| Charlotte Series // March 31-April 2 // WKU Softball Complex | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 31: Charlotte | Friday, Mar. 31 | 6 p.m. CT | HSSN on Facebook | Livestats | ||||
| Game 32: Charlotte | Saturday, Apr. 1 | 1 p.m. CT | HSSN on Facebook | Livestats | ||||
| Game 33: Charlotte | Sunday, Apr. 2 | 12 p.m. CT | HSSN on Facebook | Livestats | ||||
| Promotions | Randi Drinnon (Friday), Kelsie Houchens (Saturday), Kennedy Foote (Sunday) Trading Cards Bark in the Park - Saturday Autograph Saturdays |
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| Game Notes | WKU | Charlotte | ||||
| Series History | WKU Leads, 16-9; 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 their final three-game Conference USA series versus Charlotte, before a two-week roadtrip for C-USA series action. Last weekend, the Tops swept league preseason favorite, North Texas, in front of a home crowd to move into first place in the conference. WKU had dropped their midweek match against Belmont on Wednesday night, 0-2.
The last meeting between the Tops and the 49ers was back in Denton for the C-USA Softball Tournament as the Hilltoppers dropped a 5-6 ballgame in double-elimination. WKU played visitor to Charlotte for a three-game series in the regular season in 2022, taking two-of-three games from the 49ers in the series, including a 4-2 victory in the first match up in extra innings.
Last weekend at home, the Tops swept North Texas in all three games. In the first and third games of the series, right-hander Katie Gardner worked with a 1.29 ERA to hold the Mean Green to only three runs, with a stellar eight strikeout and zero walk production from the circle on Sunday. The 22-run production over the weekend from the Hilltopper offense included a two-home run ballgame for Taylor Sanders at the plate. She collected six RBIs in game three for her third multi-home run game of the season.
On Wednesday, WKU played host to Belmont for the Tops' first midweek on The Hill this season. The Hilltoppers fell 0-2 to the Bruins, as Faith Hegh and Taylor Davis collected a pair of hits from the offense as Katie Gardner threw for six strikeouts and three walks in her six innings of work from the circle.
Streaming will be available on the Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network via Facebook Live for the Friday, Saturday, Sunday contests. Voice of the Lady Toppers, Brad Klein, on the headset with the call all weekend.
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 Charlotte
Watch: HSSN | Livestats
Friday, Mar. 31, 2023 | 6 p.m. CT
Saturday
WKU vs Charlotte
Watch: HSSN | Livestats
Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023 | 1 p.m. CT
Sunday
WKU vs North Texas
Watch: HSSN | Livestats
Sunday, Apr. 2, 2023 | 12 p.m. CT
TOP STORYLINES
- WKU Softball will see Charlotte in three-game series fashion on The Hil lafter being in Charlotte in 2022, which was a 2-1 Hilltopper take. WKU leads the all-time conference series 16-9, as the 49ers 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 509 all-time and owns 292 of those wins as the head coach at WKU.
- In Conference USA rankings, Katie Gardner is first in strikeouts (111), while Faith Hegh is second in the league in batting average (.396) and Taylor Sanders is second with home runs (9) and first in RBIs per game (1.34). As a unit, the Hilltoppers are first in conference in field percentage (.978), and batting average (.314).
- On the stat sheet, Faith Hegh is leading the tops with a .396 batting average, while Taylor Davis is collecting 37 hits on the season and 15 stolen bases. The Tops' Taylor Sanders holds 39 RBIs for 2023, while leading WKU with nine home runs. Senior Katie Gardner boasts a 3.54 ERA from the Hilltopper bullpen in 20 appearances.
- As a team, the Hilltoppers are holding with a .314 batting average, 252 hits off the bats with 165 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.
