WKU Baseball Announces Newcomers for 2023 Season

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Baseball head coach Marc Rardin and his staff announce the signing of 20 newcomers for the 2023 baseball season. These student-athletes will join the 18 players maintained from the following season to compose the 2023 squad.

The 2023 roster additions include: Camden Ross, Bryson Arnette, Jack Bennett, Evan Jones, Lukas Farris, Kirk Liebert, Brayden Johnson, Cam Tullar, CJ Weins, Nic Schutte, Jake Gothrup, Elliott Rossell, Beau Coffman, Cal Higgins, Aaron Lewis, Dawson Hall, Cole Eigenhuis, Garrett Brunstetter, Bryson Rigney and Mason Burns.

WKU Baseball assistant coaches Rob Fournier and Dillon Napoleon provided some insight on each student-athlete.

Camden Ross
Freshman | Broomfield, Co. | Broomfield HS | C
Fournier on Ross:
"Camden comes to us as the Colorado High School Player of the Year. We will look to him as an impact player in our lineup, who has a tremendous future ahead."

Bryson Arnette
Junior | Hodgenville, Ky. | John A. Logan CC | INF
Fournier on Arnette:
"We look forward to immediate leadership on and off the field from Bryson. A very experienced JUCO player who will be a spark for our offense."

Jack Bennett
Freshman | Paducah, Ky. | McCracken County HS | RHP/OF
Fournier on Bennett:
"We are very excited to coach an exciting two-way player with a very bright future ahead."

Evan Jones
Freshman | Normal, Ind. | Normal University HS | RHP/OF
Fournier on Jones:
"A talented two-way player, who will be exciting to watch develop."

Lukas Farris
Freshman | Acworth, Ga. | North Cobb Christian HS | OF
Fournier on Farris:
"Another talented incoming physical freshman - who has real power potential."

Kirk Liebert
Grad. | Owensboro, Ky. | Kentucky | C
Fournier on Liebert:
"The staff is excited to coach a true all-around baseball player and talented prospect. He will impact us in so many ways on both sides of the ball."

Brayden Johnson
Senior | Longview, Texas | Prairie View A&M | OF
Fournier on Johnson:
"He comes to us as a 1st-Team All-SWAC outfielder with lots of talent and experience. A guy we are all excited to see compete."

Cam Tullar
Grad. | Brighton, Mich. | Mississippi State | LHP
Napoleon on Tullar:
"Cam Tullar supplies us with tremendous SEC experience and a trip to Omaha. Can't wait to see what he can do for the Hilltoppers."

CJ Weins
Senior | Chicago, Ill. | South Carolina | RHP
Napoleon on Weins:
"Another pitcher with high level SEC experience. A true work horse and competitor that leads by example."

Nic Schutte
Freshman | Louisville, Ky. | Louisville Male HS | RHP
Napoleon on Schutte:
"A very athletic right-handed pitcher with a tremendous future ahead. An absolute joy to be around."

Jake Gothrup
Freshman | Lafayette, Ind. | William Henry Harrison HS | RHP
Napoleon on Gothrup:
"An Indiana native who is a tremendous athlete. Real power arm potential with a bright future."

Elliott Rossell
Freshman | Zionsville, Ind. | Zionsville Community HS | RHP
Napoleon on Rossell:
"He has tremendous potential to be an impact pitcher in the future. With strength, he has a chance to very special."

Beau Coffman
Junior | Louisville, Ky. | Wabash Valley CC | RHP
Napoleon on Coffman:
"A Kentucky native and tremendous competitor who was a leader on the Wabash Valley College pitching staff. We have big expectations to help bolster the Hilltopper pitching staff."

Cal Higgins
Sophomore | Kearney, Neb. | Iowa Western CC | LHP
Napoleon on Higgins:
"Another experienced JUCO arm from a great program in Iowa Western. He will be counted on for some quality innings this season."

