BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU carries a season-long seven-game winning streak into Lafayette, La. this weekend as the Hilltoppers look to take one step closer to sewing up the program's first-ever Sun Belt Regular Season Championship. The Ragin Cajuns, however, have enjoyed a 13-8-1 record at home this season are have much to play for as well, looking to secure a spot in the SBC Tournament later this month. (Obtain the complete version of game notes by downloading the PDF below.)
GAMES #48-50:
WKU at Louisiana-Lafayette
Friday-Sunday, May 8-10, 2009
M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field (3,755) • Lafayette, La.
►TOUGH PLACE TO PLAY: Since playing Louisiana-Lafayette on a regular basis beginning in 1995, WKU is just 4-17 at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field. The Toppers have never won a weekend series at Lafayette since joining the Sun Belt in 1983.
►EYEING 40 WINS: As we enter the homestretch of the 2009 regular season, WKU has its sights set on the program's first 40-win season in 21 years (1988). A 40-win campaign this year would be the fifth in the 90-year history of WKU baseball. The Toppers need to go 5-2 in their final seven regular season games to achieve that feat.
►UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS: A sweep of UALR last weekend ran WKU's home mark in Sun Belt play to 14-1 (.933), which is the best ever for the Toppers since joining the league in 1983. The 1985 team was 8-1 at home for an .889 winning percentage.
►RPI: In the fourth official release of the RPI by the NCAA on May 5, WKU is 38th. The Toppers are the highest rated school in both the Sun Belt and the state of Kentucky.
►ON RECORD PACE: Currently with a .980 fielding percentage, WKU ranks fifth in the nation and is on pace to set the Sun Belt Conference single season record. Since the SBC starting tracking fielding percentage records in 1989, the previous season-best has been Troy and WKU at .976 set last year.
►700 WINS: With a win last Friday night in the series opener with UALR, WKU picked up its 700th win at Nick Denes Field, in this the 40th year of its existence.
►30 WINS: WKU recorded the program's 18th 30-win season in the past 36 years.
►DAYLEG NAMED TO WATCH LIST: Senior Terrence Dayleg is one of only 38 players named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List which will honor the nation's best shortstop. The 2009 winner will be announced on July 2.
►BATS ARE HEATING BACK UP: After 10 days of some tough hitting games, WKU bounced back to its old ways this week, batting .401 and smashing nine home runs in a perfect 5-0 week.
►SEEKING HISTORIC FIRST: With two Sun Belt series remaining, WKU is in first place, in position to claim the program's first-ever Sun Belt Conference Regular Season Baseball Championship in school history.
►RECORD-SETTING STREAK STOPPED: Matt Rice was held hitless in three official at bats at Arkansas State, halting the sophomore catcher's hitting streak at 31 games. Rice shattered the previous school record of 24 set by Bill Weyers in 1993 and finished just three shy of Bryan Pullin's (FIU) Sun Belt Conference mark of 34 set during the 2005 and 2006 campaigns. Heading into the UALR series, Rice has had hits in an amazing 43 of 46 games played.
►LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: WKU played in its first televised game of the season on April 25 when Comcast / Charter Sports Southeast (CSS) aired live the WKU vs. Florida Atlantic game from Nick Denes Field.
►TAKING ON THE SUN BELT: WKU is 308-325-2 for a .487 winning percentage against the 10 current members of the Sun Belt Conference. With 286 league wins, the Hilltoppers rank third for most victories in conference history.
►"SERIES"OUSLY IN CONTROL: WKU has won its last 12-straight weekend series at the friendly confines.
►BEST HOME SEASON EVER: WKU is having its best ever home season in 90 years of Hilltopper Baseball. Through 29 games, the Hilltoppers are 27-2, winning a school record 16-straight during the year.
►ANOTHER 20-WIN HOME CAMPAIGN: WKU just notched the program's 13th 20-win home season. With one home game remaining, the Toppers need a victory to tie the school record for home wins in a season, currently 28 set in 1988. With 27 home wins, WKU is tied for second on that list with the 2002 team.
►HISTORIC CAMPAIGN: WKU is 80 percent done with their conference schedule, but have already put up impressive numbers. With 19 wins thus far, the Toppers are second in school history for most Sun Belt Conference wins, trailing only the 1999 team (21).
►EVERYONE GETTING IN ON THE ACTION: Two freshmen hit their first collegiate home runs last week, Kes Carter and Logan Robbins. They became the 12th and 13th different Hilltopper to homer this season.
►HITTING IN FRONT OF THE HOME CROWD: In 29 home games this season, WKU is batting a whopping .377 with Matt Rice, Jake Wells, Wade Gaynor, Terrence Dayleg, JB Paxson, and Matt Hightower all hitting over .370 at the friendly confines. WKU has also gotten good stuff from its pitchers at Denes Field, posting a 4.35 ERA and holding opponents to a .259 BAA.
