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RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University baseball team will play its final non-conference game of the regular season at in-state rival Western Kentucky tonight at 7:00 p.m. at Nick Denes Field.

EKU has won four of its last five games against WKU. The Colonels edged the Hilltoppers, 5-4, last year at Turkey Hughes Field, scoring the game-winning run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the 11th inning.

EKU (28-20) arrives in Bowling Green having won six straight and 11 of its last 12 games. The surging Colonels, who lead the country with 64 home runs, are hitting .338 and slugging .533 as a team during that stretch.

Senior Richie Rodriguez heads that explosive EKU offense, as he is batting .388 with 13 home runs, 17 doubles, 12 stolen bases and 55 runs scored. Junior Austin Grisham (.332) and seniors Dustin Dunlop (.314), Jacob Daniel (.306) and #A.J. Jamison# (.305) are also hitting above .300 in a balanced and veteran Colonel lineup.

WKU (21-30) dropped two-of-three games at South Alabama this weekend. The Hilltoppers are hitting just .254 as a team, and are led at the plate by Casey Dykes (.302) and Scott Willcox (.300). Ryan Hutchinson leads the team with seven home runs and 43 RBI.

EKU will start freshman left-hander Nick Bozman (2-0, 2.89 ERA) on the mound. Bozman has already picked up midweek wins against Marshall and Dayton this season.

WKU will counter with right-hander Colton Satterlee (0-0, 9.28 ERA), who is making his first start of the season.

Following this week’s version of baseball’s Battle of the Bluegrass, EKU, which is in the thick of an Ohio Valley Conference pennant race, will head to Murray State to play the Thoroughbreds in a three-game set, as the Colonels try to win their first regular season league title since 2000.