Liberty Welcomes WKU for CUSA Home Series this Weekend
4/10/2025 4:09:00 PM | Baseball
Series Coverage
Quick Hits
• The Liberty Flames will host the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in a three-game Conference USA series this weekend. The Hilltoppers will visit Lynchburg for the first time this weekend. Friday's series opener is scheduled to be the first night game of the season at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium.Â
• Last season, WKU swept the first-ever series between the two teams in Bowling Green, Ky., April 19-21. The Hilltoppers are currently second in the conference standings with a 6-3 record and are 28-5 overall.
• The Flames enter the series with a 17-4 record at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball in 2025. Last weekend, Liberty swept a three-game conference series from Middle Tennessee at home to move to 5-4 in CUSA. The Flames set a facility record by hitting seven home runs in a 12-2 win last Sunday.
• Bradley LeCroy was named the eighth head coach in Flames' history in July 2024. He is in his third year as a head coach after two years at VCU.
Mathiesen CUSA K King
• Right-hander Dylan Mathiesen enters his start on Friday, the CUSA leader in strikeouts with 64. He ranks 16th nationally in strikeouts.
•Mathiesen is the CUSA leader and is 14th nationally with 13.4 strikeouts per nine innings.
• The junior comes off arguably his best start of the season this past Friday. Mathiesen pitched a career-high six scoreless innings, scattering three hits, in recording the win in Liberty's 13-3 victory over Middle Tennessee. The right-hander struck out six and did not walk a batter. He did not allow a baserunner past second during his time on the mound
• Mathiesen has started 11 games, which is the most by any pitcher in the country this season. In 43 innings, the right-hander has posted a 2-1 record with a 3.77 ERA.Â
• Currently, he is also among the CUSA leaders in Games Started (1st), Innings Pitched (3rd) and ERA (10th).
Liberty Sets Liberty Baseball Stadium Home Run Record
• The Flames belted seven home runs in their 12-2 win in eight innings over Middle Tennessee at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium on Sunday. Liberty's seven home runs are the most hit by a team in a game in the stadium.
• Before Sunday's game, no team (Liberty or its opposition) had hit more than four home runs in a game at Liberty Baseball Stadium. The Flames accomplished the feat three times since the stadium opened. The most recent was against Central Michigan on March 8 of this year. Austin Peay was the last opponent to hit four on March 25, 2023.
• Landon Scilley hit two home runs, his second and third of the season, in the game. Callum Early (second), Tanner Marsh (first), Jaxon Sorenson (10th), Nick Barone (seventh) and Camden Troyer (seventh) also had a home run in the contest.
• Liberty's seven home runs tie for the second most in school history. It is the first time the Flames have hit seven home runs in a game since a 15-5 victory in seven innings at New Mexico State on April 6, 2024.
•  The Liberty program record for home runs in a game is eight. The Flames set the record last season in a 25-7 win in seven innings at Middle Tennessee on March 24, 2024.
Early Joins Select Company
• Last Friday,  Callum Early had five hits in Liberty's 13-3 victory in eight innings over Middle Tennessee, tying the record for most hits in a game at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium. His hit total was one shy of the program record of six held by Kane Kepley (May 13, 2023 at Eastern Kentucky) and Jake Hines (April 22, 1993 at William & Mary).
• Only five players have had five hits in a game at Liberty Baseball, home of Flames baseball since 2013 - three Flames and two opponents. The last player to do it before the Flames' Early was FIU outfielder Jeff Liquori in a 12-11 loss to Liberty on May 4, 2024.
• Early became the first Flame since Aaron Anderson to have five hits at Liberty Baseball Stadium. Anderson went 5-for-5 in a 12-6 win over Bellarmine on May 22, 2021. The first Flame to complete the feat at the facility was All-American Ryan Seiz. The infielder had five hits in a 6-5 loss to Campbell in the second game of a doubleheader on March 15, 2014.
•Winthrop outfielder Anthony Paulsen is the other Liberty opponent with five. He had five at the stadium in an 11-4 win on April 14, 2017.
Marsh Madness
• The saying goes that "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb." However, that can't be said of Flames shortstop Tanner Marsh.  He hit .400 and scored eight runs, both team-highs, over the final seven games of March.Â
• The shortstop did the same thing last season, hitting .357 with seven RBI and five runs scored over the last seven games of March.
• Marsh's success at the plate has continued into April. Over the last 11 games spaning March and April, he has a team-leading .388 batting average with six RBI and 12 runs scored. He also hit his first home run of the year in the Flames' seven-home run game on Sunday.
• During the stretch, Marsh has also walked seven times and sports a .464 on-base percentage and driven in six runs.
• Marsh had at least one hit in every game, the longest hitting streak by a Flame this season. In addition, he had six multi-hit games during the span and raised his overall batting average 52 points from .244 to .296 over the stretch.
• He leads the Flames and is 10th in CUSA with 10 stolen bases. He is second on the Flames with 32 runs scored.
