BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Baseball defeated Jax State 9-4 to tie the series on Friday afternoon at Nick Denes Field.Â
The Hilltoppers overcame multiple deficits and used a five-run seventh inning to defeat the Gamecocks, notching their 42nd win, the most regular season wins in program history. WKU used a balance offensive attack that produced nine runs on 11 hits and got a standout performance from Ryan Wideman, who broke the single-season stolen base record.Â
The win secures the #2 seed for WKU in the Conference USA Championship, the highest seed the Tops have earned since joining CUSA in 2015. Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Carlos Vasquez scored while the Gamecocks turned a double play in the first inning.
• Jax State used a two-RBI triple to take a 2-1 lead in the third.
• The Tops executed pickle play, allowing Henry Brown to steal home to tie the game in the bottom of the frame.
• The Gamecocks retook the lead 3-2 with an RBI double in the fourth.
• Kyle Hayes knotted the game up with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth.
• An RBI single gave Jax State the lead 4-3 in the sixth.
• Hayes evened the score again with a sacrifice fly in the home-half of the inning.
• WKU used a five-spot in the seventh to take the lead and eventually win the game, 9-4. Austin Haller got the rally started with a two-RBI single before Kyle Hvidsten and Ryan Wideman plated runs in back-to-back at-bats with an RBI single each. Ethan Lizama rounded out the scoring with an RBI single of his own two batters later.
NOTABLES
• WKU moves to 42-11 (18-8 CUSA) on the season and 5-7 all-time against Jax State (32-23, 14-12 CUSA).Â
• With the win, the Hilltoppers achieve the most wins in the regular season in program history, surpassing the 1980, 1985 and 1988 teams.Â
• WKU also moves to 30-2 at home in 2025 – the most home wins in a single-season for WKU. The previous record was 27, set by the 1988, 2002 and 2009 Hilltopper teams.Â
• The Hilltoppers clinch the #2 seed in the Conference USA Championship – the highest regular-season finish for the Hilltoppers since joining CUSA in 2015 – next week in Lynchburg, Va. The Hilltoppers will face the #7 seed when tournament play begins next Wednesday at Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium.Â
• Drew Whalen got the starting nod on the mound. The right-hander tossed 4.0 complete innings and struck out three Gamecocks while surrendering three runs on five hits and three walks.Â
• Dawson Hall and Taylor Penn saw action out of the bullpen. Hall worked 3.0 frames, allowing one run on three hits with a trio of strikeouts. He earned the winning-decision to move to 6-1 on the season. Penn retired six in a row in the final 2.0 innings while fanning two.Â
• The WKU offense produced nine runs on 11 hits and 11 free passes with seven RBI. The Hilltoppers stole seven bases today, marking the second-most in a game this season.Â
• Wideman paced the offense in a 3-or-4 outing with a double, an RBI, three stolen bases, two runs and a walk. He is now the program's single-season stolen base leader with 42 this year. He passes Carlos Akins, who totaled 41 in the 1995 season.Â
• Hvidsten had a pair of hits in a 2-for-3 performance with an RBI, a stolen base, a pair of walks and a run scored.Â
• Vasquez also had a multi-hit outing in a 2-for-4 day with a stolen base, two runs scored and a walk.
• Hayes and Haller each had multi-RBI games. Hayes went 1-for-2 with two RBI and two walks while Haller was 1-for-4 with two RBI, a stolen base, a run scored and a walk.Â
• Brown had the other stolen base, scoring on the pickle-play.Â
NOTABLES
• "Really it goes from yesterday. Just too much anxiety, too much trying, outside of our own skin, just trying too much. We talked a lot about it after the game yesterday, but really today when we got to the field, we really talked about just being ourselves. There's a fun factor that has to be in there to where this is a business and we're working at it. There's care, but there's got to be some fun too. We didn't have it yesterday. We battled back and forth all day with these guys until we did what we tend to do every now and then at the end of the day. That's to play our game, play with confidence and play with energy. We talked about the importance of staying focused and not letting the pressure get to us. I think the guys really responded well today, and it showed in our performance. We're going to keep building on this and keep pushing forward." – Head Coach Marc Rardin on the bounce-back win.
UP NEXT
• WKU and Jax State conclude the regular season tomorrow afternoon. First pitch from Nick Denes Field is set for 1 p.m. CT with senior day festivities beginning at 12:30 PM CT.Â
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.
