PREVIEW: Kentucky and WKU to clash in in-state matchup

Kentucky and in-state rival Western Kentucky will clash Tuesday night in Bowling Green for the first time since 2023.

In that 2023 matchup, the Hilltoppers gave the then ranked No. 16 Wildcats a scare as they led 4-0 through six innings. Kentucky however scored 10 runs over the seventh and eighth innings and held off upset minded WKU 10-8.

Tuesday night’s game will likely be Kentucky’s hardest mid-week game of the season, as the ‘Toppers are 25-1 at home this season. Unsurprisingly, that is the best home record in program history for a Western Kentucky squad on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (34-10, 11-7)

For most of this season, it seemed like Western Kentucky could possibly host an NCAA Tournament Regional in Bowling Green for the first time in program history. The Hilltoppers started the season 20-1 and reached as high as No. 20 in D1Baseball’s Top 25 Rankings.

Since then however, head coach Marc Rardin’s team is 14-9 in their last 23 games and are currently among “The Last Four In” in On3’s latest NCAA Tournament Field of 64 Projections.

As a team, Western is hitting for a .307 batting average (36th in NCAA) and boast a stellar 3.02 earned run average, which ranks first in all of College Baseball. Junior right-hander Jack Bennett and sophomore right-hander Drew Whalen were named to the College Baseball Hall of Fame Pitcher of the Year Watch List due to their strong seasons on the mound.

Kentucky will however likely face senior right-hander Gavin Perry on Tuesday night. In seven starts this season, Perry boasts a 3-1 record with a 2.20 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings of work. Perry held Louisville to just four hits and two runs in four innings earlier this season.

Offensively, the Hilltoppers are led by junior outfielder Ryan Wideman, senior first baseman Kyle Hayes and junior third baseman Carlos Vasquez. Wideman, who was named a Second Team Midseason All-American by D1Baseball, is hitting for a team-leading .418 average. That average is tied for the 13th-best mark in all of College Baseball.

“Ryan [Wideman] can look really silly at the plate and you’re wondering what he’s doing,” coach Marc Rardin told D1Baseball earlier this season. “And then the next time up it’s back spun to the gap and he’s standing on third, or he’ll chop a ball and beat it out. It’s just crazy. He’ll jump up and steal a home run at Vanderbilt and he’ll take a 95 mile per hour fastball and hit it back up the middle, and almost do it with just all hands. [Tim] Corbin after the game was like, ‘Man, I haven’t seen hands like that for a long time, that kid’s got a good chance of be in the bigs someday.’”

For a team teetering on the bubble for what would be their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2009, a mid-week victory over a recently surging Kentucky team would be another resume booster for the Hilltoppers.

Kentucky Wildcats (25-16, 10-11)

For the first time this season, Kentucky will head into a midweek matchup winners of two consecutive SEC series (Tennessee & South Carolina).

Suddenly, the ‘Cats have won six of their last eight games and sit firm as a No. 2 seed in the Chapel Hill Region in On3’s latest NCAA Tournament Field of 64 Projections. In just two weeks, Kentucky’s RPI has jumped from No. 39 to No. 29.

Kentucky outfielder Cole Hage, who had been less than stellar in SEC play this season, looked like his early season self in the series against South Carolina. Hage notched two hits in all three games, going 6-12 at the plate with a double, a home run and five RBI. If the ‘Cats can continue to heat him up, they’ll be in good shape heading down the final stretch of the season.

“Baseball’s a tough sport,” Hage said on Sunday. “There’s gonna be times when you’re playing well and times when you’re not. It’s just about trying to find the positive in every situation and trying to help the team when you’re not playing as well as you can. That’s the most important point.”

As a team, Kentucky is still hitting for a poor .274 average but has a consistent contingent at the top of the lineup right now, consisting of Hage, freshman shortstop Tyler Bell and senior third baseman Patrick Herrera. Herrera, who drove in five RBIs against Louisville and missed the South Carolina series, will likely be back in action Tuesday night or this weekend against Mississippi State.

Junior left-hander Ethan Walker will make his fourth consecutive midweek start Tuesday night at The Hill. Over nine appearances this season (29 IP), Walker boasts a 1-0 record with a 4.97 ERA. He had one of his best starts of the season last Tuesday against Louisville, as he limited the ‘Cards to six hits and two runs over four innings. He struck out a season-high six batters in the win.

Western Kentucky currently sits at No. 49 in the RPI Rankings, so a win over the Hilltoppers would give Kentucky its 10th win of the season over a team in the top-50 (No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Georgia, No. 4 Auburn, No. 10 Tennessee x2, No. 18 Ole Miss, No. 20 Louisville and No. 41 Texas A&M x2).

ALL-TIME SERIES: Kentucky leads 41-29

Probable Starters

Friday, April 29, 2025 (Nick Denes Field – 4:00 p.m. EST) ESPN+
UK: LHP Ethan Walker (1-0, 4.97 ERA, 29.0 IP) vs WKU: RHP Gavin Perry (3-1, 2.20 ERA, 28.2 IP)

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