THE SCHEDULE
- The Hilltoppers will open their series on Friday, April 22 with a 5 p.m. CT matchup against Marshall.
- WKU will then play the Thundering Herd at noon CT on Saturday, April 23.
- The Hilltoppers will close out their series against Marshall on Sunday, April 24 at 1 p.m. CT.
BARK IN THE PARK
- The Hilltoppers will be holding a special Bark in the Park promotion for Sunday's game.
- The first 50 fans in attendance will receive a free dog bandana.
- All dogs must be kept on a leash while at Nick Denes Field.
LAST TIME OUT
- WKU Baseball dropped its midweek matchup to Lipscomb, 5-3, on Tuesday night at Nick Denes Field.
- The Hilltoppers and Bisons were tied at 2-2 through four frames before Lipscomb scored two runs in the fifth to jump ahead, taking the lead for good en route to the eventual 5-3 win.
- Luke Stofel earned the starting nod on the mound for WKU, surrendering six hits and four runs while not allowing a walk and recording four strikeouts in 4.1 frames. The Hilltoppers then utilized Jake Kates, Logan Bowen, Hunter Crosby and Mason Vinyard in relief, with the group combining to allow just three hits and one run (unearned) while striking out five in 4.2 innings of work.
- At the plate, WKU tallied six hits and three walks. Andrew Delaney led the way, going 2-for-4, while Justin Carlin, Ty Crittenberger, Aidan Gilroy and Brian McAuliffe each added one hit apiece.
FRESHMAN ON FIRE
- True freshman Ty Batusich leads the team in batting average (.333), on-base percentage (.427), slugging percentage (.593), home runs (eight), runs (27), RBI (29) and total bases (73) while ranking second in doubles (eight) and walks (13).
- Batusich currently ranks 15th in Conference USA in slugging percentage, 17th in home runs and 19th 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.
FIRST AIN'T FREE
- The Hilltopper pitching staff currently ranks third in Conference USA and 31st in the nation with just 3.42 walks allowed per nine innings.
- WKU also ranks third in C-USA and 50th in the country with a 2.52 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
- Individually, Devyn Terbrak currently ranks fifth in C-USA in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.33) and sixth in walks allowed per nine innings (1.50).
SERIES HISTORY
- WKU and Marshall have met 35 times in program history, with the Hilltoppers owning a 20-15 all-time series edge.
- The teams last met on May 2, 2021, with WKU earning a 10-6 road win.
- The Hilltoppers have won nine straight games against the Thundering Herd, with eight of those wins coming in the 2021 season.
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
- WKU is 13-23 (4-11 C-USA) on the season following its loss to Lipscomb on Tuesday.
- Offensively, two Hilltoppers are hitting over .300 in Ty Batusich (.333) and Tristin Garcia (.333).
- On the mound, WKU has struck out 295 batters in 308.0 innings of action.
SCOUTING THE HERD
- Marshall is 16-21-1 (5-10 C-USA) on the year following its loss to Ohio State on Tuesday.
- At the plate, the Thundering Herd have two players hitting above .300, led by Luke Edwards who owns a .352 batting average.
- On the mound, Marshall has struck out 345 batters in 327.0 innings of work.
