Tops Pause CUSA Play for Three-Game Set at UNC Asheville

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – WKU Baseball will continue its longest road stretch of the season as they travel to UNC Asheville for a nonconference, three-game series.

SCHEDULE
• Friday's series opener will begin at 6 p.m. CT, game two on Saturday will start at 1 p.m. CT, and first pitch on Sunday is set for 11 a.m. CT.

LAST TIME OUT
• The Hilltoppers grabbed two of three at MTSU for their fifth consecutive series win.
• After dropping the series opener on Friday, WKU took the final two games to clinch the series victory.
• On Saturday, WKU evens the series with a 4-3 win behind two RBI doubles from Camden Ross while Mason Burns tallied a strikeout to close the door for another save.
• On Sunday, the Tops claimed the series with a 7-4 win. Caleb Marmo went yard for his third homer of the season while Burns earned his 14th save of the season to tie the single-season program record.

GARNERING NATIONAL ATTENTION
• For the first time since the 2020 season, WKU has cracked the top 100 RPI rankings and has been ranked as high as 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 10 games remaining in the 2024 regular season, senior Mason Burns leads the nation in saves with 14.
• Burns' 14 saves are tied for the most 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 second-most saves in program history with 18 and only trails Wilhite (23) in the category.

RARDIN IN CUSA PLAY
• After dropping the first four Conference USA series in the 2023 season, head coach Marc Rardin and the Tops have won 10 of 12 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 a 13-5 mark in league play after five straight series wins over Jax State, No. 8 Dallas Baptist, Sam Houston, Liberty, and Middle Tennessee.
• After last weekend's series win over the Blue Raiders, WKU owns the most CUSA wins of any team in the league with 13.

RARDIN APPROACHING 1K
• WKU Baseball head coach Marc Rardin is just two wins away from 1,000 career victories as a head coach.
• Prior to coming to The Hill in 2023, The Tops' skipper spent 20 seasons as the head coach for Iowa Western Community College where he racked up 934 career wins.
• In two seasons at the helm of WKU, Rardin owns the highest winning percentage of any previous WKU head coach, winning 64 of 104 games (.615).
• He has led the Tops to back-to-back 30-win seasons for the first time since 2010-11 as well as five consecutive Conference USA series wins each year, which had never been done before.

THE SACRIFICE PLAY
• WKU leads the nation in sacrifice bunts with 63 on the season thus far.
• In two years with Marc Rardin at the helm, WKU ranks second in the country with 119 sacrifice bunts, only trailing Wofford that has tallied 122 since the beginning of the 2023 season.
• Junior Zayd Brannigan ranks third in the nation with 12 while senior Jaylin Rae is tied for ninth with 10 and junior Joy Baran is tied for 27th with eight.

SERIES HISTORY
• This marks the second time WKU and UNC Asheville will meet for a three-game series.
• The Hilltoppers and Bulldogs previously met in the 2014 season when the Tops earned a 3-0 sweep over UNC Asheville in Bowling Green.

SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
• WKU is 31-14 (13-5 CUSA) after taking two of three at Middle Tennessee last weekend.
• The Hilltoppers have four players hitting over .300, led by junior Blake Cavill (.327) with junior Ethan Lizama (.316), sophomore Dylan O'Connell (.305), and junior Austin Haller (.300) not far behind.
• On the mound, WKU holds a 4.94 team ERA with 389 strikeouts in 388.0 innings.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
• UNC Asheville is 18-23 (8-10 BSC) after dropping two of three to Longwood last weekend.
• The Bulldogs are led by Ty Kaufman at the plate, hitting .342.
• The UNC Asheville pitching staff has produced a 7.16 team ERA and has recorded 291 strikeouts in 357.0 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.

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Players Mentioned

Zayd Brannigan

Mason Burns

Blake Cavill

Austin Haller

Ethan Lizama

Caleb Marmo

Dylan O'Connell

Jaylin Rae

Camden Ross