Tops Continue CUSA Play with Series at New Mexico State

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – WKU Baseball hits the road for a three-game series at New Mexico State. First pitch from Presley Askew Field on Friday, May 9 is set for 7 p.m. CT.

SERIES INFO
• WKU (38-10, 14-7 CUSA) at New Mexico State (22-26, 10-10 CUSA)
• Presley Askew Field | Las Cruces, N.M.
        • Friday, May 9 | 7 p.m. CT
        • Saturday, May 10 | 5 p.m. CT
        • Sunday, May 11 | 12 p.m. CT
• Listen: The Varsity Network (PxP: Randy Lee)
• Social: @WKU_Baseball | @WKUSports
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast
• Game Notes: WKU | NM State | CUSA

ABOUT THE TOPS
• The Hilltoppers enter the series with a 38-10 (14-7 CUSA) record after a series sweep over Louisiana Tech last weekend.
• 29 of WKU's 38 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.
• WKU's pitching staff has been dominant thus far, as their 3.09 ERA ranks second in the nation. The Hilltoppers are one of two teams in the nation with a sub-3.10 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' .313 batting average, 110 doubles and 106 stolen bases lead the conference. Nationally, WKU ranks 14th in batting average, 15th in doubles and 26th in stolen bases. The Tops are three stolen bases away from tying the program record of 109.
• Hilltopper outfielder Ryan Wideman's .413 batting average, 81 hits, five triples and 37 stolen bases lead CUSA. The Marietta, Ga. native is top five in CUSA in batting average (.413), runs (56), hits (81), doubles (18), triples (5), RBI (57), total bases (130) and stolen bases (37). Nationally, he ranks 16th in batting average, fifth in hits and sixth in stolen bases.
• Four of the top 15 doubles hitters in CUSA are Hilltoppers. Carlos Vasquez is second in the league with 19, Wideman ranks third with 18, Kyle Hayes is tied for sixth with 15 and Ethan Lizama is 11th with 14.

SERIES INFORMATION
• This marks the 22nd, 23rd and 24th all-time meetings between WKU and New Mexico State.
• The Aggies lead the all-time series 13-8, dating back to the first meeting in 2001.
• WKU took two of three over NM State last year to conclude the regular season and knocked the Aggies out of the CUSA Tournament the following week.

SCOUTING THE AGGIES
• New Mexico State is coming off a midweek loss at Texas Tech and a series loss at Kennesaw State last weekend.
• As a team, the Aggies own a .290 batting average while scoring 6.8 runs per game.
• On the mound, New Mexico State has a 7.47 ERA with 363 strikeouts in 413.0 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

Lucas Hartman

Kyle Hayes

Cal Higgins

Ethan Lizama

Carlos Vasquez

Drew Whalen

Ryan Wideman