WKU Baseball will welcome Austin Peay for its second midweek match of the week on April 22 at Nick Denes Field.
The Hilltoppers are 21-20 on the season after their 13-0 run-rule win over EKU Tuesday, April 21, at Earle Combs Stadium.
In the game, WKU racked up 15 hits and six walks. Junior infielder Lane Arroyos led the team, going 4-5 with two RBI and a stolen base. The Hilltoppers scored at least two runs in every inning except for the second and sixth.
Arroyos ignites the Hilltopper offense, leading the team with a .385 batting average. His 18 doubles and 1.108 OPS lead Conference USA. Senior catcher Camden Ross (.304) is the only other Hilltopper hitting over .300.
On the mound, WKU carries a 5.31 team ERA with graduate right-hander Gavin Perry leading the team with a 4.75 ERA. The arms had a strong outing against EKU, with sophomore Dominic Monaco and junior right-hander Trey Reinburg being all the arms needed for the win. Monaco pitched four innings of scoreless ball while tallying six strikeouts. Reinburg held the Cololnels to one hit in his three innings while getting three strikeouts.
At Nick Denes Field, WKU is 17-11, including 3-1 in midweek games. In the last midweek game at Nick Denes Field, the Hilltoppers defeated Belmont 9-8.
Austin Peay comes into the game 20-20 and 10-8 in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Governors are coming off a sweep of Bellarmine, outscoring them 31-13.
The Governors have a .288 team batting average, with senior outfielder Zion Taylor leading the team at .360. Taylor went 4-11 with six RBI in the series against Bellarmine. Austin Peay has three other batters hitting over .300: redshirt junior outfielder Paris Pridgen (.356), graduate infielder Andres Matias (.317) and redshirt junior infielder Ray Velaquez (.308).
On the mound, Austin Peay holds a 6.46 team ERA, which is good for the seventh-lowest in the ASUN. Junior left-hander DJ Merriweather leads the team with a 6.10 ERA. In Merriweather’s last outing, he went 4.2 innings, allowing three runs on five hits and striking out four in game one against Bellarmine.
Wednesday’s matchup marks the 166th matchup between WKU and Austin Peay. The Hilltoppers lead the head-to-head 98-66-1. Since 2001, WKU is 6-4 against the Governors at Nick Denes Field. The two teams last met on March 12, 2024, where the Hilltoppers won 12-9 in Clarksville, Tennessee.
First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