►NCAA STATISTICAL RANKINGS: WKU is ranked in the top 30 in the NCAA in 14 different statistical categories including fifth in fielding percentage. Individually, Wade Gaynor leads Division I in runs scored with 70 while ranking eighth in home runs (19).
►ATTRACTING ATTENTION: In the May 4 release of the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll, WKU received six votes, placing them tied for 37th. It is the fifth-straight week that the Hilltoppers have garnered attention in the national balloting. WKU also received votes in the latest release of the NCBWA Top 25 poll.
►LEAVING THEIR MARK: WKU's Evan Teague and Ben Paxton rank second and third all-time in career appearances at 88 and 87 respectively. The senior duo trail only Matt Wilhite's (2000-03) all-time mark of 110.
►ALL-AROUND PERFORMERS: WKU has reached the top of the Sun Belt standings not by having success in just one area, but heading into the ULL series, the Toppers lead the league in team batting (.338), team pitching (5.11), and team fielding (.980).
►HOME RUN TEAR: Heading into the weekend, Wade Gaynor ranks tied for third all-time at WKU with 37 career home runs (19 this season) while teammate Chad Cregar is tied for fifth with 35 (14 this year).
►COMBINING FOR A NO-NO: Four of the youngest arms on the team, three freshmen and one sophomore, combined to pitch a seven-inning no-hitter against Kentucky Wesleyan on March 31 in a 15-0 win. Craig Stem, Tyler Gilliland, Harry Stubel, and Aaron Mayfield recorded 10 strikeouts while not allowing a hit.
►RARE LATE LOSS: FIU's come-from-behind win over WKU with three runs in the bottom of the ninth on April 3 marked the only time this season the Toppers have lost when leading after eight innings. WKU is currently 25-1 in those games.
►PHENOMENAL RUN HALTED: WKU had its streak of six-straight weekend series wins (dating back to last year) snapped at FIU on April 3-5.
►ALL THINGS MUST COME TO AN END: WKU's remarkable streak of winning games when holding opponents to nine hits or less came to an end on April 14 in a 7-4 loss at Austin Peay. The Toppers had been 17-0 and are now 22-1 in those games.
►SUN BELT SLUGGER: Wade Gaynor is batting a team-best .370 and slugging .739 in Sun Belt play with nine home runs and 29 RBI.
►WORKING FOR THE WEEKEND: After opening the season 16-1 in weekend games, WKU dropped two of three at FIU, but still sport an impressive 27-4 mark. The current starting weekend rotation is 17-3.
►LAUNCHING THE LONG BALL: Having launched 67 home runs through 47 games, WKU is on pace to hit 77 in the regular season, which would rank fourth all-time in school history, trailing only the 1985 (114), 1980 (89), and 1981 (86) squads. Their 67 home runs is already sixth all-time, just seven back of last year's total of 74.
►DOUBLE TROUBLE: When WKU has held its opponents to single digits in hits, they are 22-1. When the Toppers' foes hit 10 or more, however, WKU is 13-11 this season.
►FINNY'S HOME SUN BELT SUCCESS: WKU has won nine-straight Sun Belt Conference home series at Nick Denes Field under head coach Chris Finwood. Highlighted by six sweeps, the Toppers are 24-3 over that span.
►NCAA's ELITE: As we approach the home-stretch of the 2009 season, WKU continues to put up impressive numbers, ranking in the top 30 in Division I in 14 different categories including: batting average (21st), scoring (10th), runs (8th), hits (18th), triples (25th), home runs per game (30th), home runs (27th), slugging percentage (18th), stolen bases (26th), walks (12th), hit by pitch (18th), sacrifice flies (15th), fielding percentage (5th), and win-loss percentage (11th).
►DANGEROUS DUO: Two WKU hitters rank in the top 10 in the Sun Belt Conference in batting with Matt Rice (4th) and Wade Gaynor (7th). Rice is fifth in the league in hits. Gaynor is first in runs scored and RBI while ranking second in home runs and third in total bases.
►FRESHMAN PHENOMS: Kes Carter, Jared Andreoli, and Logan Robbins are batting .375, .336, and .297 respectively, combining for 72 runs, 16 extra base hits, and 53 RBI.
►HISTORIC START: Winning eight of their first nine Sun Belt Conference games, WKU began league play with its best start in 27 years of Sun Belt affiliation.
►TAKING ON THE OVC: WKU is 345-255-6 for a .574 winning percentage against the 11 current members of the Ohio Valley Conference.
►TAKING ON THE A-SUN: WKU is 67-80-1 for a .456 winning percentage against the 12 current members of the Atlantic Sun Conference.
►TAKING ON THE SEC: WKU has played all 12 current members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), holding a 63-118-2 all-time mark. The Toppers are .500 or better all-time against two members of the SEC, Tennessee (2-2) and Georgia (2-0).
►TAKING ON THE BIG EAST: WKU is 101-83 for a .549 winning percentage against the 12 current members of the Big East. The Toppers have a winning record against South Florida, Louisville, Cincinnati, and Villanova. Dropping its only meeting with Notre Dame in 1926, the Irish are the only member to have a winning record over WKU.