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-  Western Kentucky at Liberty (Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium)
- First pitch: Friday - 6 p.m./Saturday - 4 p.m./Sunday - 1 p.m.
- TV:Â ESPN+Â
- Radio:Â LFSN Radio
Quick Hits
• The Liberty Flames will host the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in a three-game Conference USA series this weekend. The Hilltoppers will visit Lynchburg for the first time this weekend. Friday's series opener is scheduled to be the first night game of the season at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium.Â
• Last season, WKU swept the first-ever series between the two teams in Bowling Green, Ky., April 19-21. The Hilltoppers are currently second in the conference standings with a 6-3 record and are 28-5 overall.
• The Flames enter the series with a 17-4 record at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball in 2025. Last weekend, Liberty swept a three-game conference series from Middle Tennessee at home to move to 5-4 in CUSA. The Flames set a facility record by hitting seven home runs in a 12-2 win last Sunday.
• Bradley LeCroy was named the eighth head coach in Flames' history in July 2024. He is in his third year as a head coach after two years at VCU.
Mathiesen CUSA K King
• Right-hander Dylan Mathiesen enters his start on Friday, the CUSA leader in strikeouts with 64. He ranks 16th nationally in strikeouts.
•Mathiesen is the CUSA leader and is 14th nationally with 13.4 strikeouts per nine innings.
• The junior comes off arguably his best start of the season this past Friday. Mathiesen pitched a career-high six scoreless innings, scattering three hits, in recording the win in Liberty's 13-3 victory over Middle Tennessee. The right-hander struck out six and did not walk a batter. He did not allow a baserunner past second during his time on the mound
• Mathiesen has started 11 games, which is the most by any pitcher in the country this season. In 43 innings, the right-hander has posted a 2-1 record with a 3.77 ERA.Â
• Currently, he is also among the CUSA leaders in Games Started (1st), Innings Pitched (3rd) and ERA (10th).
Liberty Sets Liberty Baseball Stadium Home Run Record
• The Flames belted seven home runs in their 12-2 win in eight innings over Middle Tennessee at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium on Sunday. Liberty's seven home runs are the most hit by a team in a game in the stadium.
• Before Sunday's game, no team (Liberty or its opposition) had hit more than four home runs in a game at Liberty Baseball Stadium. The Flames accomplished the feat three times since the stadium opened. The most recent was against Central Michigan on March 8 of this year. Austin Peay was the last opponent to hit four on March 25, 2023.
• Landon Scilley hit two home runs, his second and third of the season, in the game. Callum Early (second), Tanner Marsh (first), Jaxon Sorenson (10th), Nick Barone (seventh) and Camden Troyer (seventh) also had a home run in the contest.
• Liberty's seven home runs tie for the second most in school history. It is the first time the Flames have hit seven home runs in a game since a 15-5 victory in seven innings at New Mexico State on April 6, 2024.
•  The Liberty program record for home runs in a game is eight. The Flames set the record last season in a 25-7 win in seven innings at Middle Tennessee on March 24, 2024.
Early Joins Select Company
• Last Friday,  Callum Early had five hits in Liberty's 13-3 victory in eight innings over Middle Tennessee, tying the record for most hits in a game at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium. His hit total was one shy of the program record of six held by Kane Kepley (May 13, 2023 at Eastern Kentucky) and Jake Hines (April 22, 1993 at William & Mary).
• Only five players have had five hits in a game at Liberty Baseball, home of Flames baseball since 2013 - three Flames and two opponents. The last player to do it before the Flames' Early was FIU outfielder Jeff Liquori in a 12-11 loss to Liberty on May 4, 2024.
• Early became the first Flame since Aaron Anderson to have five hits at Liberty Baseball Stadium. Anderson went 5-for-5 in a 12-6 win over Bellarmine on May 22, 2021. The first Flame to complete the feat at the facility was All-American Ryan Seiz. The infielder had five hits in a 6-5 loss to Campbell in the second game of a doubleheader on March 15, 2014.
•Winthrop outfielder Anthony Paulsen is the other Liberty opponent with five. He had five at the stadium in an 11-4 win on April 14, 2017.
Marsh Madness
• The saying goes that "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb." However, that can't be said of Flames shortstop Tanner Marsh.  He hit .400 and scored eight runs, both team-highs, over the final seven games of March.Â
• The shortstop did the same thing last season, hitting .357 with seven RBI and five runs scored over the last seven games of March.
• Marsh's success at the plate has continued into April. Over the last 11 games spaning March and April, he has a team-leading .388 batting average with six RBI and 12 runs scored. He also hit his first home run of the year in the Flames' seven-home run game on Sunday.
• During the stretch, Marsh has also walked seven times and sports a .464 on-base percentage and driven in six runs.
• Marsh had at least one hit in every game, the longest hitting streak by a Flame this season. In addition, he had six multi-hit games during the span and raised his overall batting average 52 points from .244 to .296 over the stretch.
• He leads the Flames and is 10th in CUSA with 10 stolen bases. He is second on the Flames with 32 runs scored.
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