Hilltoppers Hit the Road for Tuesday Tilt at Southern Indiana

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Baseball hits the road for a midweek matchup against Southern Indiana in Evansville, Ind. on Tuesday beginning at 6 p.m. CT.

LAST TIME OUT
• The Tops earned a series win over Sam Houston in Huntsville, Texas last weekend.
• WKU hung on to take the series opener behind another strong effort from sophomore Jack Bennett. The right-hander went 6.0 innings, allowed one run, and struck out six while junior Joey Baran launched a three-run shot in a four-run second inning for the Tops on their way to securing a 7-5 win.
• After the Bearkats evened the series with a win on Saturday, WKU claimed the road series with an 8-7 victory on the back of Baran who finished the day with four RBI off the bench.
• With the series win, the Hilltoppers have won or split eight of their first nine series for the first time since 2009.

GARNERING NATIONAL ATTENTION
• For the first time since the 2020 season, WKU has cracked the top 100 RPI rankings sitting at No. 93.
• This is the Hilltoppers highest RPI ranking since 2011 when they were as high as No. 88.
• So far in 2024, WKU has fared well against top 100 RPI teams with a record of 7-6. The Tops have series wins over No. 25 Dallas Baptist and Sam Houston, a series split with No. 22 West Virginia, and a midweek win over Louisville.

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 an 8-4 mark in league play after three straight series wins over Jax State, No. 8 Dallas Baptist and Sam Houston.
• WKU sits at a three-way tie for second place and owns the second-most wins in CUSA behind Liberty (9-3 CUSA).

THE SACRIFICE PLAY
• WKU leads the nation in sacrifice bunts with 54 on the season thus far.
• In two years with Marc Rardin at the helm, WKU ranks second in the country with 110 sacrifice bunts, only trailing Wofford that has tallied 120 since the beginning of the 2023 season.
• Junior Zayd Brannigan ranks second in the nation with 11 while senior Jaylin Rae is tied for 10th with eight and junior Joy Baran is tied for 22nd with seven.

SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
• WKU is 25-12 (8-4 CUSA) after a series win over Sam Houston in Huntsville, Texas last weekend.
• The Hilltoppers have two players hitting over .300, led by junior Blake Cavill (.321) with junior Ethan Lizama (.316) not far behind.
• On the mound, WKU holds a 4.53 team ERA with 325 strikeouts in 320.0 innings. Senior Mason Burns' 10 saves this year is tied for the nation's lead with Louisiana Tech's Ethan Bates.

SCOUTING THE SCREAMING EAGLES
• Southern Indiana is 15-21 (5-7 OVC) after losing two of three at SEMO last weekend.
• The Screaming Eagles are led by Ren Tachioka at the plate, hitting .384.
• The Southern Indiana pitching staff has produced a 6.28 team ERA and has recorded 285 strikeouts in 309.1 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.

Hilltoppers Hit the Road for Tuesday Tilt at Southern Indiana

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Players Mentioned

Joey Baran

Jack Bennett

Zayd Brannigan

Mason Burns

Blake Cavill

Ethan Lizama

Jaylin Rae