WKU Baseball will travel to Missouri State to play a three-game Conference USA series this weekend.
The Hilltoppers come into the weekend with a 19-18 overall record and a 6-9 CUSA record, sitting in seventh place in the conference. WKU is coming off a 7-3 loss to Louisville during the midweek. In the game, the Hilltoppers were outhit 7-6 and went 2-18 with runners on base. Senior infielder Austin Haller was the only Hilltopper to get two hits against Louisville.
Overall, WKU carries a .275 team batting average, sixth in CUSA, with 284 strikeouts and 174 walks. Junior infielder Lane Arroyos leads the team with a .343 average, and his 16 doubles are the second most in CUSA. Arroyos was limited in WKU’s last CUSA series against New Mexico State, where he only pinch-hit in game three, bringing in two runs and earning a walk.
Only two other WKU bats hit over .300, Haller (.325) and senior catcher Camden Ross (.304).
On the mound, the Hilltoppers hold a 5.23 ERA, fifth in CUSA, with 327 strikeouts and 133 walks. Graduate right-hander Gavin Perry is the only qualified pitcher for WKU, holding a 4.53 ERA. Perry will take the mound in game one. In his last outing, Perry went seven innings, giving up two runs on seven hits while striking out seven in game two against New Mexico State.
Graduate left-hander Aaron Robertson will start game two against Missouri State. Robertson holds a 4.01 ERA with 28 strikeouts and six walks. Robertson last pitched in game one against New Mexico State, going 4.1 innings, giving up three runs on four hits while striking out seven batters.
Missouri State comes into the series 24-10 and 12-3 in CUSA. The Bears also hold a perfect 15-0 record in Springfield, Missouri. Their midweek game against Missouri was canceled due to the weather. Last weekend, Missouri State swept CUSA opponents Delaware, outscoring them 38-17.
The Bears carry a CUSA-high .308 team batting average and a .558 slugging percentage. Missouri State is led by sophomore infielder Logan Fyffe, who is hitting .391 along with 31 RBI and five home runs. Fyffe hit 7-14 against Delaware, collecting four RBI. The Bears have four other batters hitting over .300: senior infielder Bryce Cermenelli (.367), senior outfielder Gabe Roessler (.340), junior outfielder Caden Bogenpohl (.305), and junior two-way player Curry Sutherland (.302).
On the mound, Missouri State holds a 5.54 team ERA, seventh in CUSA. The Bears are led by the game one starter, redshirt freshman Ross Felder, who has a 2.95 ERA with a CUSA low five walks and 37 strikeouts. Felder’s last outing came against Delaware in their first game of the series. Felder went seven innings, holding them to one run on six hits while striking out eight.
WKU and Missouri State have met twice, splitting the games on March 11-12, 1986, at a neutral site in Jacksonville, Florida. The Hilltoppers took game one 15-0 before dropping the second game 6-5. At the time, Missouri State was known as Southwest Missouri State until changing its name to Missouri State in 2005.
The first pitch on Friday has moved to 3 p.m., with the series continuing on Saturday at 2 p.m. The series will conclude on Sunday, starting at 1 p.m. Games one and two can be watched on ESPN+.
