WKU to Face Jax State for First CUSA Road Series

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Baseball hits the road for its first CUSA away series in Jacksonville, Ala. for a three-game set with Jax State.

SCHEDULE
• First pitch on Thursday is set for 6 p.m. CT, Friday's contest will also begin at 6 p.m. CT, and Sunday's series finale will start at 1 p.m. CT.

LAST TIME OUT
• WKU dropped a midweek game at Murray State, 15-2.
• The Racers were able to plate runs in every at-bat with three in the first, one in the second, four in the third, four in the fourth, two in the fifth, and one in the sixth.
• The highlight of the day for the Hilltoppers came in the top of the second when junior Zayd Brannigan drove in the only two runs of the game for WKU with his first home run as a Hilltopper. Brannigan was the lone bright spot in the Tops lineup, going 3-for-3 with a home run, two doubles, and two RBI.

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.
• So far in 2024, the Hilltoppers own a 1-2 mark in league play dropping a three-game series to FIU last weekend.
• This weekend marks the first CUSA road challenge for the Hilltoppers in 2024 as they play the Jax State Gamecocks for a three-game series.

THE SACRIFICE PLAY
• WKU leads the nation in sacrifice bunts with 32 this season thus far.
• In two years with Marc Rardin at the helm, WKU ranks second in the country with 88 sacrifice bunts, only trailing Wofford that has tallied 108 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 sixth with six while Baran is tied for 18th and Haller is tied for 44th.

SERIES HISTORY
• WKU and Jax State have met just seven times in program history with the Gamecocks owning a 6-1 series lead.
• The teams last met in the 2017 season with Jax State taking two-of-three against WKU. The Hilltoppers lone win was a 14-4 result in game two of the series.

SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
• WKU is 16-10 after dropping a midweek contest to Murray State.
• The Hilltoppers have four players hitting over .300, led by junior Blake Cavill (.344) with junior Ethan Lizama (.341), junior Brady Browning (.312) and sophomore Dylan O'Connell (.307) not far behind.
• On the mound, WKU holds a 4.76 team ERA with 231 strikeouts in 223.0 innings.

SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS
• Jax State is 9-15 after a midweek loss to No. 21 Auburn last Tuesday.
• The Gamecocks are led by Logan Walters at the plate, hitting .303.
• The Jax State pitching staff has produced a 7.63 team ERA and has recorded 161 strikeouts in 205.1 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.

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Players Mentioned

Joey Baran

Zayd Brannigan

Brady Browning

Blake Cavill

Austin Haller

Ethan Lizama

Dylan O'Connell