Tops Visit LA Tech for Pivotal Three-Game Series

RUSTON, La. – WKU Baseball concludes Conference USA regular season road play as they visit Louisiana Tech for a three-game series in Ruston, La.

SCHEDULE
• Friday's series opener will begin at 6 p.m. CT, game two on Saturday will start at 2 p.m. CT, and Sunday's series finale will have a first pitch of 1 p.m. CT.

LAST TIME OUT
• WKU defeated Bellarmine 14-2 in seven innings last Tuesday at Nick Denes Field.
• Four Hilltoppers had multi-hit and multi-RBI outings with junior Eli Burwash collecting, a career-high, four hits while junior Brady Browning launched a three-run home run in the win.
• WKU utilized a new arm every inning to only allowed two runs on five hits.

1 vs 2
• This weekend may be the most pivotal of them all in Conference USA play as the first-place Hilltoppers visit the second-place Bulldogs for a three-game series that will set the tone for what's to come at the conclusion of the regular season heading into the CUSA Championships.
• A series win this weekend for either team will grant the ability to control its own destiny heading into the final weekend of league action before the postseason.
• This weekend will also feature the two best closers in the country in WKU's Mason Burns and Louisiana Tech's Ethan Bates. The two are currently tied for the nation's lead in saves with 14 apiece.

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 7-7.
• 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 six 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 its last 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 one win 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 65 of 107 games (.607).
• 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 65 on the season thus far.
• In two years with Marc Rardin at the helm, WKU ranks second in the country with 121 sacrifice bunts, only trailing Wofford that has tallied 124 since the beginning of the 2023 season.
• Junior Zayd Brannigan and senior Jaylin Rae are tied for fourth in the nation with 12 each while junior Joey Baran is tied for 38th with eight.

SERIES HISTORY
• WKU and Louisiana Tech have faced off 48 times prior to this weekend with the Bulldogs owning a 29-19 all-time series lead.
• Louisiana Tech took two of three from the Hilltoppers last season in Bowling Green with WKU claiming its lone win in the series finale, 5-2.
• The Hilltoppers last series win over Louisiana Tech came in 2015 when WKU took two of three from the Bulldogs in Ruston, La.
• It's the Tops only series win over Louisiana Tech since joining CUSA in that same year.

SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
• WKU is 32-16 (13-5 CUSA) after beating Bellarmine last Tuesday.
• The Hilltoppers have three players hitting over .300, led by junior Blake Cavill (.318) with juniors Ethan Lizama (.309) and Austin Haller (.304) not far behind.
• On the mound, WKU holds a 4.80 team ERA with 407 strikeouts in 411.0 innings.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
• Louisiana Tech is 35-15 (12-6 CUSA) after dropping two of three at New Mexico State last weekend.
• The Bulldogs are led by Cole McConnell at the plate, hitting .391.
• The Louisiana Tech pitching staff has produced a 5.04 team ERA and has recorded 491 strikeouts in 441.0 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

Joey Baran

Zayd Brannigan

Brady Browning

Mason Burns

Eli Burwash

Blake Cavill

Austin Haller

Ethan Lizama

Jaylin Rae