Hilltoppers Begin Four-Game Road Stretch at #23 Vanderbilt

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – WKU Baseball begins a four-game road stretch on Tuesday, April 1 against #23 Vanderbilt. First pitch from Hawkins Field is set for 6 p.m. CT.

GAME INFO
• WKU (25-3) at #23 Vanderbilt (20-8)
• Hawkins Field | Nashville, Tenn.
• Tuesday, April 1 | 6 p.m. CT
• Watch: SECN+
• Listen: The Varsity Network (PxP: Randy Lee | Analyst: Mike Reynolds)
• Social: @WKU_Baseball | @WKUSports
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast
• Game Notes: WKU | Vanderbilt | CUSA

ABOUT THE TOPS
• The Hilltoppers enter the game with a 25-3 (4-2 CUSA) record after a series sweep at home against Sam Houston last weekend.
• 21 of WKU's 25 wins have come at Nick Denes Field. This is the first time the Hilltoppers have started 21-0 at home in program history.
• The WKU pitching staff has been dominant thus far as their 2.54 ERA is the second-best in the nation only trailing Tennessee. The Hilltoppers are one of two teams in the nation with a sub-3.00 ERA.
• Weekend rotation pitcher, Jack Bennett, has been special for WKU through six starts. He's recorded 32 strikeouts in 31.1 innings with a 0.86 ERA. He is ranked second nationally in ERA.
• Drew Whalen, another rotation starter, improved to 6-0 in seven starts last weekend as he shut out Sam Houston in 6.2 innings of work. He tallied ten strikeouts while only giving up three hits. His six wins are the most in CUSA.
• On the offensive end, the Tops' .331 batting average and 76 doubles lead CUSA. Nationally, WKU ranks fifth in batting average and is tied for third in doubles.
• Hilltopper outfielder Ryan Wideman's .457 batting average, 1.306 OPS, 53 hits, five triples, 93 total bases, .802 slugging percentage and 25 stolen bases lead CUSA. The Marietta, Ga. native is top five in CUSA in batting average (.457), OPS (1.306), runs (37), hits (53), doubles (12), triples (5), RBI (36), total bases (93), slugging percentage (.802), on-base percentage (.504) and stolen bases (25). He is ranked ninth nationally in batting average.

SERIES INFORMATION
• This will be the 102nd meeting between WKU and Vanderbilt.
• The Hilltoppers trail the all-time series 67-33-1 dating back to their first meeting in 1913.
• Vanderbilt has won eight consecutive games in the series, with WKU's last win coming in 2014.

SCOUTING THE COMMODORES
• Vanderbilt is coming off a series loss against Arkansas last week, losing all three matchups at home.
• As a team, the Commodores own a .275 batting average while scoring 7.1 runs per game.
• On the mound, Vanderbilt has a 3.65 ERA with 324 strikeouts in 237.0 innings.

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Players Mentioned

Jack Bennett

Drew Whalen

Ryan Wideman