Hilltoppers and Salukis Meet for Midweek Bout

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Baseball welcomes Southern Illinois to The Hill for a midweek contest on Tuesday, March 11. First pitch from Nick Denes Field is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT.

GAME INFO
• Southern Illinois (11-3) at WKU (15-1)
• Nick Denes Field | Bowling Green, Ky.
• Tuesday, March 11 | 4 p.m. CT
• Listen: The Varsity Network (PxP: Reily Chestnut | Analyst: Greg Davis)
• Social: @WKU_Baseball | @WKUSports
• Live Stats: Sidearm | StatBroadcast
• Game Notes: WKU | SIU | CUSA

AT THE GAME
• Click HERE to purchase tickets.
• Click HERE for the full WKU Baseball Digital Guide.
• It's $3 Tuesday at The Nick. Come enjoy $3 hot dogs, popcorn, and drinks.
• Come out to the game and enter to win a signed WKU Baseball jersey!
• Click HERE to access the full 2025 WKU Baseball promotional schedule.

ABOUT THE TOPS
• The Hilltoppers enter the game with an 15-1 record after a four-game sweep over UNC Asheville last weekend. This marks just the second time in program history WKU has won 15 of its first 16 games – 1928 and 2025. The 1928 Hilltopper Baseball team finished the season with a 15-1 record.
• 14 of WKU's 15 wins have come at Nick Denes Field. This is the first time the Hilltoppers have started 14-0 at home in program history.
• The Hilltoppers are currently on a 10-game winning streak for the fifth time in program history and the first time since 2002.
• WKU's pitching staff has been dominant thus far as they hold a Conference USA-leading 2.23 ERA through 16 games. The Hilltoppers are the only CUSA team with a sub-3.00 ERA.
• Weekend rotation pitcher, Jack Bennett, has been special for WKU through two starts. He's recorded 16 strikeouts in 18.0 innings and has not allowed an earned run to score. The right-hander was named CUSA Pitcher of the Week last week after 7.0 shutout frames with seven strikeouts in a 2-0 win against Central Michigan.
• On the offensive end, the Tops' .317 batting average and 39 doubles are good for the best in CUSA while the squad's 19 home runs rank fourth among league teams.
• Hilltopper outfielder Ryan Wideman's 28 hits lead CUSA while his .438 batting average ranks second in the league. The Marietta, Ga. native is top five in CUSA in batting average (.438), hits (28), triples (2), slugging percentage (.719) and stolen bases (11).
• Carlos Vasquez and Ethan Lizama have proven to be a stellar one-two punch at the top of the lineup. Vasquez gets on base nearly half the time with a .406 batting average while his eight doubles lead CUSA. Lizama provides more of a power threat as his 17 RBI are tied for the fourth-most in the league and his four homers are tied for the eight-most in CUSA.

QUOTABLE
• "It's been fun to be here. It's an honor to be here. I'm just trying to do my part. Since day one, I've just been trying to make WKU Baseball Alumni proud. The alums, not just people who grew up here, but went to school here, played here and have a lot of pride in this place. Just want to try to leave it better than how I found it." – Head Coach Marc Rardin, on matching the best start in program history.

SERIES INFORMATION
• This weekend will be the 42nd meeting between WKU and Southern Illinois.
• The Salukis lead the all-time series 26-15, however, WKU has won six of the last seven contests dating back to the 2013 season.
• This weekend's matchup will mark the second time UNC Asheville has visited Bowling Green and the third series the teams have played against each other.

SCOUTING THE SALUKIS
• Southern Illinois swept Bellarmine last weekend to extend its winning streak to 10.
• As a team, the Salukis own a .301 batting average while scoring 8.6 runs per game.
• On the mound, SIU has a 3.35 ERA with 105 strikeouts in 119.0 innings.

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 on Instagram.

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Players Mentioned

Jack Bennett

Ethan Lizama

Carlos Vasquez

Ryan Wideman