Sports Headlines

WKU Set To Face Top-Seeded Florida Atlantic Under The LightsWednesday In SBC Tournament Opener

Posted: 8:24 PM May 22, 2012
Reporter: Kyle Allen - WKU Athletic Media Relations

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Bowling Green Ballpark in downtown Bowling Green, Ky., will serve as the backdrop for the 2012 Sun Belt Conference Baseball Tournament — a site that has been very kind to the Western Kentucky University baseball team over the last three years. The tournament is set to begin on Wednesday, with the eighth-seeded Hilltoppers taking on top-seeded Florida Atlantic under the lights at 7:00 Wednesday evening.

WKU (24-31, 13-17 SBC) is a perfect 4-0 all-time at Bowling Green Ballpark, outscoring opponents 58-22 in those four games. The Hilltoppers took down 18th-ranked Louisville 8-1 this season in front of a crowd of 2,323.

The Hilltoppers will meet Florida Atlantic in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament opener for the third consecutive season and will mark the seventh meeting between the two programs in the tournament in the last six years. WKU and Florida Atlantic met in Boca Raton, Fla., earlier this month, with the Owls taking two of three from the Hilltoppers, including the opener 6-5 in 10 innings. WKU would win the series finale 6-1 behind sophomore right-hander Justin Hageman's 7.2 innings, giving up just one run.

WKU and Florida Atlantic join fourth-seeded South Alabama and fifth-seeded ULM in Pool A of the tournament bracket. The Hilltoppers will play all three games of the tournament at 7:00, taking on South Alabama on Thursday and ULM on Saturday. The team with the best record in Pool A after the three games will advance to the championship game on Sunday at 1:00.

For ticket information fans are encouraged to visit WKUsports.com and see about exciting ticket offers under "Tournament Central" or by calling 1-800-5 BIG RED. Tickets will be available the day of the games as well, along with flex-packs that are available for select games or a tournament booklet that covers all games for the entire tournament. All students of Sun Belt Conference schools will be admitted free of charge with a valid student I.D.
Fans wishing to watch the live webstream of the Sun Belt Conference Baseball Tournament can visit SunBeltSports.org and sign up for SBC Extra to see the tournament in its entirety.

Game 56
#8 WKU (24-31, 13-17 SBC) vs. #1 Florida Atlantic (31-20, 19-8 SBC)
May 23, 2012 | 7:00 PM (CT)
Bowling Green Ballpark (4,500) | Bowling Green, Ky.
WKU: Austin Clay (LHP; 4-4, 4.67 ERA)
Florida Atlantic: Ryan Garton (RHP; 9-3, 3.13 ERA)

WKU Baseball News and Notes
• After taking two of three from conference foe Middle Tennessee in the final regular season conference series, the WKU baseball team earned a spot in the 2012 Sun Belt Conference Baseball Tournament held at Bowling Green Ballpark May 23-27.
• WKU holds the second-most Sun Belt Conference Tournament wins among active members with a 33-34 all-time record in the tournament. WKU has won at least one game in the tournament in three of the last four years and last won the tournament championship in 2008.
• WKU will join top-seeded FAU, fourth-seeded South Alabama and fifth-seeded ULM in Pool A of the tournament bracket.
• WKU and Florida Atlantic will square off in the opening game of the Sun Belt Conference Baseball Tournament for the third consecutive season and will meet in the tournament for the seventh time in the last six years. The Hilltoppers held on for a wild 11-10 win last season in Monroe, La. The win was WKU’s third win in four years in opening games of the Sun Belt Tournament.
• The berth in the conference tournament is the 14th in a row for WKU and the 18th in the program’s history.
• The Hilltoppers have won at least one game in the conference tournament in three out of the last four years, including winning the opening game of the tournament in each of those three years.
• WKU is 4-0 all-time at Bowling Green Ballpark, with wins over Kentucky and Louisville over the last three years. The Hilltoppers defeated 18th-ranked Louisville 8-1 this season at Bowling Green Ballpark, giving WKU 58 runs scored in four games at the venue.

Sun Belt Conference Baseball Tournament Pools
Pool A
(1) Florida Atlantic (0-0)
(4) South Alabama (0-0)
(5) Louisiana-Monroe (0-0)
(8) WKU (0-0)

Pool B
(2) Arkansas State (0-0)
(3) FIU (0-0)
(6) Troy (0-0)
(7) Middle Tennessee (0-0)