LAST TIME OUT
- WKU Baseball closed out its regular season with its longest game of the season, going 14 frames against Eastern Kentucky while earning a 4-3 win following Matthew Meyer's walk-off RBI single.
- Mason Vinyard tossed a team-high 4.0 frames in the contest, allowing just one hit to go along with a career-high seven strikeouts, while Aaron Shiflet picked up his first win of the season after surrendering just one hit and striking out a pair in 3.0 innings of work.
- At the plate, the Hilltoppers racked up 10 hits and eight walks, with three players producing multi-hit performances. Jackson Gray led the way, going 3-for-5 with a single, triple and home run while being robbed of the first cycle in program history after EKU's left fielder made a great play on a potential game-winning line drive to deep left center in the 12th inning. Meyer and Jackson Swiney also added two hits apiece in the contest, with Meyer collecting two RBI, including the game winner in the 14th frame.
FIRST AIN'T FREE
- The Hilltoppers currently rank 11th in the nation and third in Conference USA with just 2.95 walks allowed per nine innings.
- WKU also ranks 38th in the country and third in the conference with a 2.78 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
- Individually, Sean Bergeron currently ranks ninth in the nation with 1.09 walks allowed per nine innings and 15th with a 7.33 strikeout-to-walk ratio, while ranking first and second in the conference in each category.
NO DOUBLE TROUBLE
- WKU currently ranks 11th in the nation and third in Conference USA with 104 doubles on the season, with the squad averaging 1.96 doubles per game.
- Kevin Lambert, Matthew Meyer and Ray Zuberer III are all tied for the team lead with 13 doubles on the year.
- 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.
C-USA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
- The Hilltoppers made their first Conference USA Tournament appearance in 2019, after joining the league in 2015.
- WKU opened the tournament with a 7-4 win over Old Dominion before dropping contests against Florida Atlantic and UTSA.
SERIES HISTORY
- WKU and Southern Miss have met 16 times in program history, with the Golden Eagles owning a 13-3 all-time edge.
- The Hilltoppers have already played a four-game road set at Southern Miss this season, dropping the series, three games to one.
- WKU lost the first two games by one run apiece - 6-5 in each contest - before dropping game three by a 3-0 final and then winning the finale by a score of 9-4.
- During the four-game series, the Hilltoppers and Golden Eagles actually tied in total runs, 19-19.
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
- WKU is 26-27 (15-17 C-USA) on the season following its recent 4-3 victory over Eastern Kentucky.
- Offensively, there are three Hilltopper regulars batting over .300 on the year in Jackson Gray (.357), Matthew Meyer (.308) and Ray Zuberer III (.306).
- Gray currently ranks third in Conference USA in batting average and fifth in on-base percentage (.455).
- On the mound, WKU pitchers have struck out 397 batters while allowing just 143 walks through 437.0 innings of action.
- Jake Kates currently leads the team with 86 strikeouts on the season, which ranks fourth in the conference.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
- Southern Miss is 35-17 (22-9 C-USA) on the year after splitting its recent series against Florida Atlantic.
- The Golden Eagles are currently ranked by multiple national outlets, sitting at No. 17 in the most recent USA Today Coaches Poll, while also ranking 26th in RPI.
- At the plate, Southern Miss has three starters hitting .300 or better on the season, with Charlie Fischer leading the way at .333.
- The Golden Eagles' pitching staff currently owns a 3.53 ERA while striking out 480 batters in 430.2 innings of work.
