| North Texas Series // March 24-26 // WKU Softball Complex | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 27: North Texas | Friday, Mar. 24 | 6 p.m. CT | HSSN on Facebook | Livestats | ||||
| Game 28: North Texas | Saturday, Mar. 25 | 1 p.m. CT | HSSN on Facebook | Livestats | ||||
| Game 29: North Texas | Sunday, Mar. 26 | 1 p.m. CT | BTM (Facebook Live) | Livestats | ||||
| Promotions | Master of the Spirit Weekend, HAF Weekend (HAF members receive free admission and an extra ticket) Payton O'Connor (Friday), Maddy Wood (Saturday), Abby Newman Trading Cards (Sunday) Autograph Saturdays |
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| Game Notes | WKU | North Texas | ||||
| Series History | WKU Leads, 28-20; Full History | ||||
| Social Media | @WKUSoftball  | @WKU Softball  | Facebook  | YouTube  | Tik Tok |
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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The Hilltoppers are back on The Hill for a seven-game homestand at the WKU Softball Complex, opening with a three-game series against North Texas this Friday-Sunday. The Conference USA home-opening series for WKU comes after the Red and White went 2-1 at UTEP last weekend, winning their C-USA opening series every season since joining the Conference in 2015.
The last meeting between the Tops and Mean Green was back in Denton in the Conference USA Tournament Championship, which North Texas run-ruled WKU for the bid to the NCAA Tournament. After not playing in a series in 2022, the Hilltoppers last played North Texas in a series back in 2019 at the WKU Softball Complex, as WKU pulled out the last two games of three to take the Mean Green in the series.
Last weekend on the road, The Red and White took care of the Miners in the final two contests after being walked-off Friday evening. In Saturday and Sunday's match ups, senior right-hander Katie Gardner recorded a 1.29 ERA with 10 innings of work and her sixth complete game of the season in Sunday's finale. The Sunday matinee also featured fifth-year senior Taylor Davis' perfect four-for-four afternoon at the plate -- tied for her single-game highest hits and the most of any Topper this season.
Streaming will be available on the Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network via Facebook Live for Friday and Saturday's contests. Hilltopper letterwinner and HAF Executive Director Kat (Downing) Smith will be broadcasting Friday's nightcap, while Voice of the Lady Toppers, Brad Klein, in on the headset Saturday. Sunday's match up will be on the secondary stream, Behind the Mic, on Hilltopper Sports Properties Facebook page with Smith on the call.
Due to the construction for the new WKU Soccer/Softball Complex, the south entrance via Creason Street is closed. Fans can enter and purchase tickets on the north end, down the sidewalk via the Creason lot in between left field and PS3. Concessions and restrooms will be open, but space is constrained due to construction fencing.
COMPLETE WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday
WKU vs North Texas
Watch: HSSN | Livestats
Friday, Mar. 24, 2023 | 6 p.m. CT
Saturday
WKU vs North Texas
Watch: HSSN | Livestats
Saturday, Mar. 25, 2023 | 1 p.m. CT
Sunday
WKU vs North Texas
Watch: BTM | Livestats
Sunday, Mar. 26, 2023 | 1 p.m. CT
TOP STORYLINES
- WKU Softball will see North Texas in three-game series fashion for the first time since 2019, which was a 2-1 Hilltopper take. WKU leads the all-time conference series 28-20, as the Mean Green are leaving the conference next season.
- Head coach Amy Tudor earned her career 500-win mark in the Hilltoppers 9-0 shutout over Evansville. She is 506 all-time and owns 289 of those wins as the head coach at WKU.
- In Conference USA rankings, Katie Gardner is first in strikeouts (61), while catcher Randi Drinnon is third in the league in on-base percentage (.507). As a unit, the Hilltoppers are first in conference in field percentage (.977), and holds steady at second in batting average (.307), and first in shutouts (6) this season.
- After hosting a four-game homestand last weekend, WKU was at home for three weekends in a row, starting with the Hilltopper Classic, Hilltopper Spring Fling, and three-game series hosting Miami (OH).
- On the stat sheet, Faith Hegh is leading the tops with a .390 batting average, while Taylor Davis is collecting 31 hits on the season and 13 stolen bases. The Tops' Taylor Sanders holds 31 RBIs for 2023, while leading WKU with seven home runs. Senior Katie Gardner boasts a 4.03 ERA from the Hilltopper bullpen in 18 appearances.
- As a team, the Hilltoppers are holding with a .315 batting average, 218 hits off the bats with 143 runs scored so far this season.
- In the Conference USA Preseason Coaches Poll, the Hilltoppers were predicted to finish second in C-USA, while fifth-year outfielder Taylor Davis was named to the Preseason All-Conference team.
How to Follow Hilltopper Softball: For complete information on WKU Softball, follow the team on Twitter at @WKUSoftball, Instagram @WKU_Softball and Facebook/WKUSoftball.
