GAME INFO
- WKU (14-11; 3-3 CUSA) at Sam Houston (12-12; 2-4 CUSA)
- Don Sanders Stadium | Huntsville, Texas
- Friday, March 27 | 6:30 p.m. CT
- Saturday, March 28 | 2 p.m. CT
- Sunday, March 29Â | 12 p.m. CT
- Listen: The Varsity Network (PXP: Randy Lee)
- Social: @WKU_Baseball | @WKUSports
- Live Stats:Â StatBroadcast
- Game Notes:Â WKUÂ
ABOUT THE TOPS
- The Hilltoppers enter the game with a 14-11 record and a 3-3 mark in CUSA play.Â
- WKU hosted Louisville on Tuesday at Nick Denes Field. The Hilltoppers won 10-5, matching a season best 16 hits in the effort.
- The Hilltoppers now have five wins over Power Four opponents marking the most in a season since 2011. That season WKU earned their fifth win over such an opponent in a 15-5 win over No. 25 Louisville.
- Offensively WKU boasts a .269 batting average with 20 home runs and 44 stolen bases.
- WKU is led by Lane Arroyos who posts a slash line of .362/.483/.638 with 28 RBIs on 32 hits in 90 plate appearances.
- Arroyos has hit 11 doubles this season which is second in Conference USA and No. 18 nationally.
- Camden Ross is hitting .333 with 17 RBIs on 27 hits. Ross posts the best on-base percentage on the team with a .495 mark.
- Last time out Ross went 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI.
- Ross now has managed three hits in a game on three occasions this season.
- Kyle Hayes is currently hitting just shy of .300 at .297 with 22 hits, 25 RBIs, and 18 runs.
- In the win over Louisville Hayes finished 2-for-4 with a team best three RBIs to go along with two runs.Â
- On the mound the Hilltoppers hold a 5.47 ERA with 222 strikeouts in 220.2 innings.
- The WKU pitching staff has allowed 81 walks this season for an average of just 3.47 per game which leads Conference USA and is 28th in the nation.
- WKU currently holds a .982 fielding percentage which leads CUSA and is 21st in NCAA DI.
SERIES HISTORY
- Friday's meeting will mark just the seventh time the Hilltoppers and Bearkats have competed with WKU holding a 5-1 advantage in the series.
- The two teams have met for a series in Huntsville and one in Bowling Green.Â
- In Sam Houston's first year in the league the Hilltoppers traveled to Huntsville and took 2-of-3 in a weekend series at Don Sanders Stadium.
- WKU hosted Sam Houston last season and won in a series sweep.
- Three of the six meetings between the two teams resulted in a shutout, the Hilltoppers are 2-1 in those games.
SCOUTING THE BEARKATS
- Sam Houston comes into weekend play with a 12-12 record and a 2-4 mark in CUSA. The Bearkats lastly defeated UT Arlington 7-5 on Tuesday night at Don Sanders Stadium.
- The Bearkats post a team batting average of .243 with 132 runs on 186 hits, for an average of 5.5 runs per game.
- Jeric Curtis leads the team offensively with a slash line of .364/.474/.468 and has scored 18 runs with 28 hits and eight RBIs.
- Hunter Alvord has driven in the most runs for the Bearkats this year with 15 RBIs.
- On the mound, the Bearkat pitching staff holds a 4.61 ERA, recording 204 strikeouts with 90 walks allowed and 207 hits.
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.
