Tops Eye Historic Regular Season as They Host Jax State for Final Series

Thursday, May 15

Bowling Green, Ky.

6:00 PM CT

Western Kentucky University

Jax State

Tickets

Photo by: Savannah Philpot/WKU Athletics

Tops Eye Historic Regular Season as They Host Jax State for Final Series

5/14/2025 3:34:00 PM | Baseball

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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Baseball concludes regular season play by hosting Jax State for a three-game series at Nick Denes Field. First pitch on Thursday, May 15 is set for 6 p.m. CT.

SERIES INFO
• Jax State (31-22, 13-11 CUSA) at WKU (41-10, 17-7 CUSA)
• Nick Denes Field | Bowling Green, Ky.
        • Thursday, May 15 | 6 p.m. CT
        • Friday, May 16 | 4 p.m. CT
        • Saturday, May 17 | 1 p.m. CT
• Watch: ESPN+ (PxP: Tyler Eaton (Thursday), Reily Chestnut (Friday) | Analyst: Bart Darrell)
• Listen: The Varsity Network (PxP: Randy Lee | Analyst: Richard Miller (Friday), Mike Reynolds (Saturday))
• Social: @WKU_Baseball | @WKUSports
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast
• Game Notes: WKU | Jax State | CUSA

AT THE GAME
• Click HERE to purchase tickets.
• Thursday is Free Popcorn Thursday. The first 50 fans at Nick Denes Field receive a voucher for a FREE popcorn.
• 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.
• Friday is also Bark in the Park. Bring out your four-legged friends to The Nick!
• Saturday is Senior Day. Join us as we honor our 2025 WKU Baseball senior class.
• Click HERE to access the full 2025 WKU Baseball promotional schedule.

ABOUT THE TOPS
• The Hilltoppers enter the series with a 41-10 (17-7 CUSA) record after a series sweep at New Mexico State last weekend.
• 29 of WKU's 41 wins have come at Nick Denes Field. The best start at home in program history has turned into the most wins at home in a single-season in program history. The previous mark was 27 set by the 1988, 2002 and 2009 squads.
• With one more win this season, the 2025 Hilltoppers have a chance to complete the winningest regular season in program history with 42 total victories. That would mark the most ever in a regular season, surpassing the 1980, 1985 and 1988 squads.
• WKU's pitching staff has been dominant thus far, as their 3.12 ERA ranks second in the nation. The Hilltoppers are one of two teams in the nation with a sub-3.15 ERA, joining Northeastern.
• Four Hilltopper arms received midseason recognition from media outlets. Weekend rotation starters Drew Whalen and Jack Bennett were named to the National Pitcher of the Year Watch List by the College Baseball Hall of Fame while Cal Higgins and Lucas Hartman were selected to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List.
• On the offensive end, the Tops' .318 batting average and 112 stolen bases lead the conference. Nationally, WKU ranks 11th in batting average and 25th in stolen bases. Last weekend, the Tops broke the program record for stolen bases in a season in program history, eclipsing the previous record of 109 set by the 1995 team.
• Hilltopper outfielder Ryan Wideman's .417 batting average, 86 hits, six triples, 63 RBI, 141 total bases and 39 stolen bases lead CUSA. The Marietta, Ga. native is top five in CUSA in batting average (.417), OPS (1.167), runs (63), hits (86), doubles (19), triples (6), RBI (63), total bases (141) and stolen bases (39). Nationally, he ranks eighth in batting average, fifth in hits and eighth in stolen bases.
• Four of the top 10 doubles hitters in CUSA are Hilltoppers. Ryan Wideman and Carlos Vasquez are tied for second in the league with 19 while Kyle Hayes and Ethan Lizama are tied for ninth.

SERIES INFORMATION
• This marks the 11th, 12th and 13th all-time meetings between WKU and Jax State.
• The Gamecocks lead the all-time series 6-4, dating back to the first meeting in 1977.
• WKU swept Jax State in a three-game series last season in Jacksonville, Ala.

SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS
• Jax State is coming off a midweek loss to #2 Auburn and a series win against LA Tech last weekend.
• As a team, the Gamecocks own a .273 batting average while scoring 6.8 runs per game.
• On the mound, Jax State has a 5.72 ERA with 398 strikeouts in 448.1 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.