Tops Blank Bulldogs to Complete Four-Game Sweep, Match Best Start in Program History

Sunday, March 9

Bowling Green, Ky.

1:00 PM CT

Western Kentucky University

15-1

UNC Asheville

6-10

UNC Asheville

WKU

Photo by: Ally Novak/WKU Athletics

Tops Blank Bulldogs to Complete Four-Game Sweep, Match Best Start in Program History

3/9/2025 4:40:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Baseball defeated UNC Asheville 3-0 to complete the four-game series sweep on Sunday afternoon at Nick Denes Field.

The win moves the Hilltoppers to 15-1, matching the 1928 WKU Baseball team for the best start in program history. The 1928 Hilltoppers only played 16 games in its season and finished with a 15-1 record.

The WKU pitching staff hurled a one-hitter in its third shutout of the season while Henry Brown launched his third home run in his last four hits to help the Hilltoppers clinch the four-game series sweep.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Ryan Wideman put the Tops on the board in the third with an RBI double to give WKU a 1-0 lead.
• Brown powered a solo homer over the right field wall before Carlos Vasquez scored on a wild pitch to extend the WKU lead in the seventh inning. That capped the scoring as the Tops earned the 3-0 win.

NOTABLES
• WKU moves to 15-1 through the first 16 games of the season, matching the team's best start in program history in 1928.
• The Hilltoppers improves to 7-2 all-time and 7-0 at home against UNC Asheville with the win.
• This marks the first one-hitter for WKU since April 10, 2015, when the Hilltoppers defeated Southern Miss 5-0 at Nick Denes Field.
• Gavin Perry made his third start of the season on the mound for the Hilltoppers. The right-hander tossed 4.0 shutout innings and surrendered just one hit while recording three strikeouts.
• Lucas Hartman, Zach Lyles and Evan Jones made appearances out of the bullpen for WKU. Hartman earned his second win of the season after tallying two strikeouts in 3.0 scoreless frames. Lyles and Jones had two strikeouts in 1.0 innings each with Jones collecting his third save of the season, a team-high.
• The WKU offense scored three runs on eight hits.
• Vasquez led the way in a 3-for-4 outing with a double and two runs scored.
• Wideman went 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI.
• Brown hit the only long ball in a 1-for-3 day at the plate with an RBI and a run scored.

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.

"Coach Napoleon works really well with us throwing multiple pitches for strikes. Pitching is pretty easy when you can do that and let the defense work behind you. We know our offense will pick us up, so we get to pitch very freely and with confidence. We pound the zone and play the game of baseball the right way." – Senior Gavin Perry on the pitching staff's performance.

UP NEXT
• WKU will take on Southern Illinois in a midweek contest next Tuesday, March 11. First pitch from Nick Denes Field is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT.

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.