WKU Baseball will return home to Nick Denes Field Tuesday to face the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles.
The Hilltoppers are coming off a four-game road trip that began with a narrow 5-4 extra innings loss at then-No. 23 (now No. 17) Vanderbilt. WKU continued the trip with a three-game series win at then No. 17 Dallas Baptist, now unranked.
The highlight of the weekend was the Hilltoppers’ pitching staff, which held DBU scoreless for 15 consecutive innings spanning from game one through all of game two. WKU currently leads all of Division I baseball with a 2.59 team ERA, reflecting the staff’s consistency and effectiveness throughout the season.
A major contributor over the weekend was senior Dawson Hall, who delivered six scoreless innings in game two. Hall allowed just six hits, struck out two and earned Conference USA Pitcher of the Week honors for his performance.
At home the Hilltoppers remain perfect, holding a 21-0 record at Nick Denes Field and a 27-5 overall record. WKU’s performance through the first half of the season has earned national recognition, with the Hilltoppers recently ranking No. 25 in both the Baseball America and Perfect Game USA Top 25 polls.
Offensively, WKU is averaging 8.9 runs per game at home. Leading the charge is junior Ryan Wideman, who holds a .451 batting average, seventh-best in all of college baseball. Wideman also has 26 stolen bases, tied for sixth nationally.
He’s not the only one producing at the plate. Junior Carlos Vasquez is batting .373, and senior Ethan Lizama adds depth with a .358 average at the top of the lineup.
Southern Indiana, of the Ohio Valley Conference, comes into the week with a 15-15 overall record and a 6-11 road record. The Screaming Eagles are currently on a five-game win streak and are coming off a three-game series sweep against Morehead State. USI outscored Morehead 26-12 in the series.
On the road, USI is averaging 10.2 runs per game but giving up an average of 11.7. They’ve also been shut out twice this season, both on the road.
First pitch is set for 5 p.m.
Sports Reporter David Quintanilla can be reached at davidquintailla0610@gmail.com.
