THE SCHEDULE
- The Hilltoppers will open their series on Friday, April 8 with a 5 p.m. CT matchup against FIU.
- WKU will then play the Panthers at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday, April 9.
- The Hilltoppers will close out their series against FIU on Sunday, April 10 at noon CT.
LAST TIME OUT
- WKU battled back from a five-run deficit to earn a 9-8 victory over Belmont on Tuesday night at Nick Denes Field.
- After the Bruins jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the top of fifth, the Hilltoppers used a grand slam by Brian McAuliffe in the bottom of the frame and a four-run eighth-inning explosion to produce the eventual 9-8 win.
- Luke Stofel earned the starting nod on the mound for WKU, allowing four runs while striking out four batters in 4.0 frames. The Hilltoppers utilized six relief pitchers from there, with Lane Diuguid picking up the win and Mason Vinyard earning his team-high sixth save of the season.
- Offensively, the Hilltoppers racked up 10 hits and three walks, with two players producing multi-hit performances. Ty Batusich led the way with a 3-for-5 outing, adding an RBI and run, while Tristin Garcia went 2-for-5 to go along with two runs and two RBI.
FRESHMAN ON FIRE
- True freshman Ty Batusich leads the team in batting average (.351), on-base percentage (.438), slugging percentage (.670), home runs (eight), runs (21), RBI (28) and total bases (65).
- Batusich currently ranks sixth in Conference USA in slugging percentage, seventh in home runs, ninth in both batting average and RBI and 11th in total bases.
- 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 FIU have met 74 times in program history, with the Panthers owning a slight 39-35 all-time series edge.
- The teams last met on April 3, 2021, with FIU earning a 10-0 home victory over the Hilltoppers.
- The Hilltoppers and Panthers have split their previous six contests against each other.
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
- WKU is 11-17 (2-7 C-USA) on the season following its win over Belmont on Tuesday.
- Offensively, three Hilltoppers are hitting over .300 in Ty Batusich (.351), Tristin Garcia (.336) and Aidan Gilroy (.333).
- On the mound, WKU has struck out 226 batters in 240.0 innings of action.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
- FIU is 10-18 (3-6 C-USA) on the year following its loss to No. 8 Miami on Wednesday.
- At the plate, the Panthers have four players hitting above .300, led by Adrian Figueroa who owns a .313 batting average.
- On the mound, FIU has struck out 287 batters in 249.2 innings of work.
