WKU Baseball will travel to Liberty for a three-game Conference USA series April 11-13.
The Hilltoppers enter the weekend with a 6-3 record in conference play and a 6-5 mark on the road. They are coming off a 13-9 win over the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles on Tuesday, where every starting hitter recorded an RBI. WKU’s offense also exploded for 11 runs in the fourth inning.
In its last CUSA series, WKU claimed two of three games on the road against then-ranked Dallas Baptist. The Hilltoppers outscored DBU 16-8 across the weekend, including a seven-inning run-rule victory in game two.
WKU’s midweek performance highlighted the strength of its lineup. The Hilltoppers enter the weekend with a .323 team batting average, ranking 12th in college baseball. Leading the way is junior Ryan Wideman, who is currently hitting .452, the third-best batting average in Division I. Wideman also leads CUSA in doubles (14), triples (5) and stolen bases (27).
The Hilltoppers’ success can also be attributed to their effective pitching staff. WKU currently holds the best ERA in Division I at 2.67. The staff has totaled 302 strikeouts while allowing just 106 walks and holding opponents to a .222 batting average.
Junior Jack Bennett is set to start game one. The right-hander enters the weekend with a 1.50 ERA, the third-best mark in Division I, along with 35 strikeouts and just nine walks over 36 innings. Bennett started the opener in the series win at Dallas Baptist, where he held the Patriots to three runs, all in the first inning, across 4.2 innings.
Junior Dawson Hall will take the mound in game two. Hall will make just his third start of the season and enters the weekend with a 0.82 ERA, six walks and 15 strikeouts. He earned the start in game two against Dallas Baptist, tossing six scoreless innings while allowing six hits, issuing no walks and striking out two. The performance earned him Conference USA Pitcher of the Week honors.
Sophomore Drew Whalen is scheduled to start game three. The right-hander enters the weekend with a 2.23 ERA, 13 walks and 51 strikeouts across 40.1 innings. Whalen took his first loss of the season in the finale against Dallas Baptist, allowing two runs on two hits and two walks over three innings.
Liberty comes into the weekend with a 5-4 conference record and an overall record of 22-11. At home, the Flames are 17-4, coming off a CUSA series sweep against Middle Tennessee State last weekend. In the series, Liberty run-ruled games one and two in eight innings outscoring MTSU 30-9.
Liberty holds the second-best ERA in CUSA at 4.29 and has collected 311 strikeouts, which is the second-most in CUSA. Offensively, the Flames hold a .261 team batting average, the second-lowest in the conference. The Flames are averaging 8.23 runs scored at home and are giving up 4.29 runs at home.
This is the second series matchup between the two teams, with WKU earning a sweep last season in Bowling Green.
“They’re (Liberty) a really good team. They’ve got pitching and they’re right up there with us right now, early in this conference standings. So it’s another weekend where it’s not do or die by all means but you definitely want to try to take two out of three,” Head Coach Marc Rardin said.
The series will begin Friday with the first pitch set for 5 p.m. Game two is scheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m., and the series finale will take place Sunday at noon Fans can watch the series on ESPN+.
Sports Reporter David Quintanilla can be reached at davidquintanilla0610@gmail.com.
