WKU Baseball will host Indiana for a four-game series at Nick Denes Field Feb. 27-Mar. 1.
The Hilltoppers are 5-4 after a 13-9 loss to the University of Kentucky on Wednesday. WKU was outhit 20-10 and couldn’t climb out of an early 4-0 lead by the Wildcats.
WKU is led by a strong offseason acquisition, junior infielder Lane Arroyos, who is batting .371 with two home runs, 13 RBI, and eight walks on the season. Arroyos had a quiet day at the plate against UK, going 1-5 and striking out three times.
Senior Kyle Hayes is expected to be back in the starting lineup after missing playing time due to a concussion. Hayes has been limited to 16 at-bats, but in those, he has hit three home runs and eight RBI.
On the mound, the Hilltoppers are led by their game two starter, junior Aaron Robertson. Robertson holds a 1.80 ERA with 14 strikeouts across two games. WKU also has a new promising closer in junior Zach Lyles. Lyles has earned two saves while allowing just one hit and striking out seven.
The Indiana Hoosiers come into the weekend with a 3-5 record. The Hoosiers are coming off a 10-4 win over Xavier on Wednesday. Indiana played in the Live Like Lou Jacksonville Baseball Classic last weekend, where they suffered a 14-7 loss to No. 2 LSU,a 9-8 extra-innings loss to Notre Dame and a 6-1 win over UCF.
After earning Big Ten All-Freshmen Team, sophomore Cooper Malamazian has continued his success at Indiana. Malamzian is hitting .379 with 10 RBI and six walks. The sophomore went 2-4 with one walk in the Xavier game.
In the bullpen, the Hoosiers have a weapon in graduate student Gavin Seebold. Seebold holds a zero ERA in 8.1 innings and eight strikeouts. The right-hander went two innings against Xavier, holding them to two hits.
WKU and Indiana have had one previous meeting in 2014. The Hoosiers won 1-0 after 10 innings in Bloomington, Indiana.
The Hilltoppers will be looking for revenge since their sole meeting, as they continue their difficult non-conference schedule.
The series will begin on Friday at 3 p.m. and continue as a doubleheader on Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m. The series will close out on Sunday with one game at 1 p.m.
