Tops Ready for Midweek Challenge at No. 7 Vanderbilt

Tuesday, April 2

Nashville, Tenn.

6:00 PM CT

Western Kentucky University

#7 Vanderbilt

Photo by: Savannah Philpot/WKU Athletics

4/1/2024 4:42:00 PM | Baseball

WKU x Vanderbilt Game Notes

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Baseball hits the road for a midweek matchup against the No. 7 Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville, Tenn. on Tuesday beginning at 6 p.m. CT at Hawkins Field.

LAST TIME OUT
• WKU swept Jax State for its first Conference USA series win of the season.
• Game one saw the Hilltoppers claim a 4-2 win on the back of some outstanding work out of the bullpen from the pitching staff. Starter Jack Bennett earned his third winning decision of the season by striking out six batters in 5.0 innings of work while allowing two runs on three hits. Three relievers saw action for the final 4.0 frames and did not allow a run on four hits. Mason Burns earned his fifth save of the season, tossing a scoreless ninth inning to clinch the win.
• Game two was very similar to game one as the bullpen dominated once again. Lucas Litteral received the win in relief as Burns wrapped things up once again to tally his sixth save in the 5-4, series-clinching victory.
• The bats woke up in game three as the Tops scored 11 runs on 17 hits for an 11-6 win. Six Hilltoppers had multi-hit performances with junior Brady Browning leading the way with a 4-for-5 outing with a double, three RBI, and two runs scored.

TOUGH STRETCH AHEAD
• The upcoming schedule presents an excellent opportunity for the Hilltoppers as four of the next five games will come against nationally ranked, top-10 teams.
• WKU will travel to No. 7 Vanderbilt for a Tuesday night midweek contest in Nashville, Tenn. before hosting No. 8 Dallas Baptist for a three-game series at The Nick this weekend, the current leader in the Conference USA standings. Following that, the Hilltoppers will host Louisville for a midweek game next Tuesday for the first time since the 2022 season.
• WKU hasn't played back-to-back teams ranked in the top-10 since the 2014 season when they took on No. 10 Louisville and No. 1 Louisiana-Lafayette. The Hilltoppers fell to the Cardinals, 5-3, but were able to secure a win against the Ragin' Cajuns, 14-3.

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 4-2 mark in league play after sweeping Jax State last weekend and are looking ahead to a big challenge this weekend against No. 8 Dallas Baptist.
• This weekend against the Patriots marks the first time WKU will host a nationally ranked, top-10 team for a three-game series since at least 2005.

THE SACRIFICE PLAY
• WKU leads the nation in sacrifice bunts with 37 this season thus far.
• In two years with Marc Rardin at the helm, WKU ranks second in the country with 93 sacrifice bunts, only trailing Wofford that has tallied 110 since the beginning of the 2023 season.
• Juniors Zayd Brannigan and Joey Baran rank top 50 in the nation in individual sacrifice bunts. Brannigan sits at sixth with seven while Baran is tied for 13th with five.

SERIES HISTORY
• WKU and Vanderbilt have met 102 times in program history with the Commodores owning a 67-33-2 series lead.
• The teams met last season in Nashville, Tenn. that saw Vandy claim an 8-1 midweek win.
• The Hilltoppers last win in the series came in 2014 when they beat the Commodores 3-2 on their home turf.

SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
• WKU is 19-10 (4-2 CUSA) after sweeping Jax State last weekend.
• The Hilltoppers have three players hitting over .300, led by junior Brady Browning (.344) with junior Ethan Lizama (.343), and junior Blake Cavill (.324) not far behind.
• On the mound, WKU holds a 4.61 team ERA with 259 strikeouts in 250.0 innings.

SCOUTING THE COMMODORES
• No. 7 Vanderbilt is 23-6 (6-3 SEC) after sweeping Missouri last weekend.
• The Commodores are led by RJ Austin at the plate, hitting .351.
• The Vanderbilt pitching staff has produced a 3.61 team ERA and has recorded 299 strikeouts in 254.0 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 on Instagram.