Hilltoppers Host Southern Indiana on Tuesday

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Baseball hosts its first midweek game of the season against Southern Indiana on Tuesday, March 19 at 4 p.m. CT.

LAST TIME OUT
• WKU took two of three for a series win over Southeast Missouri last weekend in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
• A four-hit performance from junior Zayd Brannigan and three RBI from junior Crisitian Garcia helped lead the Tops to an 8-3 victory in game one over the Redhawks. Sophomore Jack Bennett earned his second win of the season, totaling four strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work.
• After dropping game two, WKU fell behind early in game three, facing a 2-0 deficit. The Hilltoppers were able to even things up in the top of the fourth on a sacrifice fly from Brannigan and an error by the Redhawks, allowing sophomore Camden Ross to trot home. WKU took the lead in the fifth on a bunt from junior Ethan Lizama, giving them a 3-2 advantage. The Tops blew it open in the eighth inning that started with a solo shot from Garcia. Senior Jaylin Rae followed that with an RBI double down the left line before two wild pitches scored two more, pushing the eventual final score to 7-2.

GARCIA GARNERING ATTENTION
• Someone WKU fans should be on the lookout for is outfielder Cristian Garcia.
• After hitting just .227 midway through the Milwaukee series, the junior has gone 7-for-14 (.500) with a home run, a double, seven RBI, and five runs scored in the last five games.
• The Katy, Texas native has recorded at least one hit in each game, one run scored in each game, and at least one RBI in four of the five games.
• He has boosted his batting average to .316, the third-best on the team following juniors Blake Cavill (.368) and Ethan Lizama (.360).

THE SACRIFICE PLAY
• WKU leads the nation in sacrifice bunts with 29 this season thus far.
• In two years with Marc Rardin at the helm, WKU ranks second in the country with 85 sacrifice bunts, only trailing Wofford that has tallied 105 since the beginning of the 2023 season.
• Juniors Zayd Brannigan, Joey Baran, and Austin Haller all rank top 50 in the nation in individual sacrifice bunts.
• Brannigan sits at third with six while Baran and Haller are tied for 20th with four each.

CHANGING THE NARRATIVE
• After dropping three straight, the Hilltoppers have won eight of their last 10 and are looking to continue the momentum this week against Southern Indiana and FIU, their Conference USA opener.
• After a series win over Southeast Missouri last weekend, WKU has won or split every series through the first five weeks of a season for the first time since 2011.
• The Hilltoppers are seven games over .500 with league play just around the corner.

SERIES HISTORY
• WKU and Southern Indiana have met 12 times in program history with the Hilltoppers owning a 9-3 series lead.
• The squads met six times in the 1970s with the other six matchups taking place in the 1980s.
• WKU holds a 7-1 record at Nick Denes Field against the Screaming Eagles while owning a 3-2 mark on the road at USI.

SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
• WKU is 14-7 after taking two of three at Southeast Missouri last weekend.
• The Hilltoppers have four players hitting over .300, led by junior Blake Cavill (.368) with junior Ethan Lizama (.360), junior Cristian Garcia (.316), and sophomore Dylan O'Connell (.307) not far behind.
• On the mound, WKU holds a 4.11 team ERA with 193 strikeouts in 184.0 innings.

SCOUTING THE SCREAMING EAGLES
• Southern Indiana is 9-10 after dropping two of three at Illinois last weekend.
• The Screaming Eagles are led by Ren Tachioka at the plate, hitting .400.
• The Southern Indiana pitching staff has produced a 5.54 team ERA and has recorded 155 strikeouts in 164.0 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

Jack Bennett

Zayd Brannigan

Blake Cavill

Cristian Garcia

Austin Haller

Ethan Lizama

Dylan O'Connell

Jaylin Rae

Camden Ross