The Hilltoppers enter the weekend with a 6-3 record and are coming off back-to-back Conference USA Pitcher of the Week awards from Erica Houge and Maddy Wood.
GAME INFO
Location: WKU Softball Field, Bowling Green, Ky.
- Friday, Feb. 20
- Saturday, Feb. 21
- Sunday, Feb. 22
- vs. Butler (12:30 p.m. CT)
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- Promotion: Sunday Softball Bingo
- vs. Butler (12:30 p.m. CT)
ABOUT THE TOPS
- The biggest storyline for the Tops is their back-to-back CUSA Pitcher of the Week awards, something the program had not done since 2015 when Miranda Kramer earned back-to-back nods.
- Maddy Wood earned her first CUSA Pitcher of the Week nod in her career after recording two wins at the Mercer University Softball Invitational over Army and Mercer. The Corydon, Iowa native posted a 1.97 ERA in 10.2 innings of work, giving up only six hits and three unearned runs. Along the way, she also collected a total of 10 strikeouts on the weekend and only allowed two walks.
- She also threw her third complete game of her career in the run-rule win over Mercer on Saturday, Feb. 14, where she compiled five strikeouts in six innings and only allowed two earned runs. The senior also only needed 73 total pitches to earn the win. Against Army, in her 4.2 innings of work she only needed 57 pitches, allowing only one earned one and two hits.
- In addition, opponents were only hitting .158 when Wood was in the circle.
- The duo are posting a combined 2.50 ERA while also leading the Hilltoppers to a 2.23 ERA. That 2.23 ERA is currently the best in the conference with Sam Houston in second at 2.83.
- Maci Masters posted two grand slams in back-to-back games over the weekend against Army and Iowa. The junior finished the weekend with a .357 batting average.
- Jenna Blanton led the way for WKU's offense this weekend with a team-best .643 batting average. On the weekend, she slashed .643/.688/.713. Blanton is also currently leading the team in overall batting average at .448, good for seventh best in all of CUSA.
- The Hilltoppers also improved dramatically at the plate. During the Bash in the Boro, they notched a .246 batting average with 17 RBI while at the MUSB Invitational, they almost quadrupled their RBI total, posting 63 with a .358 batting average.
- Butler
- The Hilltoppers possess a 3-0 record against Butler that includes a 10-, six-inning win in 2023 in Leesburg, Fla.. WKU is also 2-0 against the Bulldogs when playing in Bowling Green.
- Western Michigan
- WKU has only played the Broncos once in their 26-year history, a 5-2 win over WMU in 2013. Their 1-0 also record matches their home record against the Broncos.
- Detroit Mercy
- The Tops own a lopsided all-time record against Detroit Mercy, with a 7-0 record dating back to 2001. They've also only played the Titans at home and possess a 7-0 record at the WKU Softball Complex.
- Bulldogs
- Butler has posted a 4-4 record through the first two weeks of their 2026 season. They recently swept Tennessee State with one extra-inning win and one run-rule win.
- Leading the offense for the Bulldogs is Makena Alexander with a .609 batting average with 14 hits, 14 RBI and three home runs.
- Alyx Johnson is leading the bullpen with a 3.89 ERA. She's allowed 12 hits in nine innings of work and has a .300 opponent batting average.
- Broncos
- WMU has posted a 5-4 record through their first two weekends featuring a win over Dayton and a split against fellow CUSA opponent Jacksonville State.
- The Broncos are currently hitting .304 with Megan Malartsik leading the way with a .444 batting average. She's also slashing a .444/.524/.611 with eight hits and three RBI.
- Ava Geyer leads the Broncos in the circle with a 3.32 ERA. In her 25.1 innings of work, she's allowed 27 hits and 12 earned runs while also collecting 23 strikeouts.
- Titans
- Detroit Mercy is 1-4 overall through the first two weekends featuring a 2-1 win over Drake.
- The Titans are currently hitting .230 led by Allison Fluker who's hitting .455 through five games. She's slashing .455/.571/.727 with five hits including a double and a triple.
- In the circle for the Titans is Erin Flynn who has a 4.85 ERA with 13 hits in 13 innings pitched. She's also amassed 10 strikeouts and allowed nine walks.
