Hilltoppers to Open CUSA Play at Home Against FIU

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Baseball opens Conference USA league play as they host a three-game series against FIU.

SCHEDULE
• First pitch on Friday is set for 6 p.m. CT, Saturday's contest will begin at 4 p.m. CT, and Sunday's series finale will start at 11 a.m. CT.

LAST TIME OUT
• WKU earned a 5-3 win over Southern Indiana at home on Tuesday.
• The Hilltopper pitching staff didn't allow an earned run with junior Luke Leverton getting his first winning decision while senior Mason Burns claimed his fourth save of the season.
• Junior Ethan Lizama tallied a pair of RBI while junior Brady Browning notched the only multi-hit effort, going 2-for-3 with a run scored. Juniors Cristian Garcia, Zayd Brannigan, and Jaylin Rae all recorded an RBI a piece in the win.

RARDIN IN CUSA PLAY
• After a 2-10 start to league play in 2023, head coach Marc Rardin and the Tops rattled off five consecutive CUSA series wins, including series sweeps over Florida Atlantic, 2023 CUSA Tournament Champion, Charlotte, and Rice.
• WKU earned fourth place after the conclusion of the regular season, tied for its highest rank heading into the CUSA Tournament.
• Rardin led the Tops to 18 total CUSA wins, including two victories in the CUSA Tournament, the most WKU has had since joining the conference in 2015.

THE SACRIFICE PLAY
• WKU ranks second in 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 106 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 fourth with six while Baran and Haller are tied for 24th with four each.

CHANGING THE NARRATIVE
• After dropping three straight, the Hilltoppers have won nine of their last 11 and are looking to continue the momentum this week against FIU, their Conference USA opener.
• After a series win over Southeast Missouri last weekend and a midweek win over Southern Indiana, WKU has won or split every series through the first five weeks of a season for the first time since 2011 and have won three of four midweek contests.
• The Hilltoppers are eight games over .500 with league play starting this weekend.

SERIES HISTORY
• WKU and FIU have met 80 times in program history with the Panthers owning a 41-39 series lead.
• However, it's the Hilltoppers who have gotten the best of FIU in the last two seasons.
• In 2022, WKU was able to clinch the series by winning the first two games by a combined score of 16-6. FIU was able to salvage a game with a 6-5 win in game three.
• The Hilltoppers had to battle back for a series win in 2023 after dropping game one, 8-1. WKU only allowed three runs over the last two games, winning game two, 7-2, and game three, 3-1, earning the series win.

SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
• WKU is 15-7 after a 5-3 midweek win over Southern Indiana last Tuesday.
• The Hilltoppers have three players hitting over .300, led by junior Blake Cavill (.363) with junior Ethan Lizama (.359), and sophomore Dylan O'Connell (.307) not far behind.
• On the mound, WKU holds a 3.92 team ERA with 200 strikeouts in 193.0 innings.

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
• FIU is 11-10 after a 4-3 midweek loss to Miami on Tuesday.
• The Panthers are led by Alex Ulloa at the plate, hitting .386.
• The FIU pitching staff has produced a 5.84 team ERA and has recorded 196 strikeouts in 180.1 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 on Instagram.

Players Mentioned

Joey Baran

Zayd Brannigan

Brady Browning

Mason Burns

Blake Cavill

Cristian Garcia

Austin Haller

Luke Leverton

Ethan Lizama

Dylan O'Connell

Jaylin Rae

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