Catcher Joey Baran, 6, smiles at the referee during the WKU vs. Dallas Baptist University game on Sunday, April 7, 2024.
WKU Baseball concluded the 2024 regular season May 16-18 with a series victory over New Mexico State.
Although the Hilltoppers lost the first game of the series, they finished the season with two consecutive wins.
WKU finished the season with a record of 34-20 overall and 15-9 in conference play against USA.
The Hilltoppers finished third in the C-USA standings and will face the sixth-seeded FIU Panthers in the first round of the C-USA Tournament.
game 1
WKU dropped the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader, 5-4.
NMSU jumped out to an early lead in the first inning with a solo home run, followed by a two-RBI single and a two-RBI double to make it 4-0.
The Hilltoppers tied the game with a sac fly in the bottom of the second inning, a two-RBI single in the third, and an RBI grounder in the fourth.
NMSU regained the lead with a RBI hit in the seventh inning and won 5-4.
WKU had 10 hits despite the loss. In this contest he had three separate players record multiple hits.
game 2
WKU turned things around with a back-and-forth win in the second game of the doubleheader, winning 11-9.
The Hilltoppers took a 3-0 lead in the first inning with two RBIs and a sac fly RBI.
The Aggies responded by scoring the next seven runs of the game: two in the second, two in the third, and three in the fourth.
WKU closed the gap to 7-6 in the bottom of the fourth inning with two RBIs and one RBI.
NMSU added one run in the fifth inning, and WKU took the lead with three runs in the sixth on a double, a ground ball RBI, and a bunt single.
WKU further extended its lead with an RBI double in the 8th inning, taking an 11-8 lead, and eventually held on to win 11-9.
Junior Eli Burwash contributed to the Hilltoppers’ victory with three hits, two runs batted in, and two runs batted in.
Game 3
WKU clinched the series with a 6-2 victory on Saturday.
The game got off to a slow start, with the only points scored through the first five innings coming on an RBI double by NMSU in the first inning.
WKU scored on junior Blake Cavill’s three-run homer in the sixth inning to take a 3-1 lead.
NMSU scored on a double play in the seventh inning, but WKU extended its lead again on an error in the bottom of the inning, making it 4-2.
WKU hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning to win 6-2.
The Hilltoppers will look to open the C-USA Tournament with a win against the FIU Panthers on May 22nd in Ruston, Louisiana.
