WKU Baseball earned its Conference USA series win against Sam Houston State University March 28-30 at Nick Denes Field.
The Hilltoppers improved to a 4-2 conference record and remained a perfect 21-0 at home and 25-3 overall.
WKU’s pitching staff played a key role in the sweep, allowing just one run in the series. Through the three games, the Hilltoppers staff held SHSU to 15 hits and 3-for-19 with runners in scoring position.
Just as dominant as the pitching, WKU’s bats delivered putting up 26 runs on 33 hits throughout the series. Junior Ryan Wideman continued his great 2025 season, going 6-for-12 with four RBIs and six stolen bases.
Game 1
The Hilltoppers shut out the Bearkats in the first game of the series Friday in a 6-0 win.
WKU got the first run of the game in the fourth inning after Wideman stole second and third base and was brought home on a groundout from junior Thomas Marsala.
The Hilltoppers added another run in the fifth inning from an RBI triple by junior Joe Siervo.
WKU extended its lead in the sixth inning first from an RBI triple by Wideman, followed by a two-run home run hit by senior Thomas Marsala. A throwing error to first allowed senior Camden Ross to score, giving WKU a 6-0 lead.
Junior Jack Bennett earned the win on the mound, throwing 5.2 shutout innings with three hits, three walks and six strikeouts. Senior Lucas Hartman recorded a 3.1-inning save, allowing just one hit and no walks while striking out a career-high seven batters.
Game 2
WKU got back-to-back shutouts on SHSU, winning 9-0 on Saturday.
The Hilltoppers got on the board early, scoring a run in the first inning off a throwing error that allowed junior Carlos Vasquez to score from third.
WKU added two more runs in the sixth. Senior Kyle Hayes drove in a run with a ground-rule double, and freshman Reid Howard followed with an RBI single extending the lead to 3-0.
The Hilltoppers extended their lead with a six-run seventh inning. Wideman started the rally with an RBI single up the middle, followed by another RBI single from Lizama. With the bases loaded, Lizama came home on a wild pitch. Howard capped the inning with a three-run home run, giving WKU a 9-0 lead.
Sophomore Drew Whalen pitched a career-high 6.2 innings, keeping SHSU to three hits, four walks and a career-high 10 strikeouts. Sophomore Zach Lyles came into relief in the seventh inning and went 1.1 innings, holding the Bearkats to one hit and striking out two.
Game 3
WKU completed their first CUSA sweep in an 11-1 run-rule win Sunday.
The Hilltoppers jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first inning. Wideman opened the scoring with a two-run double, and Marsala followed with a two-run home run.
The Hilltoppers added two more in the second inning. Marsala delivered an RBI single, and Vasquez came home on a pickoff error at first base extending the lead to 6-0.
SHSU scored their first run of the series in the fourth inning on a fielder’s choice sac bunt.
WKU responded in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run home run from Lizama giving the Hilltoppers an 8-1 lead.
The Hilltoppers enacted the run rule in the eighth inning. The first run of the inning came in from an RBI double from Marsala, followed by an RBI single by LIzama. Lizama came in on a passed ball to score the last run of the game and give WKU an 11-1 win.
“So they just proved, you know, proved it again, of consistency and being dominant with who we’ve played,” Rardin said. “So it was just another one of those, 27 innings or I guess not quite, 26 innings of dominance.”
WKU Baseball returns to play Tuesday, April 1 against Vanderbilt in Nashville. First pitch set for 6 p.m.
Sports Reporter David Quintanilla can be reached at davidquintanilla0610@gmail.com