Aaron Lewis
Freshman | Kearney, Mo. | Liberty North HS | RHP
Napoleon on Lewis:
"He is an explosive incoming freshman. Right-handed pitcher with huge potential that possess electric stuff. He should immediately impact the Hilltopper pitching staff."

Dawson Hall
Freshman | Bowling Green, Ky. | Bowling Green HS | RHP
Napoleon on Hall:
"We are excited to see the Bowling Green native. He has been very impressive so far. We are really excited to see how he develops this spring."

Cole Eigenhuis
Redshirt Senior | Benicia, Calif. | Cumberland | RHP
Napoleon on Eigenhuis:
"He is such a valuable piece to the culture of WKU - both on and off the field. He will be an intimidating force when he steps on the mound. He should provide immediate impact to our pitching staff."

Garrett Brunstetter
Freshman | Louisville, Ky. | Trinity HS | LHP
Napoleon on Brunstetter:
"A Louisville native, who will provide a spark for the pitching staff. Left-handed pitcher with a bright future and stability on the mound."

Bryson Rigney
Freshman | Hurricane, W. Va. | Hurricane HS | RHP
Napoleon on Rigney:
"A West Virginia native who supplies us with a different look on the mound and will be used in many important roles."

Mason Burns
Junior | Bloomington, Ill. | Illinois State | RHP
Napoleon on Burns:
"An Illinois native that comes to WKU from Illinois State. He will be an arm to help bolster the Hilltopper pitching staff."

Head coach Marc Rardin on the 2023 WKU Baseball roster:
"With the start of my new era at WKU Baseball and the start of the fall semester, I thought the team has really come into this with a lot of energy and willingness for everything to be new and different. There is something to be said when a entire team can be open-minded and excited for everything to be new and different. To be willing to try and do things completely different. Whether that is drills, terminology, team beliefs, or whatever it may be. They have been opened-minded and willing for all of it. It has made it enjoyable and exciting for me and my staff as well. We have a good core group coming back from last year that has proven some decent numbers and potential. There has been some very good transfers thrown into the roster mix from the NCAA portal and a small freshman group that is athletic and capable for competition in different areas of the field," said Rardin. "There is always a learning curve and different type of nerves with the unknown and the new – and that's just not for the student-athletes, but also for the entire coaching staff. The over-communicating has been huge. Over communicating drills and expectations is what is needed. That is how we do everything in the facility and on the field. The word "process" is a huge word, and on that I think is sometimes overly used by coaches. Same goes with "culture". It is overused as well, but in WKU Baseball terms, those two words and the meaning of both is never bigger than it is now. We are building a new culture from the ground up and it takes a daily process to see improvements. Patients from me and my staff, from each student-athlete and our fans and supporters is a huge need from everyone. People are going to see an energy and a solid base of culture that everyone will be able to see, hear and even feel when around here in the future. My staff will incorporate these things through a daily player development plan that we brought with us. It is what we believe works and it will here as well."

WKU Baseball will have their first official team practice on Friday, September 23rd with a team scrimmage following at 6:30 p.m. The following weekend, WKU Baseball will welcome back WKU Baseball Alumni with a barbecue while they will host a scrimmage against Murray State at 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 1st. On Saturday, Oct. 8th, WKU Baseball will travel to Lipscomb for a scrimmage starting at noon. That next Wednesday, Oct. 12, WKU Baseball will face international competition going head-to-head with Team Ontario in their final scrimmage of the fall starting at 6 p.m.

How to follow WKU Baseball: For complete information on WKU Hilltopper Baseball, visit WKUSports.com or follow the program via social media @WKU_Baseball on Twitter and @WKUBaseball Instagram or like the WKU Baseball Facebook page.

Players Mentioned

Bryson Arnette

Jack Bennett

Garrett Brunstetter

Mason Burns

Beau Coffman

Cole Eigenhuis

Lukas Farris

Dawson Hall

Cal Higgins

Brayden Johnson

Evan Jones

Kirk Liebert

Bryson Rigney

Camden Ross

Elliott Rossell

Nic Schutte

Cam Tullar

CJ Weins

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