►TAKING ON THE COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION: WKU is 9-5 for a .643 winning percentage against the 11 current members of the Colonial Athletic Association.
►FINNY WINS 100TH GAME: With a 10-6 victory over Lipscomb on April 1, WKU head coach Chris Finwood became just the fourth Topper head coach to reach 100 wins (since 1923).
►WEEKLY SBC SUCCESS: Since the Sun Belt began issuing Player of the Week honors, WKU has won the award 25 times following Chad Cregar's selection on March 9. The league started naming a Pitcher of the Week in 1992 and since that time, WKU has received 14 selection with Matt Ridings being tabbed in 2008.
►CREGAR NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK: On March 9, senior outfielder Chad Cregar was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week, the second-straight selection for the Toppers. He batted .357 and slugged 1.071 in four games including a series sweep of ULM. Cregar blasted three home runs and drove in 10 RBI. He leads the team in home runs.
►GAYNOR NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK: After batting .474 and slugging 1.000, junior third baseman Wade Gaynor was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week on March 2. Gaynor had multiple hits in four of his five games during the week, scoring 10 runs and driving in eight RBI.
►OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION: The 23 runs the Toppers racked up against Albany in February 27th's 23-2 rout of the Great Danes was the highest single game output since blowing out Austin Peay 29-15 on May 17, 2005.
►1,500 WINS: With the doubleheader sweep of Albany on March 1, WKU surpassed the 1,500-win plateau in 90 seasons of baseball.
►MOVING ON UP: Junior righthander Matt Ridings is now third all-time at WKU with 23 career victories following an impressive win over Florida Atlantic on April 25. He is now one back of Heath Haynes (1988-91) for second, and five behind the all-time leader, Ryan Hutchinson (1998-2001).
►LONG-TIME RIVALS: March 25 marked the 121st meeting between WKU and Louisville, which is tied for the fifth most all-time that the Hilltoppers have meet an opponent (with Tennessee Tech). It trails only Middle Tennessee (198), Austin Peay (142), Eastern Kentucky (133), and Murray State (125).
►SO YOU WANT SOME VARIETY...: In 47 games this season, head coach Chris Finwood has used 40 different batting orders.
►HOME SWEET HOME: Since Nick Denes Field opened in 1969, the Toppers are 702-380-4 (.648). In 40 seasons, WKU has had just two losing campaigns at "The Nick".
►TAKING ON THE AMERICA EAST: WKU is 5-2 all-time when facing the seven current members of the America East Conference. The only match-ups with the league have come with the Albany Great Danes.
►SUN BELT SUCCESS: Despite not being a member of the Sun Belt Conference for the first five years of the league's existence, WKU still ranks second all-time in overall wins (797), third in Sun Belt Conference victories (286), and tied for second in SBC Tournament wins (30).
►CREGAR, RIDINGS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: Two WKU baseball players have earned preseason All-America honors. Senior slugger Chad Cregar was named to the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) First-Team as the top designated hitter as well as to the Louisville Slugger Second-Team as an outfielder. Junior pitcher Matt Ridings was selected to the Louisville Slugger Second-Team.
►CHALLENGING 2009 SLATE: WKU's challenging 56-game schedule features 32 home games and 10 contests against teams that competed in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
►WKU PICKED TO WIN SUN BELT CONFERENCE: After winning the 2008 Sun Belt Conference Tournament and advancing to the program's third NCAA Tournament, WKU has been picked to capture the school's first-ever SBC Regular Season Baseball Championship, according to a poll of the league's 11 head coaches. WKU garnered nine of 11 first-place tallies and totalled 119 points. Troy came in second in the balloting with 100 points followed by ULM (84) in third.
►RIDINGS NAMED SBC PRESEASON PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Junior Matt Ridings was selected as the SBC Preseason Pitcher of the Year. The 6-1 righthander from Brentwood, Tenn., was 10-3 record with a 3.88 ERA.
►RIDINGS, CREGAR, AND GAYNOR NAMED SBC PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE: Matt Ridings, Chad Cregar, and Wade Gaynor have all been named to the 14-member Preseason Sun Belt All-Conference team.
►RIVALS.COM LIKES WKU TO TAKE IT ALL; THREE TOPPERS HONORED WITH PRESEASON ACCLAIM: Rivals.com has selected Western Kentucky University as its preseason favorite to win the 2009 Sun Belt Conference Championship. If the national media outlet is correct, it would be the first SBC Regular Season Title for the Hilltoppers. Chad Cregar, Wade Gaynor, and Matt Ridings were also named to the Rivals.com Preseason All-Conference team. The defending 2008 Sun Belt Conference Tournament Champions were also picked as the "Team on the Rise."
►ANOINTING OF A CHAMPION: Two more publications have anointed Western Kentucky University as the team to beat for the 2009 Sun Belt Conference Championship. Southeastern Baseball and Collegiate Baseball both tabbed the Hilltoppers as the conference's preseason favorite, joining Rivals.com in that camp.
