Hilltoppers Return Home for Three-Game Series with Sam Houston

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Baseball plays its first home conference series of the season as Sam Houston comes to The Hill for a three-game set. First pitch from Nick Denes Field on Friday, March 28 is set for 4 p.m. CT.

SERIES INFO
• Sam Houston (7-18, 1-2 CUSA) at WKU (22-3, 1-2 CUSA)
• Nick Denes Field | Bowling Green, Ky.
        • Friday, March 28 | 4 p.m. CT
        • Saturday, March 29 | 4 p.m. CT
        • Sunday, March 30 | 1 p.m. CT
• Watch: ESPN+ (PxP: Randy Lee (Friday), Matthew Hargrove (Saturday) | Analyst: Greg Davis (Friday), Bart Darrell (Saturday)
• Listen: The Varsity Network (PxP: Matthew Hargrove (Friday), Randy Lee (Saturday), Randy Lee (Sunday) | Analyst: Bart Darrell (Friday), Richard Miller (Saturday), Jim Pickens (Sunday)
• Social: @WKU_Baseball | @WKUSports
• Live Stats: Sidearm | StatBroadcast
• Game Notes: WKU | Sam Houston | CUSA

AT THE GAME
• Click HERE to purchase tickets.
• Friday is Bingo and Beer Friday. Come and play baseball bingo for the chance to win a prize from Alumni Hall and enjoy select beer for only $3.
• Saturday is Hot Rods Night. Join us as we welcome the Bowling Green Hot Rods to The Nick! Come take pictures with the Hot Rods' mascot, Roscoe, enter a Hot Rods ticket giveaway and enjoy so much more.
• Sunday is Kids Day Sunday. Kids can enjoy postgame base running and autographs with the team. Kids can also enjoy the $5 Kids Meal Deal which includes a hot dog, popcorn and a drink.
• Click HERE to access the full 2025 WKU Baseball promotional schedule.

ABOUT THE TOPS
• The Hilltoppers enter the series with a 22-3 (1-2 CUSA) record after a 13-3 midweek win over Evansville.
• 18 of WKU's 21 wins have come at Nick Denes Field. This is the first time the Hilltoppers have started 18-0 at home in program history.
• The WKU pitching staff has been dominant thus far as their 2.80 ERA is the second-best in the nation only trailing Tennessee. The Hilltoppers are one of three teams in the nation with a sub-3.00 ERA.
• Weekend rotation pitcher, Jack Bennett, has been special for WKU through five starts. He's recorded 26 strikeouts in 25.2 innings with a 1.05 ERA. He is ranked seventh nationally in ERA.
• Drew Whalen, another rotation starter, improved to 5-0 in six starts last weekend as he shut out Kennesaw State in 5.2 innings of work. He tallied six strikeouts while only giving up three hits. His five wins are the most in CUSA.
• On the offensive end, the Tops' .332 batting average and 68 doubles lead CUSA. Nationally, WKU ranks seventh in batting average and is tied for third in doubles.
• Hilltopper outfielder, Ryan Wideman's .452 batting average, 1.308 OPS, 47 hits, 32 RBI, four triples, 84 total bases, .808 slugging percentage and 19 stolen bases lead CUSA. The Marietta, Ga. native is top five in CUSA in batting average (.452), OPS (1.308), runs (31), hits (47), doubles (11), triples (4), RBI (32), total bases (84), slugging percentage (.808), on-base percentage (.500) and stolen bases (19). The junior was awarded CUSA Hitter of the Week on March 17 after an 11-for-21 (.524) week with 11 RBI, a grand slam, five doubles, two triples, six runs and two stolen bases. He hit for the program's first recorded cycle against SIU.

SERIES INFORMATION
• This weekend will be the fourth, fifth and sixth meetings between WKU and Sam Houston.
• The Hilltoppers lead the all-time series 2-1 after a series win over the Bearkats in Huntsville, Texas last season.
• WKU and Sam Houston had not played prior to the 2024 season, the year Sam Houston officially joined CUSA.

SCOUTING THE BEARKATS
• Sam Houston is coming off a midweek loss to Texas on Tuesday.
• As a team, the Bearkats own a .263 batting average while scoring 5.8 runs per game.
• On the mound, Sam Houston has a 7.00 ERA with 173 strikeouts in 218.2 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 X and @WKUBaseball on Instagram.

Hilltoppers Return Home for Three-Game Series with Sam Houston

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Players Mentioned

Jack Bennett

Drew Whalen

Ryan Wideman