Life in the Valley

Wideman Leads a Top Hitting Offense as WKU is a Dangerous 3-Seed

For a while, Western Kentucky (46-12, 18-9 Conference USA) looked almost unbeatable this season. In fact, their only loss in their first 21 games was a 2-1 defeat to potential Regional opponent and MVC Tournament champs Murray State. Then, as the calendar moved into late April, the Hilltoppers started looking vulnerable, to the point where there was question if they would make the NCAA Tournament field at all.

But fast forward to the Conference USA Tournament, which the Hilltoppers swept to win, beating Jacksonville State in the final to secure their postseason bid. And if you look at what WKU brings to the table, they belong in this field and as a piece of what is a very tough regional in Oxford, Miss., hosted by Mississippi, with Murray State and ACC regular-season victors Georgia Tech. The Hilltoppers and Yellow Jackets meet today in the first game of the Regional, with Murray State battling Ole Miss tonight.

On the mound, Drew Whalen pitched every weekend, going 9-2 with a 3.17 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. He fanned 88 in 76 2/3 innings. Jack Bennett made 13 starts with a 7-1 record and 2.74 ERA (1.22 WHIP). Bennett doesn’t overpower hitters, he’s fanned 48 in 62 1/3 innings, but hitters bat just .236 against him. Gavin Perry went 4-1 with a 2.64 ERA in 10 starts.

Cal Higgins leads the Hilltoppers in saves with 6 and has a 1.99 ERA and minuscule 0.93 WHIP in 40 2/3 innings. Patrick Morris has thrown 32 1/3 innings in 17 appearances (2 starts) with just a 1.11 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. Collectively, Western Kentucky’s 3.35 ERA is 3rd in the country behind only Coastal Carolina (regional host) and Northeastern (the best pitching staff and the hottest team in the country). Western Kentucky’s team WHIP is a scant 1.24. The staff has 300 more strikeouts than walks! WKU has 8 pitchers on its staff who have thrown at least 30 innings and have a 3.60 ERA or lower.

If great pitching beats great hitting, the Hilltoppers are a factor at the Oxford Regional.

Leading Western Kentucky to Regionals offensively is Ryan Wideman, an imposing 6-foot-5 center fielder who tore it up offensively all season long. Wideman finished the season at .398, leading a WKU club that hit .315 as a team – tied with today’s opponent, Georgia Tech, for 13th in the country. Wideman has 94 hits on the season in 58 games, including 20 doubles, 10 homers, and 6 triples. He carries a 1.128 OPS and even if he only singles, it might as well be a double, since he’s stolen 45 bases in 56 attempts. As a team, WKU has 126 stolen bases in 2025, tied with Georgetown for 21st nationally.

Wideman drove in 9 runs against Southern Illinois in a 21-2 win on March 11, a game in which Wideman hit for the cycle. In a 5-game span concluding with that game, Wideman went 9-for-18 with 8 runs, and 12 RBIs. He has 29 multi-hit games this season.

However, 6 WKU regulars hit at least .301. Ethan Lizama leads the Hilltoppers in homers with 15, but he’s also the only player besides Wideman in double figures. Wideman and Carlos Vasquez both have 20 doubles. WKU has 126 wall-bangers as a team, tied with Dallas Baptist and Fresno State for 18th in the country. Kyle Hayes leads the team in OPS at 1.138 and has 52 RBIs.

Western Kentucky has never been to the College World Series. Marc Rardin is in his 3rd season as the Hilltoppers head coach and has a 115-60 record in Bowling Green. Rardin was previously the head coach at Iowa Western Community College, where he won 934 games in 20 seasons and made regular appearances at the Junior College World Series. This is WKU’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2009 and their 5th overall. WKU has never advanced past regionals.

Ed Morgans is the founder of MVCBaseball.com. An Evansville graduate, Ed has written about and broadcast college baseball, while following the sport for 40 years.