Hilltoppers Host Bellarmine on Wednesday

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Baseball is set to host Bellarmine for its second midweek contest of the week on Wednesday, April 10 at Nick Denes Field. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. CT.

LAST TIME OUT
• Junior Eli Burwash played hero last night at Nick Denes Field as WKU walked it off for a 3-2, extra-inning win over Louisville.
• With two outs and two strikes, Burwash dribbled the baseball up the middle for an easy base-hit. As the ball bounced, junior Blake Cavill rounded his way around third base, looking to score, but the middle infielders of Louisville had already retrieved the ball and thrown it towards home. The Australian maneuvered around the catcher's tag and touched home to secure the Hilltopper victory in dramatic fashion, but the umpires weren't convinced the tag missed Cavill, so another review followed.
• As time went by, tension rose at Nick Denes Field. The longest review of the day proved to be the most impactful as the officials appeared and confirmed the call on the field. Cavill was safe and the Hilltoppers had won their first game over Louisville since 2015.

BENNETT TABBED CUSA PITCHER OF THE WEEK
• Sophomore Jack Bennett was named the Conference USA Pitcher of the Week, as announced by league officials Monday afternoon.
• Bennett, a native of Paducah, Ky., was one out short of a complete-game on Friday night in a 4-1 win over the No. 8 ranked Dallas Baptist Patriots in the series opener.
• The right-hander registered, a career-high, 11 strikeouts in the longest outing of his collegiate career while only conceding one run on four hits and three walks.
• Bennett notched the first double-digit strikeout performance since the last time a WKU pitcher won CUSA Pitcher of the Week.
• Left-hander Devyn Terbrak received this honor after he threw a complete-game, no-hitter with 14 strikeouts in a 3-0 win over the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in the 2023 season.
• So far in 2024, Bennett is among the best in CUSA, ranking in the top 10 in ERA (3.98), opposing batting average (.222), innings pitched (40.2), strikeouts (43), strikeouts looking (14), wins (4), hits allowed (34), runs allowed (19), and earned runs allowed (18).
• So far in 2024, Bennett is among the best in CUSA, ranking in the top 10 in ERA (3.98), opposing batting average (.222), innings pitched (40.2), strikeouts (43), strikeouts looking (14), wins (4), hits allowed (34), runs allowed (19), and earned runs allowed (18).

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 6-3 mark in league play after a series win over No. 8 Dallas Baptist last weekend, the program's first series win over top 10 ranked opponent since at least 2005.

THE SACRIFICE PLAY
• WKU leads the nation in sacrifice bunts with 46 this season thus far.
• In two years with Marc Rardin at the helm, WKU ranks second in the country with 102 sacrifice bunts, only trailing Wofford that has tallied 116 since the beginning of the 2023 season.
• Juniors Zayd Brannigan and Joey Baran rank in the top 50 in the nation in individual sacrifice bunts. Brannigan sits at second with 10 while Baran is tied for 23rd with six.

SERIES HISTORY
• This will be the 44th meeting between WKU and Bellarmine with the Hilltoppers owning a 30-13 all-time series lead.
• Bellarmine won the lone meeting in the 2023 by a score of 9-7.
• The last eight matchups have been split with both teams winning four a piece.

SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
• WKU is 22-11 (6-3 CUSA) after a midweek win over Louisville last night.
• The Hilltoppers have three players hitting over .300, led by juniors Blake Cavill (.322) and Ethan Lizama (.322) with junior Brady Browning (.311) not far behind.
• On the mound, WKU holds a 4.26 team ERA with 296 strikeouts in 287.0 innings.

SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
• Bellarmine is 5-26 (4-8 ASUN) after dropping two of three to Austin Peay last weekend.
• The Knights are led by Will Aubel at the plate, hitting .378.
• The Bellarmine pitching staff has produced an 11.27 team ERA and has recorded 174 strikeouts in 237.2 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

Jack Bennett

Zayd Brannigan

Brady Browning

Eli Burwash

Blake Cavill

Ethan Lizama

Devyn Terbrak