Hilltoppers Set to Host First-Place Liberty

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Baseball and Liberty will meet on the diamond for the first time ever as the Hilltoppers host the Flames for a three-game series at Nick Denes Field.

SCHEDULE
• Friday's series opener will begin at 6 p.m. CT, Saturday's contest is set for 4 p.m. CT, and the first pitch for Sunday's series finale is at 1 p.m. CT.

LAST TIME OUT
• The Tops earned a 2-1 win to complete the season sweep over Southern Indiana.
• Senior Lane Diuguid had a strong outing in relief as he struck out four in 5.2 innings of shutout baseball and allowing just three hits.
• Juniors Blake Cavill and Joey Baran each produced an RBI as Cavill went yard in the second inning while Baran was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the fifth.

1 MEETS 2
• This weekend's matchup at Nick Denes Field will feature Conference USA teams with the most and second-most league wins thus far.
• Despite a sub .500 overall record, the Flames hold a 9-3 mark in conference play while the Hilltoppers sit one game behind them with a CUSA record of 8-4.
• The results at the end of this weekend could potentially decide who sits at the top of the league as the two other teams tied for second place, No. 25 Dallas Baptist and Louisiana Tech, meet for a three-game series in Dallas, Texas.

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.

BURNS CHASING WKU SINGLE-SEASON SAVE RECORD
• With 17 games remaining in the 2024 regular season, senior Mason Burns is tied for the most saves in the country with 10.
• Only one other player in the nation has 10 saves, LA Tech's Ethan Bates.
• Burns' 10 saves rank third in WKU single-season history.
• The Bloomington, Ill. native is just the third WKU pitcher to reach the double-digit mark in a single season, joining Ian Tompkins (14) in 2014 and Matt Wilhite (11) in 2003.
• For his career, Burns owns the fourth-most saves in program history with 14 and only trails Wilhite (23), Tompkins (18), and Rye Davis (16) in the category.

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 26th with seven.

SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
• WKU is 26-12 (8-4 CUSA) after a midweek win over Southern Indiana last Tuesday.
• The Hilltoppers have two players hitting over .300, led by junior Blake Cavill (.319) with junior Ethan Lizama (.309) not far behind.
• On the mound, WKU holds a 4.40 team ERA with 335 strikeouts in 329.0 innings.

SCOUTING THE FLAMES
• Liberty is 17-19 (9-3 CUSA) after a midweek loss to VCU last Tuesday.
• The Flames are led by Kane Kepley at the plate, hitting .338.
• The Liberty pitching staff has produced a 5.09 team ERA and has recorded 298 strikeouts in 311.1 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

Mason Burns

Blake Cavill

Lane Diuguid

Ethan Lizama

Jaylin Rae