THE SCHEDULE
- The Hilltoppers will open their series on Thursday, May 19 with a 5 p.m. CT matchup against Old Dominion.
- WKU will then play the Monarchs at 5 p.m. CT on Friday, May 20.
- The Hilltoppers will close out their series against Old Dominion on Saturday, May 21 at 1 p.m. CT.
SENIOR DAY
- Senior Day is set for Saturday, May 21 at approximately 12:40 p.m. CT prior to first pitch.
- The Hilltoppers will be recognizing 11 seniors in players Sean Bergeron, Logan Bowen, Justin Carlin, Hunter Evans, Jake Kates, Ryan Luckett, Brian McAuliffe, Aristotle Peter, Mason Vinyard and Brett Wicklund and head student manager Matthew Givens.
LAST TIME OUT
- WKU Baseball earned a 10-2 win over Bellarmine on Tuesday afternoon at Knights Field.
- Luke Sinnard earned the starting nod on the mound for WKU, picking up his first win of the year after allowing just four hits and one run to go along a career-high five strikeouts in 6.0 innings. Logan Bowen closed out the final 3.0 innings, surrendering four hits and one run while striking out three to earn his second save of the season.
- At the plate, the Hilltoppers racked up nine hits and 11 walks, with three players producing multi-hit performances. Ty Batusich, Ty Crittenberger and AJ Fiechter each recorded two hits apiece, with Fiechter, Crittenberger and Justin Carlin also adding home runs in the contest.
GARCIA GOT GAME
- Tristin Garcia ranks first on the team in batting average (.314), total bases (92), hits (65) and doubles (17) while ranking second in slugging percentage (.444) and runs (36).
- Garcia is currently tied for fifth in Conference USA in doubles while ranking 25th in batting average.
- Garcia has produced 23 multi-hit, seven multi-run and six multi-RBI games throughout the season.
FRESHMAN ON FIRE
- True freshman Ty Batusich leads the team in slugging percentage (.494), runs (38), walks (24) and home runs (eight) while ranking second in on-base percentage (.411), hits (50) and RBI (32).
- Batusich is currently tied for 30th in Conference USA in home runs, 33rd in on-base percentage and 36th in slugging percentage.
- Batusich was named the C-USA Hitter of the Week on 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 17th in the nation with just 3.25 walks allowed per nine innings.
- WKU also ranks third in C-USA and 39th in the country with a 2.55 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
- Individually, Devyn Terbrak currently ranks fourth in C-USA in both strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.21) and walks allowed per nine innings (1.54).
SERIES HISTORY
- WKU and Old Dominion have met 19 times in program history, with the Monarchs owning a 12-7 all-time series edge.
- The teams last met on May 16, 2021, with Old Dominion earning a 13-2 home victory.
- The Hilltoppers' last win against the Monarchs came on May 15, 2021, with WKU earning a 7-6 victory over then-ranked No. 23 Old Dominion, marking the Hilltoppers' first win over a ranked opponent since 2018.
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
- WKU is 18-33 (7-20 C-USA) on the season following its 10-2 victory against Bellarmine on Tuesday.
- Offensively, the Hilltoppers are led by Tristin Garcia, who owns a team-high .314 batting average.
- On the mound, WKU has struck out 403 batters in 437.0 innings of action.
SCOUTING THE MONARCHS
- Old Dominion is 35-15 (16-11 C-USA) on the year following its 8-6 win over VMI on Tuesday.
- The Monarchs are currently receiving votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Poll and USA Today Coaches Poll.
- At the plate, Old Dominion has five players hitting above .300, led by Matt Coutney who owns a .359 batting average.
- On the mound, the Monarchs own a 4.70 ERA and have struck out 450 batters in 452.1 innings of work.
