GAME DAY: Tops vs. UK
Photo Courtesy of NCAA.org
The Baseball Tops are back at it on the Diamond. The Hilltoppers have returned to the Bluegrass state to face off against in state rival Kentucky in Lexington. For WKU they are rolling in off of a visit to the Peach State and took a few losses and opened up Sun Belt play. WKU was HAMMERED by Georgia their first game and stuck with them the second installment. Western managed to defeat Sun Belt foe Georgia State in their weekend double header to start the Conference Season. For WKU and UK this is their 57th meeting between the two. UK holds the series lead with a 31-25 edge between the two. WKU beat the No. 8 Wildcats last year in Lexington by a score of 6-3. Western is 1-2 against SEC opponents so far this season so we will see WKU’s desire to defeat top competition tonight.
Delivering the Pitches for WKU will be Sophomore Righty Josh Bartley. Bartley is 2-1 on the season with a 5.02 ERA. Bartley went 6.2 innings last year in the victory over the Cats and I’m sure he plans to go about the same this round. Players to watch for WKU are the usual… First Baseman Ryan Church who has 24 hits, 13 RBI’s, and 4 home runs on the year. Hilltopper number two to watch is Catcher Ryan Messex. Messex Leads WKU in Batting Percentage hitting .356 on the year.
UK has yet to announce todays starter, but i would assume they’re going to boast Junior South Paw A.J. Reed against the Tops. Reed has a record of 3-1 and has a 1.91 ERA on the year. He is holding opponents to a .191 average in 33 innings. A player I would watch out for from UK is Junior Out Fielder Austin Cousino. Cousino is batting .409 on the season. He has 36 hits, 13 RBI’s and 2 long balls.
The first pitch of todays game will be at 6:30ET, 5:30CT. Western will look to have a strong showing against an SEC opponent and will look forward to welcoming Texas State to Bowling Green over the weekend. As usual check back in with us after the game to see the Post Game report. Everyone have a safe and pleasant evening and per usual… GO TOPS!