Hilltoppers Host Jax State For Regular Season Finale

BOWLING GREEN Ky. -- With the CUSA Tournament on the horizon, WKU Softball looks to lock up their spot with a three-game series against Jax State beginning on Friday.

GAME INFO
Friday, May 2

vs. Jax State (6 p.m. CT) Live Stats | Tickets

Saturday, May 3

vs. Jax State (2 p.m. CT) Live Stats | Tickets

Sunday, May 4

vs. Jax State (1 p.m. CT) Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets

SERIES INFO

Jax State
- Jax State holds the all-time record over WKU, 3-5.
- The last win for WKU was during the 2024 regular-season series when the Hilltoppers won 4-0 in an 11-inning battle.
- This will be the first time Jax State visits Bowling Green after joining CUSA in 2024.

ABOUT THE TOPS

The Tops are currently sitting fourth in the Conference USA standings with a 12-10-1 conference record.
WKU finished a game in a tie for only the third time in program history on Sunday. Tied 4-4 going into the 10th, a travel curfew was enacted at 2 p.m. ET that stopped the game.
Morgan Sharpe was the most productive hitter in the series against FIU, posting a .455 batting average against the Panthers, collecting five hits in 11 at-bats and scoring one run along the way.
Sharpe was also awarded CUSA's Player of the Week after a .533 batting average, two runs, two RBI, and eight hits in 15 at-bats across all four of last week's games.
Erica Houge was also awarded CUSA's Pitcher of the Week after posting a two-hit shutout against Louisville, earning her conference-leading fifth save against FIU, and posting a 0.79 ERA in 17.2 innings pitched.
Offensively, WKU is sitting seventh in the conference in batting average (.269) and is third in ERA (3.18).
Three Hilltoppers are currently in the Top 50 in batting average across the conference, Maci Masters (22nd, .326), Morgan Sharpe (33rd, .305), and Annie White (44th, .291).
Morgan Sharpe took the lead as the top hit-getter for WKU after her three hits against Louisville. She expanded her lead against FIU, leading the Hilltoppers in hits with 47. Maci Masters leads in RBI with 42.
In the CUSA rankings, Masters is tied for third in home runs (14), tied for sixth in RBI (42), sixth in slugging percentage (.688), and fifth in OPS (1.135).
Maci Masters leads the Hilltoppers in multi-hit games with 11, her most recent multi-hit game coming on Game One against MTSU on April 11 with two hits.
Randi Drinnon continues to hold the lead in CUSA in sacrifice bunts with nine.
In the bullpen, for pitchers with at least ten appearances, Erica Houge leads with a 3.18 ERA while Rylan Smith is right behind her with a 3.19 ERA.
Rylan Smith leads CUSA in batters struck out looking with 38 and is fourth in the conference in opposing batting average (.223). Houge is also ninth in opposing batting average at .247.
Rylan Smith is currently third in CUSA in strikeouts with 116.
Smith leads the bullpen in strikeouts with 116, while Houge has 49.

ABOUT THE GAMECOCKS

Jax State is currently 34-18 overall and 15-9 in conference play.
Their most notable win this season was a 3-0 shutout of then-No.17 Mississippi State.
The Gamecocks are coming off a three-game sweep of Sam Houston.
Emma Elrod leads the Gamecocks at the plate with a .387 batting average and is ranked fourth in the conference. She's collected 70 hits in 181 at-bats, resulting in 50 total runs and 30 RBI.
Elrod is ranked seventh in CUSA in slugging percentage with a .685 which leads Jax State. Her 12 home runs are seventh-best in CUSA and her 70 total hits and 50 runs are the most in the conference. She's also posted 16 doubles and one triple. Her 16 doubles is the conference's second-best mark on the season.
Just behind Elrod is Morgan Nowakowski with a .338 batting average. She's collected 48 hits in 142 at-bats with 38 RBI through 52 games.
The top RBI-getter for the Gamecocks is Kailey Martin with 45. She's second on the team in home runs (10) and has 50 hits so far this season.
Martin is also ranked third in the conference for RBI and 10th in home runs.
Haleigh Cushingberry and Morgan Nowakowski are ranked fifth and sixth respectively in on-base percentage (.487 and .483).
Nowakowski is also fourth in the conference in walks with 31 while Cushingberry is eighth with 26.
Leading the pitching staff for JSU is Kat Carter who, through 29 appearances, is posting a 2.45 ERA which is third-best in the conference. She's posted 11 wins this season and thrown 12 complete games and was a part of four shutouts. She has a team-high 86 strikeouts and has given up 109 hits.
Carter's .233 opposing batting average is good enough for sixth in the conference while her 86 strikeouts are also good enough for sixth. Carter joins WKU's Rylan Smith in the Top 10 of batters struck out looking, ranked fourth with 29.
Two of JSU's other pitchers, Jaliyah Holmes and Jordan Eslinger, are ranked fifth and sixth respectively in ERA. Holmes is sitting a 2.59 while Eslinger is at a 2.66. Holmes is also ranked Top 10 in batters struck out looking with 20.

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Players Mentioned

Randi Drinnon

Erica Houge

Maci Masters

Morgan Sharpe

Rylan Smith

Annie White