BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Baseball fifth-year senior Kyle Hayes was named to the 2026 CUSA Baseball Preseason All-Conference Team, the league announced on Thursday. Hayes enters a third season with the Hilltoppers coming off All-Conference USA Second-Team postseason honors in 2025.
The West Chicago native appeared in 51 games with 47 starts at first base for WKU in 2025, slashing .363/.472/.673 with 10 home runs, 16 doubles, three triples, 56 RBI, 40 runs scored and five stolen bases. Hayes led the league with a .398 batting average in conference play in 2025.
Hayes homered in a stretch of four games in a series win against Middle Tennessee and a midweek win over Evansville last season, also charting a career-high six RBI in a 2-for-2 outing with a home run and two runs scored against the Aces on April 22. Hayes went 2-for-4 with a home run, a triple, four RBI and two runs scored against CUSA opponent New Mexico State on May 10, and accounted for a 10th home run of the season in the NCAA Oxford Regional facing No. 15 Ole Miss on May 31, posting a 3-for-5 performance with three RBI and a run scored.
Hayes finished the year earning All-CUSA Second-Team merit while helping lead WKU to its first-ever Conference USA Tournament Championship and first conference title since 2008. The CUSA title earned the Tops an automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2009.
The Hilltoppers will enter the 2026 season slotted fifth in the CUSA Baseball Preseason Poll following a vote by the league's 12 head coaches.
CUSA Baseball Preseason Poll
1.    DBU (9)            144 points
2.    LA Tech (1)            111 points
3.    Kennesaw State     108 points
4.    Jax State (1)             102 points
5.    WKU                           97 points
6.    Missouri State             90 points
7.    Liberty                        85 points
8.    FIU                              56 points
9.    NM State (1)                45 points
10.    MTSU                          38 points
11.    Delaware                     37 points
12.    Sam Houston              26 points
CUSA Baseball Preseason Player of the Year
Chayton Krauss, DBU – Sr. – INF
CUSA Baseball Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Ben Blair, Liberty – Jr. – RHP
CUSA Baseball Preseason All-Conference Team
C: Grayson Ashe, Jax State*
INF: Keaton Grady, DBU*
INF: Chayton Krauss, DBU*
INF: Tanner Marsh, Liberty
INF: Kyle Hayes, WKU*
OF: Cole Cleveland, FIU*
OF: Andrew Ildefonso, FIU*
OF: Caden Bogenpohl, Missouri State
DH: Jake Bennett, DBU
DH: Steve Solorzano, NM State*
UTL: Max Knight, Missouri State
SP: Ryan Borberg, DBU*
SP: Steven Cash, Jax State
SP: Ben Blair, Liberty*
SP: Drew Horn, MTSU*
RP: Jackson Sleeper, Jax State
RP: Blake Hooks, LA Tech
*2025 All-Conference Honoree
WKU Baseball enters its 107th season of competition coming off a historic season in 2025, finishing the year with a 46-14 (18-9 CUSA) final record while securing a CUSA Championship for the first time since joining the league in 2015. WKU opens its 2026 slate hosting a four-game series against BYU from February 13-16.
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.
