WKU Baseball will return to Conference USA play as they host New Mexico State in a three-game series at Nick Denes Field.
The Hilltoppers are 17-16 and 4-8 in CUSA play, following a 9-8 Tuesday night win over the Belmont Bruins. WKU was down twice, most notably trailing 4-0 after the top of the sixth inning. The game-winning run came home in the eighth frame by a two-RBI single by senior infielder Austin Haller.
In their last CUSA series, WKU was swept by Liberty, dropping the Hilltoppers to seventh in the conference. In the series, WKU was outscored 20-10 and outhit 31-26. In game three, the Hilltoppers gave up a 5-0 lead in the ninth inning and lost 6-5.
Junior infielder Lane Arroyos leads the team with a .344 batting average, and his 16 doubles lead CUSA. Two other Hilltoppers hit over .300. Senior catcher Camden Ross bats a .327, and Haller bats .311.
On the mound, the Hilltoppers carry a 5.18 ERA with 285 strikeouts and 119 walks in 289 innings. Graduate right-hander Gavin Perry leads the team with a 4.87 ERA, 45 strikeouts and 14 walks in 40.2 innings of work. Perry’s last start was game three against Liberty, where he gave up three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out nine in eight innings.
Perry will start game two against New Mexico State.
Graduate left-hander Aaron Robertson will start on the mound in game one. Robertson carries a 3.68 ERA (which is not eligible due to not meeting the minimum requirement of 2 PA/G and 75% of games played). Robertson’s last outing was game one against Liberty, where he was run out after 1.1 innings after he gave up three runs on three hits and two walks.
New Mexico State comes into the weekend with a 14-17 record and a 6-6 CUSA record after sweeping Delaware. The Aggies outscored Delaware 33-17. More recently, New Mexico traveled to Arizona, where the Aggies were run-ruled 13-3 in seven innings.
As a team, New Mexico State hits .303, which leads CUSA. Redshirt junior infielder Easton Rulli is leading the team with a .348 average. Two other Aggies are hitting over .300, with senior outfielder Aidan Taclas hitting .330 and junior infielder Steve Soloranzo hitting .344.
However, on the mound, the Aggies hold the highest ERA in CUSA with an 8.02 ERA. Graduate left-hander Connor Wylde will start game one for NMSU. Wylde holds a 6.21 ERA with 20 strikeouts and 18 walks. In his last outing in game one against Delaware, Wylde gave up three runs on nine hits and four walks in 3.2 innings pitched.
Senior right-hander Jack Turner will take the mound for game two. Turner holds a 6.33 ERA with 34 strikeouts and 16 walks. In his last outing in game three against Delaware, Turner pitched five innings, giving up two runs on five hits and two walks.
New Mexico State leads the head-to-head against WKU 13-12, but the Hilltoppers have won the last seven games. WKU holds a 4-5 record against the Aggies at Nick Denes Field. Their last matchup came in the first round of the 2025 CUSA Tournament, where the Hilltoppers came back from a 6-0 deficit to walk it off to win 7-6.
The first pitch on Friday is set for 6 p.m., with the series continuing on Saturday at 3 p.m. The series closes on Sunday with first pitch set for 11 a.m.
