Hilltoppers Historic Season Ends with Loss to [1] #15 Ole Miss in NCAA Oxford Regional

Saturday, May 31

Oxford, Miss.

1:00 PM CT

Western Kentucky University

46-14

Ole Miss

41-20

Ole Miss

Western Kentucky

Photo by: Savannah Philpot/WKU Athletics

Hilltoppers Historic Season Ends with Loss to [1] #15 Ole Miss in NCAA Oxford Regional

5/31/2025 6:05:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Marc Rardin, Kyle Hayes, Cal Higgins & Carlos Vasquez Postgame Press Conference

OXFORD, Miss. – [3] WKU Baseball was eliminated in the NCAA Oxford Regional after an 8-6 loss to [1] #15 Ole Miss on Saturday afternoon at Swayze Field at Oxford-University Stadium.

The historic Hilltopper season comes to a close with a 46-14 overall record – the second-most wins in a season in program history.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Ole Miss struck first with two runs in the first inning. A solo homer and an RBI single gave the Rebels a 2-0 lead.
• The Hilltoppers answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the frame. An Ole Miss error and a Kyle Hayes RBI single tied the game at 2-2.
• Ole Miss retook the lead with a solo home run in the second.
• Carlos Vasquez evened the score at 3-3 with an RBI double in the home half of the frame.
• The Rebels went back in front, scoring twice in the fourth inning to take a 5-3 lead. A solo homer put their fourth run on the board before an RBI single tacked on another.
• Ole Miss used solo homers in the fifth, sixth and seventh to extend its lead to 8-3.
• Hayes homered to the opposite field in the eighth to cut the Hilltopper deficit to 8-4.
• An RBI single from Hayes in the ninth started a rally, continuing with an Ole Miss error that allowed another run to come around to score with two outs. However, the Rebels were able to retrieve the final out to win the game 8-6, ending the WKU comeback attempt.

GAME NOTABLES
• WKU finishes the regular season 4-2 in postseason play and 46-14 (18-9 CUSA) overall. 46 wins mark the second-most in a season in the program's 106-year history, one win shy of tying the 47-win 1980 team for the most wins in a season.
• WKU falls to 4-6 all-time against Ole Miss.
• The Hilltoppers drop to 6-10 all-time in the NCAA Regionals.
• Jack Bennett started on the mound. The right-hander allowed three runs on six hits while striking out one in an inning of work.
• Dawson Hall, Lucas Hartman, Gavin Perry and Cal Higgins saw action out of the bullpen. Hall surrendered just one earned run in 3.0 frames while striking out one and Hartman struck out four in 1.2 innings of work. Higgins had the most productive outing, collecting five strikeouts in 2.2 frames without conceding a run on one hit.
• The Tops offense scored six runs on 14 hits and three walks with four RBI.
• Hayes paced the offense, going 3-for-5 with three RBI, a home run and one run scored.
• Vasquez had the other RBI in a 2-for-4 day with a pair of doubles, a run scored and a walk.
• Ryan Wideman had a trio of hits in a 3-for-5 performance with a run scored.
• Ethan Lizama went 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored.
• Austin Haller had a double, going 1-for-5 with a run scored.

QUOTABLE
• "Obviously, it doesn't end exactly the way that we wanted it to. I think we ended up with 23 or 24 hits in two games and to come out with two losses is unfortunate. You get to the postseason and you go to the Conference USA Tournament and it's a little pigeonhole and then all of a sudden you get to a regional and it's a little bit tighter for mistakes that you can't have, the runs you give up and things of that nature." – Head Coach Marc Rardin on the season-ending loss to Ole Miss.

SEASON NOTABLES
• The Hilltoppers finish the 2025 campaign with a 46-14 (18-9 CUSA) overall record – the second-most wins in a season in program history behind the 47-win 1980 team.
• WKU won the conference tournament title for the first time since 2008 and won its first CUSA Championship since joining the league in 2015. The Hilltoppers were the #2 seed heading into tournament play – the highest ranking WKU has had since becoming a league member.
• The Hilltoppers appeared in its fifth NCAA Regional in program history and its first since 2009.
• WKU reached 40-plus wins for the sixth time in program history and the first time in 16 years. This marks the third consecutive season with 30 or more wins and the third year in a row the Hilltoppers have improved their win total.
• WKU was one of the hardest teams to beat at home in the country, posting a 30-3 record at Nick Denes Field – the most home wins of any Division I team this year and the most wins at home in a season in program history. The Hilltoppers started 23-0 at home – the longest home winning streak in the country.
• WKU came out of the gate scorching hot, winning 20 of their first 21 games. That is good for the best start in program and CUSA history. That also included a 15-game winning streak – the second-longest winning streak in program history.
• The Hilltoppers entered the top 25 in a few national polls and were ranked as high as #17 in the Baseball America poll – the highest national ranking in program history. This came after a series win over #17 Dallas Baptist and a sweep over Liberty.
• WKU broke the program records for strikeouts and stolen bases in a single-season. Hilltopper base-stealers totaled 126 for the season, breaking the previous record of 109 set by the 1995 team. The WKU pitching staff totaled 513 strikeouts, exceeding last year's record of 490. This also marks the first time the Tops have struck out over 500 batters in a season.
• The historic regular season earned the Hilltoppers a lot of postseason recognition within CUSA. Head Coach Marc Rardin was named the Keith LeClair CUSA Coach of the Year while Pitching Coach Dillon Napoleon was selected as the league's Assistant Coach of the Year. Wideman was tabbed as the CUSA Player and Newcomer of the Year and pitcher Drew Whalen was recognized as the CUSA Pitcher of the Year. WKU had the most All-CUSA selections as Wideman, Whalen and Hartman were featured on the first team while Vasquez, Hayes, Bennett and Higgins made the second team. A pair of Hilltoppers were placed on the All-Freshman team in Reid Howard and Taylor Penn.
• Following the CUSA Championship win, Lizama was named the Russell D. Anderson Most Valuable Player Award after hitting .389 in tournament play with three home runs and seven RBI. Lizama, Wideman, Vasquez and Haller were selected to the All-Tournament Team.

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.