Liberty Travels to WKU for CUSA Weekend Series
4/18/2024 4:25:00 PM | Baseball
Series Coverage
Quick Hits
- Liberty at Western Kentucky (Nick Denes Field)
- First pitch: Friday at 7 p.m. EST/6 p.m. CST; Saturday at 5 p.m. EST/4 p.m.CST/Sunday at 1 p.m. CST/2 p.m. EST
- TV: ESPN+ (Saturday and Sunday)
- Radio: LFSN Radio
Quick Hits
• Liberty continues its longest road swing of the season when it travels to Bowling Green, Ky. for a three-game CUSA series against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. The Flames began their eight-game road swing to finish out its April schedule with a 2-1 loss at VCU on Tuesday.
• Liberty and WKU will meet for the first time ever on the diamond this weekend. The two teams are separated by a game in the conference standings. The Flames hold the top spot with a 9-3 mark, while the Hilltoppers are in third place with an 8-4 record.
• WKU enters the weekend with a 26-12 overall record. The Hilltoppers have posted a 16-8 mark at Nick Denes Field this season.
• Head Coach Scott Jackson is in his eighth season at Liberty. Jackson has led the Flames to a 239-166 (.590) record and three NCAA Regional appearances, the most of any coach in program history.
• Liberty and WKU will meet for the first time ever on the diamond this weekend. The two teams are separated by a game in the conference standings. The Flames hold the top spot with a 9-3 mark, while the Hilltoppers are in third place with an 8-4 record.
• WKU enters the weekend with a 26-12 overall record. The Hilltoppers have posted a 16-8 mark at Nick Denes Field this season.
• Head Coach Scott Jackson is in his eighth season at Liberty. Jackson has led the Flames to a 239-166 (.590) record and three NCAA Regional appearances, the most of any coach in program history.
Highlighting Hertzler
• Entering his start on Friday evening, junior left-hander Cole Hertzler has won each of his last four starts, all CUSA games. Over the four-game stretch, Hertzler has posted a 2.81 ERA over 25 2/3 innings, pitching six or more innings in each start. He has struck out 35 and walked 12.
• Hertzler enters the weekend second in CUSA in wins (4) and ERA (3.53). He is third in strikeouts (58) and fifth in innings pitched (48 1/3).
• This past Friday, the right-hander not only picked up his fourth consecutive win but set a new career-high for strikeouts in Liberty's 7-2 victory over Jacksonville State. Hertzler struck out a career-high 10 batters over 6 2/3 innings in the contest.
Leading Off with Kepley
• Center fielder Kane Kepley has hit .354 since the start of CUSA play on March 22. Over the 16 games since, he has raised his overall batting average to a team-leading .338
for the season.
• During the span, he has a team-high 23 hits and walked seven times to post a .456 on base percentage. Kepley is fourth in CUSA with a .460 on base percentage on the year.
• The outfielder has scored a team-high 18 runs over the stretch and enters the weekend sixth in CUSA with 39 runs scored. The outfielder has scored 49 percent (39/80)
of the time he has reached base this season. He also enters the week third in the conference with 11 stolen bases.
• In Liberty's 12 CUSA games, the sophomore has hit .360 with four home runs, 11 RBI and 15 runs scored.
Leading Off with Kepley
• Center fielder Kane Kepley has hit .354 since the start of CUSA play on March 22. Over the 16 games since, he has raised his overall batting average to a team-leading .338
for the season.
• During the span, he has a team-high 23 hits and walked seven times to post a .456 on base percentage. Kepley is fourth in CUSA with a .460 on base percentage on the year.
• The outfielder has scored a team-high 18 runs over the stretch and enters the weekend sixth in CUSA with 39 runs scored. The outfielder has scored 49 percent (39/80)
of the time he has reached base this season. He also enters the week third in the conference with 11 stolen bases.
• In Liberty's 12 CUSA games, the sophomore has hit .360 with four home runs, 11 RBI and 15 runs scored.
Players Mentioned
RHP/INF
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OF
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