Tops Hit the Road for Weekend Series at #17 Dallas Baptist

DALLAS – WKU Baseball continues Conference USA play as they hit the road for a three-game series at #17 Dallas Baptist. First pitch from Horner Ballpark on Friday, April 4 is set for 6 p.m. CT.

SERIIES INFO
• WKU (25-4) at #17 Dallas Baptist (19-9)
• Horner Ballpark | Dallas, Texas
        • Friday, April 4 | 6 p.m. CT
        • Saturday, April 5 | 3 p.m. CT
        • Sunday, April 6 | 1 p.m. CT
• Watch: ESPN+
• Listen: The Varsity Network (PxP: Reily Chestnut)
• Social: @WKU_Baseball | @WKUSports
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast
• Game Notes: WKU | DBU | CUSA

ABOUT THE TOPS
• The Hilltoppers enter the game with a 25-4 (4-2 CUSA) record after a midweek loss at #23 Vanderbilt on Tuesday and 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 2.59 ERA is the second-best in the nation only trailing 2024 College World Series Champion Tennessee. The Hilltoppers and #1 Volunteers are the only 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 ranks 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' .328 batting average and 77 doubles lead CUSA. Nationally, WKU ranks sixth in batting average and third in doubles.
• Hilltopper outfielder Ryan Wideman's .455 batting average, 55 hits, five triples, 95 total bases and 25 stolen bases lead CUSA. The Marietta, Ga. native is top five in CUSA in batting average (.455), OPS (1.285), runs (38), hits (55), doubles (12), triples (5), RBI (37), total bases (95), slugging percentage (.785), on-base percentage (.500) and stolen bases (25). Nationally, he ranks ninth in batting average, second in triples, fourth in hits, fifth in total bases and fourth in stolen bases.
• Conference USA's top three doubles hitters are all Hilltoppers. Carlos Vasquez leads the league with 13 while Ethan Lizama and Wideman are tied for second with 12 each.

SERIES INFORMATION
• This weekend will be the 10th, 11th and 12th meetings between WKU and Dallas Baptist.
• The Hilltoppers trail the all-time series 6-3 after falling to the Patriots in the CUSA Tournament Semifinals last year.
• WKU took two-of-three against DBU in Bowling Green, Ky. last season.

SCOUTING THE PATRIOTS
• Dallas Baptist is coming off a midweek win over Texas-Arlington and a series win over New Mexico State.
• As a team, the Patriots own a .311 batting average while scoring 9.4 runs per game.
• On the mound, DBU has a 5.29 ERA with 271 strikeouts in 235.0 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.

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Players Mentioned

Jack Bennett

Ethan Lizama

Carlos Vasquez

Drew Whalen

Ryan Wideman