THE SCHEDULE
- The Hilltoppers will open their series on Friday, April 1 with a 6 p.m. CT matchup against the Blue Raiders.
- WKU will then play the Blue Raiders at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, April 2.
- The Hilltoppers will close out their series against Middle Tennessee on Sunday, April 3 at 1 p.m. CT.
LAST TIME OUT
- WKU dropped its midweek matchup to No. 5 Louisville, 16-6, on Tuesday night at Nick Denes Field.
- After the Cardinals opened the game with an early 6-1 lead, the Hilltoppers battled back with four runs in the bottom of the third to put the game at 6-5, but ultimately couldn't keep up with Louisville's high-powered offense.
- At the plate, the Hilltoppers tallied 11 hits and four walks, with four players producing multi-hit performances. Ty Batusich, Ty Crittenberger, Andrew Delaney and Brian McAuliffe all recorded two hits apiece, with Batusich and McAuliffe each adding home runs in the contest.
FRESHMAN ON FIRE
- True freshman Ty Batusich leads the team in batting average (.363), on-base percentage (.457), slugging percentage (.738), home runs (eight), runs (21), RBI (27) and total bases (59).
- Batusich currently ranks second in Conference USA in home runs, third in slugging percentage, sixth in RBI, 11th in batting average and 12th in on-base percentage.
- Batusich was named the C-USA Hitter of the Week on Monday, March 7 after slashing .471/.500/.706 in four starts while racking up eight hits – including a double and home run – to go along with two runs and 10 RBI against (RV) Kentucky and Hartford.
SERIES HISTORY
- WKU and Middle Tennessee have met 240 times in program history, with the Hilltoppers owning a 128-110-2 all-time series edge.
- The teams last met on April 18, 2021, with WKU earning a 3-1 home victory over the Blue Raiders.
- The Hilltoppers have won their past two meeting against Middle Tennessee.
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
- WKU is 9-15 (1-5 C-USA) on the season following its loss to No. 5 Louisville on Tuesday.
- Offensively, three Hilltoppers are hitting over .300 in Ty Batusich (.363), Aidan Gilroy (.348) and Tristin Garcia (.344).
- On the mound, WKU has struck out 197 batters in 206.0 innings of action.
SCOUTING THE BLUE RAIDERS
- Middle Tennessee is 11-13 (3-3 C-USA) on the year following its win against Tennessee Tech on Tuesday.
- At the plate, the Blue Raiders have two players hitting above .300, led by Mason Speirs who owns a .375 batting average.
- On the mound, Middle Tennessee has struck out 188 batters in 207.1 innings of work.
