DBU (28-21, 16-8 CUSA) vs. WKU (26-23, 11-13 CUSA)
May 7-10 | Bowling Green, KY | Nick Denes Field

GAME NOTES
 
MULTIMEDIA COVERAGE
Live Audio: Patriot Broadcasting Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Instagram: @dbu_baseball
Twitter/X: @DBU_Baseball
Facebook: DBU Baseball
 
DBU BASEBALL ON THE AIR
In his 15th season on the air, Reagan Ratcliff delivers all the action alongside Ryan Wilson from Nick Denes Field. Every DBU home and road game is streamed live as an audio broadcast on the Patriot Broadcasting Network.
 
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday
DBU: LHP Liam Watt (6-2 W-L, 4.27 ERA, 65.1 IP, 51 SO, 12 BB)
vs.
WKU: RHP Gage Olsen (0-0 W-L, 7.40 ERA, 24.1 IP, 34 SO, 11 BB)
 
Saturday
DBU: RHP Ryan Borberg (0-1 W-L, 7.11 ERA, 44.1 IP, 32 SO, 22 BB)
vs.
WKU: RHP Gavin Perry (6-1 W-L, 4.09 ERA, 66.0 IP, 69 SO, 17 BB)
 
Sunday
DBU: TBA
vs.
WKU: TBA
 
LEADING OFF
FINISHED THE MIDWEEK: DBU dropped a 9-7 affair against Texas Tech on Tuesday to close the Patriots' midweek games for the season. DBU finished with a 5-7 record in midweek games in 2026. It is the first time the Patriots posted a sub-.500 record in midweek contests in 2010.
ROSE RAKED: Mac Rose belted two home runs on Tuesday, the first multi-home run game of his career.
HESS HELD OFF TECH: Tate Hess dominated in his 4.0 innings of work against the Red Raiders, retiring all 12 batters he faced and punching out four batters. His performance was the highlight of a DBU pitching staff that did not walk a batter for the first time since no-hitting Liberty on May 17, 2025.
 
TOP STORYLINES
CUSA RACE: DBU is in third place in the Conference USA standings with a 16-8 league record, four games behind first-place Jacksonville State (38-10, 20-4) and two behind second-place Liberty (35-14, 18-6).
SLUGGING OFFENSE: Averaging 8.3 runs per game (26th in the nation), the Patriots boast one of the most powerful offenses in the country, belting 99 home runs (5th) and slugging .531 (13th).
HOME RUN BARRAGE: DBU's 99 home runs are the sixth-most by a team in program history. If the Patriots reach 100 home runs, they would be the 4th straight team to do so and the 6th all-time.
RECORD-PACE HOME RUN RATE: DBU's average of 2.02 home runs per game ranks as the best pace in school history. The program record of 1.92 home runs per contest was set in 2024.
HOME RUN THREATS: Four Patriots are in the top 10 among all CUSA hitters in home runs: Jake Bennett (16, 1st), Chayton Krauss (16, 1st), Ryan Martin (12, 6th), and Luke Pettitte (12, 6th). With Dylan Schlaegel also registering 11 home runs, DBU is the only team in the conference with at least four players with 10 or more home runs.
EXTRA-BASE MACHINES: Dylan Schlaegel and Chayton Krauss are two of the best power bats in CUSA. Schlaegel is first in the league with a .627 slugging percentage, and Krauss is ninth with a .585 clip.
POWER FROM PETTITTE: Luke Pettitte has been a sparkplug for the Patriots since settling in as the everyday designated hitter. Since his first start at DH on March 14, he tops DBU in home runs (12), RBI (38), slugging percentage (.680), and OPS (1.093). The junior also leads CUSA in conference games with 10 home runs, along with Chayton Krauss.
GETTING ON BASE: Jake Bennett has reached base in 42 straight games, dating back to last season. He is the first Patriot to get on base in 40 consecutive games since Grant Jay made it on base in 55 straight between the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
CHAYTON CHASING HISTORY: Already just the 4th Patriot ever with 200 career hits and 40 home runs, Chayton Krauss continues to climb the charts in DBU's record book. His 47 home runs are fourth all-time, and his 194 RBI are second. If he reaches 200 RBI, he would join Jason Krizan as the only players in DBU history with 200 hits, 200 RBI, and 40 home runs.
WATT COMING OFF CG: In his last outing on April 30 versus Louisiana Tech, Liam Watt threw the first regular-season nine-inning complete game by a DBU pitcher at Horner Ballpark, striking out a career-high 10 batters while allowing only one run. He is scheduled to take the bump for the series opener for the sixth time this season.
RELIEF FROM THE BULLPEN: Freshman Max Luzarraga has developed into one of the most reliable arms out of the DBU bullpen. Luzarraga leads all Patriot relievers with a 3.18 ERA and went seven straight outings without allowing an unearned run until Sunday. Over his last eight appearances (11.0 innings), he has posted a 0.82 ERA.
PHENOMENAL FIELDING: The Patriots' defense ranks 15th in the nation in fielding percentage, boasting a .980 rate. At its current rate, DBU has the 2nd-best fielding percentage in school history behind the record of .982 set in 2024.
 
SCOUTING WKU
FOUR-GAME HOMESTAND: The Hilltoppers enter their last home series of the season after winning a road series at Middle Tennessee but falling to Eastern Kentucky at home on Wednesday.
CUSA STANDINGS: With an 11-13 conference record, WKU sits in a tie for sixth place in the CUSA standings with Kennesaw State.
DOUBLES MACHINE: With a .286 team batting average, the Hilltoppers are 20th in the nation and 1st in CUSA with 105 doubles. Junior infielder Lane Arroyos boasts the second-best batting average in the league at .374 and leads the league in doubles with 22, ranking fifth nationally. He also tops CUSA with a .489 on-base percentage.
NO FREE PASSES: The Hilltoppers' pitching staff limits free passes, offering only 3.64 walks per nine innings (2nd in CUSA) while striking out 9.1 batters per nine innings (5th in CUSA). Their 2.51 strikeout-to-walk ratio is second in the conference.
SMALL BALL: WKU has elected to play the sacrifice bunt 29 times this season, the second-most of any team in CUSA.
 
SERIES HISTORY
DBU is 7-5 all-time versus WKU in a series that dates back to 2023. The Hilltoppers have won the last two regular-season series with the Patriots, taking two of three games in Bowling Green in 2024 and doing the same in Dallas in 2025.
 
ON DECK
The Patriots complete the regular season with their CUSA series finale against Jacksonville State. Game one of the three-game set is scheduled for Thursday, May 14, at 6:35 p.m. at Horner Ballpark.