HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team opens the 2019 season at Western Kentucky this weekend. The teams begin the three-game series on Friday at 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. CT.

Northern Kentucky vs. Western Kentucky
Friday, Feb. 15 – Bowling Green, Ky. – 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT – Live Stats
Saturday, Feb. 16 – Bowling Green. Ky. – 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT – Live Stats
Sunday, Feb. 17 – Bowling Green, Ky. – 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT – Live Stats
 
SERIES HISTORY
This is the first meeting between the two teams.  
 
TAKING A LOOK AT THE NORSE
Head coach Todd Asalon is in his 19^th season at NKU. He has a 532-496-1 record. Dizzy Peyton enters his 12^th season as an assistant coach. Pat Hyde, who spent the last three years with the program as a volunteer assistant coach, has been promoted to an assistant coach for the 2019 season.
 
NKU returns redshirt senior Will Haueter, who led the Horizon League with a .360 batting average last season. He was second in the league in doubles (19), on-base percentage (.451) and slugging percentage (.600). Haueter ranks fifth all-time at NKU in doubles with 46. He was named to the All-Horizon League First Team last season. In addition to his on-the-field accomplishments, Haueter was named to the 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-America First Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). He was also selected to the Horizon League All-Academic Team for the second year in a row. Haueter received the U.S. Bank/Haile School of Business Most Outstanding Student in Finance award, NKU's prestigious Regents Award, the Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Season, and the Horizon League's Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor recipient.
 
Griffin Doersching is back for his sophomore campaign for the Norse. He was named to the All-Horizon League First Team and was the Horizon League Freshman of the Year. He also earned Collegiate Baseball Freshmen All-American Team honors. Doersching batted .243 on the season with 49 RBI, 24 runs scored, 13 home runs and nine doubles. In Horizon League play, Doersching hit for a .302 average.
 
The Norse also return Andrew Bacon and Collin Hohman, who both made the Horizon League Freshman Team a year ago.
 
SCOUTING WESTERN KENTUCKY
Head coach John Pawlowski enters his fourth season at the helm for Western Kentucky.  He has a 61-100 record with the Hilltoppers going into this year. WKU went 21-31 a year ago and 11-18 in Conference USA play. Ray Zuberer is the top returning hitter for the Hilltoppers. He batted at a .315 clip last year with 52 hits, 30 runs scored and 22 RBI. WKU returns 13 letterwinners and brings in 21 new players, including six freshmen and 15 transfers.
 
BIG WIN LAST SEASON
The Norse defeated No. 6 Kentucky last season on March 7, 2018, by a final score of 8-6. It was NKU's second win over a ranked program since its move to Division I. The Norse also defeated UK on March 29, 2016. The Wildcats were ranked No. 12 in that matchup.
 
BOBBY FONG AWARD
The NKU baseball team was named the recipient of the Horizon League's Bobby Fong Award in 2018. The award encompasses the league's values of integrity, respect and stewardship and is presented to one current Horizon League student-athlete or team. The award is named for the late Dr. Bobby Fong, a former Butler University president who served on the Horizon League Board of Directors from 2001-2011. The NKU baseball team has historically been the leader of the athletic department in the area of community service and impact. The team participates in a number of volunteer opportunities throughout the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati areas.
 
UP NEXT
The Norse travel to Tennessee on Tuesday, Feb. 19. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. in Knoxville, Tennessee.