THE SCHEDULE
- The Hilltoppers will open their series on Friday, March 4 with a 3 p.m. matchup against Hartford.
- WKU will then play the Hawks at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 5.
- The Hilltoppers will close out their series against Hartford on Sunday, March 6 at noon.
LAST TIME OUT
- WKU earned a road win over previously undefeated (RV) Kentucky, 7-5, on Tuesday afternoon at Kentucky Proud Park.
- The victory marked the Hilltoppers' first win over the Wildcats since March 15, 2016.
- On the mound, Mason Vinyard picked up the win after closing out the final 3.0 frames while allowing just three hits and striking out two.
- At the plate, four players produced multi-hit efforts, with Ty Batusich, Justin Carlin, Tristin Garcia and Aidan Gilroy all contributing two hits apiece.
FRESHMAN ON FIRE
- True freshman Ty Batusich has had a hot start to his first season on The Hill offensively, leading the team in home runs (four), RBI (12), total bases (24), on-base percentage (.500) and slugging percentage (.889) through the squad's first eight games.
- Batusich currently ranks 14th in the nation for home runs and 37th for slugging percentage, while ranking first in Conference USA in each category.
- In the Hilltoppers' recent four-game series against Central Michigan, Batusich produced a .500/.625/1.333 slash line while adding six runs, six RBI, three home runs and a double.
CLOSING TIME
- Relief pitcher Mason Vinyard has been a dominant presence on the mound in the early part of the season.
- In four appearances, Vinyard has compiled a 2-0 record with one save and a 1.17 ERA while allowing just six hits and one run to go along with 13 strikeouts in 7.2 innings of action.
- Dating back to the end of the 2021 season, Vinyard has struck out 33 batters in his last 19.0 innings of work.
SERIES HISTORY
- This weekend's series will mark the first meetings in program history between WKU and Hartford.
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
- WKU is 4-4 on the season following its 7-5 victory over (RV) Kentucky on Tuesday.
- Offensively, three Hilltoppers are hitting over .300 on the season in Tristin Garcia (.407), Aidan Gilroy (.394) and Ty Batusich (.370).
- On the mound, WKU has compiled a 4.50 team ERA while striking out 73 batters in 68.0 innings of action.
SCOUTING THE HAWKS
- Hartford is 0-3 on the year after dropping its three-game series against Clemson to start the season.
- At the plate, the Hawks have three players hitting above .300, led by Donnie Cohoon who currently owns a .571 batting average.
- On the mound, Hartford has struck out 14 batters in 24.0 innings of work so far this season.
