WKU Baseball will host Louisiana Tech in a three-game series May 2-4.
The Hilltoppers enter the series with a 35-10 record, 11-7 in conference play, placing them fourth in Conference USA. Coming off an upset 6-4 home win over UK, WKU maintains the best home record in college baseball with a 26-1 mark at Nick Denes Field.
The Hilltoppers carry a 3.04 ERA, the lowest ERA in Division I college baseball, holding opponents to a conference low .225 batting average. They have recorded 397 strikeouts as a team while only giving up 132 walks.
Weekend starters, junior Jack Bennett and sophomore Drew Whalen, have been key to the team this season. Bennett holds a 2.05 ERA, the second-lowest in the conference, with 41 strikeouts and 13 walks in 48.1 innings. Whalen carries a 2.65 ERA, the third lowest in the conference, tallying 72 strikeouts and 19 walks in 57.2 innings.
The Hilltoppers lead the conference with 464 hits, holding a .309 team batting average, the second highest in CUSA. Senior Ryan Wideman is hitting .414, leading the conference. Wideman leads the conference in hits (77), triples (five) and stolen bases (25).
LA Tech comes to Bowling Green with a 27-17 record, sitting third in the conference standings at 11-6. The Bulldogs are coming off an 11-6 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Led by junior Sebastian Mexico, who went 2-5, LA Tech recorded 11 hits.
The Bulldogs lost two of three games against Dallas Baptist in their most recent conference series, despite outscoring DBU 25-24. LA Tech struck out 30 times across the three games, leaving 23 runners on base.
The Bulldogs are hitting .268 as a team, racking up 399 hits and 240 walks, which leads CUSA. On the mound, LA Tech holds a 4.99 team ERA, the third highest in the conference. The Bulldogs’ pitching staff is holding opponents to a .262 batting average.
The series will open Friday at 1 p.m. and continue on Saturday at 4 p.m. The series will close out at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Sports Reporter David Quintanilla can be reached at [email protected].