#17 WKU Hosts Evansville on Tuesday

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – #17 WKU Baseball concludes a four-game homestand with a midweek contest with Evansville at Nick Denes Field. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. CT.

GAME INFO
• Evansville (13-25, 7-8 MVC) at #17 WKU (33-7, 11-4 CUSA)
• Nick Denes Field | Bowling Green, Ky.
• Tuesday, April 22 | 6 p.m. CT
• Watch: ESPN+ (PxP: Jeff Younglove | Analyst: Mike Reynolds)
• Listen: The Varsity Network (PxP: Randy Lee | Analyst: Jim Pickens)
• Social: @WKU_Baseball | @WKUSports
• Live Stats: Sidearm | StatBroadcast
• Game Notes: WKU | Evansville | CUSA

AT THE GAME
• Click HERE to purchase tickets.
• It's $3 Tuesday. Come out and enjoy $3 hot dogs, popcorn, drinks and beer.
• Join us for our annual "PINK OUT" game. All fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness.
• Click HERE to access the full 2025 WKU Baseball promotional schedule.

ABOUT THE TOPS
• The #17 Hilltoppers enter the game with a 33-7 (11-4 CUSA) record after a series win over Middle Tennessee at home.
• WKU is ranked for the first time since 2010. The Hilltoppers came in at #17 in the Baseball America poll – the highest ranking in program history.
• WKU has control of first place in the Conference USA standings. The Hilltoppers and Dallas Baptist are tied for the top spot, but WKU holds the tiebreaker.
• The WKU pitching staff has been dominant thus far as their 2.81 ERA is the best in the nation among Division I teams.
• Drew Whalen was named to the College Baseball Hall of Fame National Pitcher of the Year Watch List last week. The Franklin, Tenn. native improved his record to a CUSA-leading 8-1 and lowered his season ERA to 1.86 against Middle Tennessee. Jack Bennett was also named to the watch list, holding a 1.87 ERA and a 6-0 record.
• On the offensive end, the Tops' .314 batting average and 88 doubles sit at second in CUSA. Nationally, WKU ranks 22nd in batting average and 16th in doubles.
• Hilltopper outfielder Ryan Wideman's 70 hits, 17 doubles, five triples and 31 stolen bases lead CUSA. The Marietta, Ga. native is top five in CUSA in batting average (.419), runs (47), hits (70) doubles (17), triples (5), RBI (45), total bases (115) and stolen bases (31). Nationally, he ranks 15th in batting average, sixth in hits, 19th in doubles and seventh in stolen bases.
• Four of the top ten doubles hitters in CUSA are Hilltoppers. Wideman leads the league with 17, Carlos Vasquez is tied for fourth with 14, Kyle Hayes is ranked seventh with 13 and Ethan Lizama sits in tenth place with 12.

SERIES INFORMATION
• This weekend will be the 78th meeting between WKU and Evansville.
• The Hilltoppers lead the all-time series 41-34-2 dating back to the first meeting in 1926.
• WKU has won two of the last three meetings, including a 13-3 victory over the Purple Aces early this season in Evansville, Ind.

SCOUTING THE PURPLE ACES
• Evansville is coming off a series win over Indiana State last weekend.
• As a team, the Purple Aces own a .267 batting average while scoring 5.6 runs per game.
• On the mound, Evansville has a 7.96 ERA with 275 strikeouts in 316.2 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.

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Players Mentioned

Jack Bennett

Kyle Hayes

Ethan Lizama

Carlos Vasquez

Drew Whalen

Ryan Wideman