| 2024 Hilltopper Spring Fling // Mar. 1-3 // WKU Softball Complex | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 17: Dayton | Friday, Mar. 1 | 3 p.m. CT | Varsity Network | Livestats | ||||
| Game 18: Northern Illinois | Friday, Mar. 1 | 5:30 p.m. CT | Varsity Network | Livestats | ||||
| Game 19: Southern Illinois | Saturday, Mar. 2 | 12:30 p.m. CT | Varsity Network | Livestats | ||||
| Game 20: Northern Illinois | Saturday, Mar. 2 | 3 p.m. CT | Varsity Network | Livestats | ||||
| Game 21: Dayton | Sunday, Mar. 3 | 12:30 p.m. CT | Varsity Network| Livestats | ||||
| Promotions | Foul Ball Fridays Any foul ball caught during the game can be brought to the marketing table and exchanged for a prize! Softball Bingo Saturdays Play bingo every Saturday with up to 3 people winning a prize! The Sounds of Sunday Listen to a variety of themed music every Sunday! |
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| Game Notes | WKU | UD | NIU | SIU | ||||
| Series History | UD: WKU leads, 7-0, NIU: N/A, never met, SIU: SIU leads, 6-3 | ||||
| Social Media | @WKUSoftball  | @WKU Softball  | Facebook  | YouTube  | Tik Tok |
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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The WKU Softball team will host its final tournament of the 2024 season with the Hilltopper Spring Fling, March 1-3 at the WKU Softball Complex. Dayton, Northern Illinois, and Southern Illinois will be in attendance, as the Tops will take the field Friday, March 1 at 3 p.m. CT against Dayton.
The Tops went a stellar 4-1 during their home opening weekend at the Complex. Taylor Sanders hit four home runs, picking up 11 RBIs. Morgan Sharpe continued on a hitting streak, collecting 11 hits and operating off of a .551 batting average through five games. WKU also played in its first midweek match up of the season, falling 4-1 at Louisville. In the Tuesday nightcap, TJ Webster went 3-for-3 in the box as Randi Drinnon hit the lone run: an RBI single up the middle in the sixth inning.
Dayton is owning a 7-2 season record at the moment, coming off of a series sweep at UC San Diego last weekend. The Huskies of Northern Illinois are 3-7 on the year, picking up its last victory over WKU's former CUSA opponent UAB, 5-1, down at South Alabama. Southern Illinois comes into the weekend as the reigning Missouri Valley Champions, and picking up two big Power Five wins this season over Iowa and Purdue. The Salukis also opened up their 2024 campaign with a perfect game thrown against Creighton, from freshman right-hander Maddia Groff.
All WKU games will be broadcast on radio via the Varsity Network. Reily Chestnut will be on the call for both Friday games and Sunday's matinee, while Mike Cleff will call Saturday against Southern Illinois and Northern Illinois.
Fans can enter and purchase tickets on the north end of the stadium, down the sidewalk via the Creason lot in between left field and PS3. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for youth (3-12) and good for the entire day of games. Flex season tickets packages are still on sale by going online, calling 1-800-5-BIGRED, or visiting the ticket office in-person inside Diddle Arena, students receive free admission by showing their student ID.
Gates will open for fans one hour before the first game.
COMPLETE WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday
10 a.m. - Dayton (H) vs. Southern Illinois (A)
12:30 p.m. - Northern Illinois (H) vs. Southern Illinois (A)
3 p.m. - WKU vs. Dayton
5:30 p.m. - WKU vs. Northern Illinois
Saturday
10 a.m. - Southern Illinois (H) vs. Dayton (A)
12:30 p.m. - WKU vs. Southern Illinois
3 p.m. - WKU vs. Northern Illinois
5:30 p.m. - Dayton (H) vs. Northern Illinois (A)
Sunday
10 a.m. - Southern Illinois (H) vs. Northern Illinois (A)
12:30 p.m. - WKU vs. Dayton
TOP STORYLINES
- The Tops hold the upper hand in the all-time series against Dayton, 7-0. SIU is ahead of WKU, 6-3 all-time, and Northern Illinois and Western Kentucky have never met in program history.
- The Tops went 4-0 (with four games being played due to weather) last season at the Hilltopper Spring Fling. WKU hosted Evansville, Akron, and Austin Peay.
- Freshman Morgan Sharpe is second in CUSA with a .528 batting average that also leads the WKU batter's box. Fifth-year Katie Gardner is fifth amongst pitchers with a 1.93 ERA on the year, while the team as a whole is first in the league with a .335 batting average.
- After this weekend's tournament, the Tops will head to Bloomington, Indiana for a Tuesday night match up with the Big Ten school before opening Conference USA action at New Mexico State.
- On the stat sheet, freshman Morgan Sharpe is leading the tops with a .528 batting average off of 28 hits and senior Taylor Sanders holds 20 RBIs, with a .854 slugging for 2024, while leading WKU with six home runs. Fifth-year Katie Gardner boasts a 1.93 ERA from the Hilltopper bullpen in eight appearances.
- As a team, the Hilltoppers are posting a .334 batting average, while scoring 86 runs, and picking up 137 hits. The Hilltopper pitching staff is operating with a 2.73 ERA and earning 72 strikeouts from the circle.
- In the Conference USA Preseason Coaches Poll, the Hilltoppers were predicted to finish second in CUSA, while fifth-year infielders Taylor Sanders and TJ Webster along with right-hander Katie Gardner were named CUSA Preseason All-Conference.
How to Follow Hilltopper Softball: For complete information on WKU Softball, follow the team on X at @WKUSoftball, Instagram @WKU_Softball and Facebook/WKUSoftball.
