#20 Hilltoppers and #17 Cardinals Set for Top 25 Showdown

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – #20 WKU Baseball concludes a four-game road swing with a midweek showdown with #17 Louisville at Jim Patterson Stadium. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. CT.

GAME INFO
• #20 WKU (31-5, 9-3 CUSA) at #17 Louisville (26-9, 9-6 ACC)
• Jim Patterson Stadium | Louisville, Ky.
• Tuesday, April 15 | 5 p.m. CT
• Watch: ACCNX
• Listen: The Varsity Network (PxP: Randy Lee, Analyst: Mike Reynolds)
• Social: @WKU_Baseball | @WKUSports
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast
• Game Notes: WKU | Louisville

ABOUT THE TOPS
• The #20 Hilltoppers enter the game with a 31-5 (9-3 CUSA) record after a series sweep at Liberty last weekend.
• With the sweep over the Flames, WKU took control of first place in the Conference USA standings. The Tops have a half-game lead over Louisiana Tech.
• The WKU pitching staff has been dominant thus far as their 2.64 ERA is the best in the nation among Division I teams. The Hilltoppers are the only team in the nation with a sub-3.00 ERA.
• Drew Whalen was named the Conference USA Pitcher of the Week after tossing 6.0 shutout frames with six strikeouts against Liberty to help claim a series sweep over the Flames on Sunday. The Franklin, Tenn. native improved his record to a CUSA-leading 7-1 and lowered his season ERA to 1.94.
• On the offensive end, the Tops' .319 batting average and 87 doubles lead CUSA. Nationally, WKU ranks 18th in batting average and eighth in doubles.
• Hilltopper outfielder Ryan Wideman's .446 batting average, 66 hits, 17 doubles, five triples, 111 total bases and 28 stolen bases lead CUSA. The Marietta, Ga. native is top five in CUSA in batting average (.446), OPS (1.244), runs (45), hits (66), doubles (17), triples (5), RBI (41), total bases (111), slugging percentage (.750), on-base percentage (.494) and stolen bases (28). Nationally, he ranks fourth in batting average, first in hits, seventh in doubles, sixth in triples, 10th in total bases and fifth in stolen bases.
• Four of the top nine doubles hitters in CUSA are Hilltoppers. Wideman leads the league with 17, Carlos Vasquez is tied for second with 13 while Ethan Lizama and Kyle Hayes are tied for fourth with 12.

SERIES INFORMATION
• This will be the 147th all-time meeting between WKU and Louisville.
• The Cardinals lead the all-time series 75-70-1.
• The sides split two games last season with each team winning at their home field.

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
• Louisville lost two-of-three at NC State last weekend in Raleigh, N.C.
• As a team, the Cardinals own a .328 batting average while scoring 9.2 runs per game.
• On the mound, Louisville has a 5.37 ERA with 322 strikeouts in 296.2 innings.

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 X and @WKUBaseball on Instagram.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kyle Hayes

Ethan Lizama

Carlos Vasquez

Drew Whalen

Ryan Wideman