three starters hitting .300 or better on the season, with Gabe Montenegro leading the way at .338.
- The Golden Eagles' pitching staff currently boasts a 3.62 ERA while recording 331 strikeouts in 295.2 innings of work.
