Hilltoppers Head South for Three-Game Series at MTSU

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – WKU Baseball will head 100 miles south to play Middle Tennessee for a three-game series in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

SCHEDULE
• Friday's series opener will begin at 6 p.m. CT, game two on Saturday will start at 3 p.m. CT, and first pitch on Sunday is set for 1 p.m. CT.

LAST TIME OUT
• Prior to Tuesday's midweek loss at Louisville, the Tops earned a three-game sweep over Liberty last weekend in Bowling Green.
• On Friday, a two-run shot from sophomore Camden Ross and a three-run homer from junior Zayd Brannigan's led WKU to victory over Liberty on Friday night, 6-4. Lucas Litteral earned his second consecutive save in a perfect two innings with two strikeouts.
• On Saturday, the Hilltoppers clinched the series with a 10-7 win. Four hitters collected multi-hit games while senior Mason Burns slammed the door in the ninth.
• Sunday, the Tops completed the sweep with a 5-4 win. Junior Ethan Lizama homered twice and tallied four RBI while Burns earned his nation-leading 12th save.

GARNERING NATIONAL ATTENTION
• For the first time since the 2020 season, WKU has cracked the top 100 RPI rankings sitting at No. 82.
• This is the Hilltoppers highest RPI ranking since 2010 when they were as high as No. 38. 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 13 games remaining in the 2024 regular season, senior Mason Burns leads the nation in saves with 12.
• Burns' 12 saves rank second 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 is tied for the third-most saves in program history with 16 and only trails Wilhite (23) and Tompkins (18) in the category.

RARDIN IN CUSA PLAY
• After dropping the first four Conference USA series in 2023, head coach Marc Rardin and the Tops have won nine of 11 three-game sets in league play that include five consecutive CUSA series wins in 2023 with series sweeps over Florida Atlantic, 2023 CUSA Tournament Champion, Charlotte, and Rice.
• So far in 2024, the Hilltoppers own an 11-4 mark in league play after four straight series wins over Jax State, No. 8 Dallas Baptist, Sam Houston, and Liberty.
• After last weekend's sweep of the Flames, WKU sits in sole possession of first place in CUSA.

THE SACRIFICE PLAY
• WKU leads the nation in sacrifice bunts with 62 on the season thus far.
• In two years with Marc Rardin at the helm, WKU ranks second in the country with 118 sacrifice bunts, only trailing Wofford that has tallied 121 since the beginning of the 2023 season.
• Junior Zayd Brannigan ranks second in the nation with 12 while senior Jaylin Rae is tied for third with 10 and junior Joy Baran is tied for 20th with eight.

SERIES HISTORY
• Friday will be the 250th all-time meeting between WKU and MTSU with the Hilltoppers owning a 130-117-2 series lead.
• The team's met for two three-game series last season with each side hosting one.
• MTSU took five of the six games last season with the Hilltoppers lone win coming in game two of the series in Murfreesboro.

SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
• WKU is 29-13 (11-4 CUSA) after a midweek loss at Louisville on Tuesday.
• The Hilltoppers have three players hitting over .300, led by junior Blake Cavill (.327) with junior Ethan Lizama (.316) and sophomore Dylan O'Connell (.301) not far behind.
• On the mound, WKU holds a 4.75 team ERA with 366 strikeouts in 362.0 innings.

SCOUTING THE BLUE RAIDERS
• Middle Tennessee is 13-27 (4-11 CUSA) after losing to Austin Peay last Tuesday.
• The Blue Raiders are led by Gabe Jennings at the plate, hitting .364.
• The Middle Tennessee pitching staff has produced a 7.87 team ERA and has recorded 277 strikeouts in 338.1 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

Zayd Brannigan

Mason Burns

Blake Cavill

Lucas Litteral

Ethan Lizama

Dylan O'Connell

Jaylin Rae

Camden Ross