#17 Hilltoppers Travel for Weekend Series at FIU

MIAMI, Fla. – #17 WKU Baseball hits the road for more Conference USA play with a three-game series at FIU. First pitch from the FIU Baseball Stadium on Friday, April 25 is set for 5:30 p.m. CT.

SERIES INFO
• #17 WKU (34-7, 11-4 CUSA) at FIU (23-18, 6-8 CUSA)
• FIU Baseball Stadium | Miami, Fla.
        • Friday, April 25 | 5:30 p.m. CT
        • Saturday, April 26 | 4 p.m. CT
        • Sunday, April 27 | 11 a.m. CT
• Watch: ESPN+
• Listen: The Varsity Network (PxP: Randy Lee)
• Social: @WKU_Baseball | @WKUSports
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast
• Game Notes: WKU | FIU | CUSA

ABOUT THE TOPS
• The #17 Hilltoppers enter the series with a 34-7 (11-4 CUSA) record after a series win over Middle Tennessee at home and a midweek win against Evansville.
• WKU is ranked for the first time since 2010. The Hilltoppers came in at #17 in the Baseball America poll this week – the highest ranking in program history.
• The Hilltoppers have control of first place in the Conference USA standings. WKU 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 2.85 ERA is the best in the nation among Division I teams. The Hilltoppers are the only team in the nation with a sub-3.00 ERA.
• 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 93 doubles lead CUSA. Nationally, WKU ranks 19th in batting average and 17th in doubles.
• Hilltopper outfielder Ryan Wideman's .420 batting average, 71 hits, 18 doubles, five triples and 32 stolen bases lead CUSA. The Marietta, Ga. native is top five in CUSA in batting average (.420), runs (51), hits (71), doubles (18), triples (5), RBI (44), total bases (117) and stolen bases (32). Nationally, he ranks 11th in batting average, fourth in hits, 11th in doubles and fourth in stolen bases.
• Four of the top ten doubles hitters in CUSA are Hilltoppers. Wideman leads the league with 18, Carlos Vasquez is tied for second with 15, Kyle Hayes is ranked eighth with 13 and Ethan Lizama sits in tenth place with 12.

SERIES INFORMATION
• This will be the 86th, 87th and 88th meetings between WKU and FIU.
• The Panthers lead the all-time series 44-41 dating back to the first meeting in 1999.
• FIU took two-of-three against the Hilltoppers last season in Bowling Green, Ky., however it was WKU that eliminated the Panthers last season in the CUSA Championships.

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
• FIU was swept by Kennesaw State last weekend.
• As a team, the Panthers own a .282 batting average while scoring 9.4 runs per game.
• On the mound, FIU has a 5.87 ERA with 408 strikeouts in 356.0 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 X and @WKUBaseball on Instagram.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jack Bennett

Kyle Hayes

Ethan Lizama

Carlos Vasquez

Drew Whalen

Ryan Wideman