WKU Hosts Four-Game Series Against West Virginia

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Baseball will host the West Virginia Mountaineers for a four-game series beginning at 3 p.m. CT on Friday, March 1 at Nick Denes Field.

SCHEDULE
• The Hilltoppers and Mountaineers will begin the series on Friday, starting at 3 p.m. CT.
• Saturday will feature a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. CT and game two starting 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one.
• The series finale will begin at 12 p.m. CT on Sunday.

LAST TIME OUT
• WKU fell 5-0 to the Kentucky Wildcats on Tuesday night at Kentucky Proud Park in Lexington, Ky.
• The Hilltoppers were shutout for the first time since head coach Marc Rardin took over prior to the 2023 season.
• WKU only tallied three hits while only advancing into scoring position five times in the contest.

CUSA HITTER OF THE WEEK
• Blake Cavill hit .668 (11-for-16) for the week with a grand slam, two-run home run, four doubles and 11 RBI on his way to earning Conference USA Hitter of the Week. The Hilltopper infielder led WKU in 10 offensive categories including batting average (.688), hits (11), home runs (2), doubles (4), RBI (11), runs (10), total bases (21), walks (8), slugging percentage (.647), and on-base percentage (.792).
• Cavill's offensive performance lifted the Hilltoppers to a 4-1 record last week that included an 8-5 win over Lipscomb on Tuesday and a series win (3-1) over Purdue Fort Wayne last weekend. In five games, Cavill recorded multi-hit performances in four contests including three-hit efforts on Tuesday and Friday and a couple of two-hit outings on Saturday and Sunday.
• In a 13-14 loss to the Mastodons on Friday, the first baseman accounted for nearly half of the offense for WKU with three hits, including a grand slam to tie the game in the sixth and a two RBI double to tie the game in the seventh, giving him a season high, six RBI on the day in just two at-bats. He also homered in his first at-bat on Saturday. A two-run shot to left field that gave the Tops the lead in the first inning.
• Through eight games, Cavill leads CUSA in batting average (.560), OPS (1.726), doubles (6) and walks (9).

SIXTH-INNING SURGE
• WKU has scored 18 runs in the sixth inning through nine games in 2024. That is at least double the amount the Hilltoppers have in any other inning this season.
• In the loss to PFW on Friday, the Tops notched a four-run sixth inning, tying the game with a grand slam.
• In last Saturday's doubleheader against Purdue Fort Wayne, WKU tallied six runs in the sixth inning in both games against the Mastodons.

SERIES HISTORY
• WKU and West Virginia have met just three times in program history with the Mountaineers sweeping the Hilltoppers in a three-game series in 2018: 7-5, 11-9, and 7-1.
• This is just the second time West Virginia will visit Bowling Green while WKU has never made the trip to Morgantown.

SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
• WKU is 6-3 after a midweek loss at Kentucky on Tuesday night in Lexington.
• The Hilltoppers have four players hitting over .300 and one hitting .500, led by junior Blake Cavill (.500) with sophomore Dylan O'Connell (.351) and junior Joey Baran (.333) not far behind.
• On the mound, WKU holds a 4.14 team ERA with 82 strikeouts in 76.0 innings.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
• West Virginia is 5-4 after beating Canisius at home on Wednesday afternoon.
• The Mountaineers have five players hitting .300 or over with Skylar King (.385) leading the way.
• The West Virginia pitching staff has produced a 4.74 team ERA and has recorded 72 strikeouts in 76.0 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.

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Players Mentioned

Joey Baran

Blake Cavill

Dylan O'Connell