THE SCHEDULE
- The Hilltoppers will open their series on Friday, May 14 with a 2 p.m. CT matchup against Old Dominion.
- WKU will then play a seven-inning doubleheader against the Monarchs beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 15.
- The Hilltoppers will close out their series with Old Dominion on Sunday, May 16 at 11 a.m.
LAST TIME OUT
- WKU dropped its home series against Florida Atlantic, three games to one.
- The Hilltoppers split their Friday doubleheader with the Owls, picking up a 6-5 win in game two following a walk-off RBI-single by Justin Carlin.
- WKU then fell in both games of its Saturday doubleheader against Florida Atlantic via finals of 6-3 and 6-1.
FIRST AIN'T FREE
- The Hilltoppers currently rank 10th in the nation and third in Conference USA with just 2.89 walks allowed per nine innings.
- WKU also ranks 31st in the country and third in the conference with a 2.86 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
- Individually, Sean Bergeron currently ranks seventh in the nation with 1.03 walks allowed per nine innings and 18th with a 7.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio, while ranking first and second in the conference in each category.
NO DOUBLE TROUBLE
- WKU currently ranks ninth in the nation and third in Conference USA with 97 doubles on the season, with the squad averaging 2.02 doubles per game.
- Matthew Meyer and Ray Zuberer III are tied for the team lead with 13 doubles on the year, which is tied for eighth 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 Old Dominion have faced each other just 15 times in program history, with the Monarchs owning a 9-6 all-time edge.
- The teams last met in the C-USA Tournament on May 22, 2019, with the Hilltoppers earning a 7-4 victory in the contest.
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
- WKU is 24-24 (14-14 C-USA) on the season following its series against Florida Atlantic.
- Offensively, there are two Hilltopper regulars batting over .300 on the year in Jackson Gray (.347) and Matthew Meyer (.303).
- Gray currently ranks fourth in Conference USA with a .453 on-base percentage while ranking sixth in batting average.
- On the mound, WKU pitchers have struck out 363 batters while allowing just 127 walks through 395.0 innings of action.
- Jake Kates currently leads the team with 82 strikeouts on the season, which ranks fourth in the conference.
SCOUTING THE MONARCHS
- Old Dominion is 33-13 (19-9 C-USA) on the year after splitting its recent series against UTSA.
- The Monarchs are currently ranked by multiple national outlets, sitting at No. 23 in the most recent Baseball America poll, while also ranking 13th in RPI.
- At the plate, Old Dominion has six starters hitting .300 or better on the season, with Trice Carter leading the way at .349.
- The Monarchs' pitching staff currently owns a 4.22 ERA while recording 442 strikeouts in 384.0 innings of work.
