#2 WKU Faces #7 New Mexico State in First Round of CUSA Championship

Wednesday, May 21

Lynchburg, Va.

11:30 AM CT

Western Kentucky University

New Mexico State

Photo by: Steve Roberts/WKU Athletics

#2 WKU Faces #7 New Mexico State in First Round of CUSA Championship

5/20/2025 1:30:00 PM | Baseball

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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Baseball begins Conference USA Championship play with a first round matchup against New Mexico State at Liberty Baseball Stadium. First pitch on Wednesday, May 21 is set for 11:30 a.m. CT.

CONFERENCE USA CHAMPIONSHIP – FIRST ROUND
• #7 New Mexico State (23-31, 11-15 CUSA) at #2 WKU (42-12, 18-9 CUSA)
• Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium | Lynchburg, Va.
• Wednesday, May 21 | 11:30 AM CT
• Watch: ESPN+
• Listen: The Varsity Network (PxP: Randy Lee | Analyst: Hal Schmidt)
• Social: @WKU_Baseball | @WKUSports
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast
• Game Notes: WKU | NM State | CUSA

ABOUT THE TOPS
• The Hilltoppers enter the tournament with a 42-12 (18-9 CUSA) record after dropping their final series of the regular season to Jax State last weekend.
• With 42 wins, WKU completed the winningest regular season in program history. The Hilltoppers surpassed the previous mark of 41 set by the 1980, 1985 and 1988 teams.
• 30 of WKU's 42 wins came at Nick Denes Field. The best start at home in program history turned into the most wins at home in a season in program history. The previous mark was 27 set by the 1988, 2002 and 2009 squads.
• The Hilltoppers racked up the most All-Conference USA postseason awards this week headlined by Ryan Wideman earning CUSA Player and Newcomer of the Year, Drew Whalen being selected as the league's Pitcher of the Year, Marc Rardin grabbing Keith LeClair CUSA Coach of the Year honors and Dillon Napoleon collecting CUSA Assistant Coach of the Year recognition. WKU had nine selections on the All-CUSA Teams. Wideman, Whalen and Lucas Hartman were featured on the first team while Kyle Hayes, Carlos Vasquez, Jack Bennett and Cal Higgins made the second team. A pair of Hilltoppers were placed on the All-Freshman squad in Reid Howard and Taylor Penn.
• WKU's pitching staff has been dominant, as their 3.28 ERA ranks second in the nation. The Hilltoppers are one of two teams in the nation with a sub-3.30 ERA, joining Northeastern.
• On the offensive end, the Tops' .316 batting average and 119 stolen bases lead the conference. The Tops' 119 stolen bases is a single-season program record.
• Wideman's .408 batting average, 89 hits, six triples, 145 total bases and 42 stolen bases lead CUSA. The Marietta, Ga. native is top five in CUSA in batting average (.408), OPS (1.141), runs (65), hits (89), doubles (20), triples (6), RBI (64), total bases (145) and stolen bases (42). His 42nd stolen base set the single-season program record, breaking the previous mark of 41 set by Carlos Akins in 1995.
• Four of the top 10 doubles hitters in CUSA are Hilltoppers. Wideman and Vasquez are tied for second in the league with 20 while Hayes and Ethan Lizama are tied for tenth with 15 apiece.

SERIES INFORMATION
• This marks the 25th all-time meetings between WKU and New Mexico State.
• The Aggies lead the all-time series 13-11, dating back to the first meeting in 2001.
• WKU swept New Mexico State in a three-game series earlier this season in Las Cruces, N.M.

SCOUTING THE AGGIES
• New Mexico State is coming off a series loss at Louisiana Tech last weekend.
• As a team, the Aggies own a .289 batting average while scoring 6.6 runs per game.
• On the mound, NM State has a 7.87 ERA with 395 strikeouts in 463.0 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.