WKU Baseball Hits the Road for Midweek Game at Lipscomb

Tuesday, February 20

Nashville, Tenn.

3:00 PM CT

Western Kentucky University

Lipscomb

Photo by: Wyatt Richardson/WKU Athletics

2/19/2024 3:37:00 PM | Baseball

WKU x Lipscomb Game Notes

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Baseball heads to Nashville, Tenn. for its first midweek game of the season against the Lipscomb Bisons on Tuesday, February 20 at 3 p.m. CT.

LAST TIME OUT
• The Hilltoppers opened the 2024 season at home with a three-game series against the Bradley Braves.
•After dropping the first game of the series, 2-5, WKU battled back to take the final two in a doubleheader sweep last Sunday, 5-0 and 5-3.
• After surrendering double-digit hits last Friday, the Tops combined to allow just eight through the final two games behind a two-hit shutout pitched by Jacob Bimbi and Jack Bennett. Bimbi earned the winning decision in his Hilltopper debut while Bennett tallied a save in his 2024 debut.
• Game two was back-and-forth with the Braves tying the game on two separate occasions in the sixth and the eighth innings. In the bottom of the eighth, junior Eli Burwash laid down a safety squeeze bunt to score junior Brady Browning and give WKU the edge late in the ball game, ultimately leading to the win after graduate student Coby Moe struck out two-of-three Braves hitters in the top of the ninth.

PITCHING PROWESS
• Four WKU arms have garnered conference and media recognition prior to the 2024 season - Mason Burns, Lane Diuguid, Dawson Hall, and Cole Heath.
• Burns, Diuguid, and Hall were selected to the Conference USA Preseason All-Conference Team, while Burns and Heath were named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List. An award given annually to the top relief pitcher in Division I Baseball.
• Burns' third preseason honor came from Perfect Game USA's "Top 75 College Seniors" list with the right-hander coming in at No. 48.

SERIES HISTORY
• WKU and Lipscomb have met 83 times in program history with the Hilltoppers owning a 42-40-1 all-time series edge.
• The teams last met on April 19, 2022, that saw Lipscomb take the win 5-3, in Bowling Green.
• WKU and Lipscomb have split the last eight games, each winning four. Lipscomb has a three-game winning streak dating back to 2017, but prior to that, WKU had won four-of-five going back to 2014.

SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
• WKU is 2-1 after an opening series win over the Bradley Braves this past weekend.
• The Hilltoppers have six players hitting over .300 and one hitting over .400, led by senior Jaylin Rae (.429) with sophomore Dylan O'Connell (.385) and junior Joey Baran (.375) not far behind.
• On the mound, WKU holds a 2.52 team ERA with 31 strikeouts in 25.0 innings.

SCOUTING THE BISONS
• Lipscomb is 1-2 after dropping two-of-three to Ohio this past weekend.
• The Bisons have three players hitting over .400 led by senior Jesus Pacheco (.444).
• The Lipscomb pitching staff has produced an 8.00 team ERA and has recorded 27 strikeouts in 27.0 frames.

How to follow WKU Baseball: For complete information on WKU Hilltopper Baseball, visit WKUSports.com or follow the program via social media @WKU_Baseball on Twitter and @WKUBaseball Instagram.