Conference USA announced its 2025 baseball superlative awards, all-conference, and all-freshman teams on Tuesday, with Western Kentucky (WKU) taking home several of the league’s top honors after a record-setting season.
WKU’s Ryan Wideman was named both Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year following an outstanding offensive season. On the mound, teammate Drew Whalen earned Pitcher of the Year honors after posting a 2.84 ERA and a 9-2 record. It marks the first time since 2018 that one school swept the top player and pitcher awards.
DBU’s Nathan Humphreys was named Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in his career, while Brooks Roberson of LA Tech earned Freshman of the Year. WKU’s Marc Rardin was selected Coach of the Year, and Dillon Napoleon took Assistant Coach of the Year honors.
DBU led the way with five players on the All-Conference First Team, followed by LA Tech with three. All 10 conference teams had at least one player recognized. FIU, Kennesaw State, Liberty, LA Tech, and WKU each had two players named to the All-Freshman Team.
Wideman, a junior centerfielder from Marietta, Georgia, led CUSA with a .408 batting average, ranking 15th nationally. He also racked up 89 hits, 64 RBIs, 42 stolen bases, 145 total bases, and a .476 on-base percentage. Notably, he hit for the cycle and recorded a program-record nine RBIs in a game against Southern Illinois.
Whalen, a sophomore right-hander, made 14 starts and led the Hilltoppers’ rotation. He ranked among the conference’s top five in ERA, opposing batting average (.223), innings (69.2), strikeouts (79), and wins. He gave up just two home runs and 11 extra-base hits all season.
Defensively, Humphreys was once again a standout for DBU, finishing with a .990 fielding percentage and only one error in 104 chances this season. Over his career, he has committed just four errors in 451 chances.
Roberson, a freshman righty from Lubbock, Texas, made 15 appearances (10 starts) for LA Tech, recording a 4.70 ERA and 59 strikeouts over 67 innings. His top performance came against Southern Miss, where he threw 5.2 hitless innings with seven strikeouts.
Coach Rardin led WKU to a program-best 42 regular-season wins and an 18-9 record in CUSA play in just his third season. The Hilltoppers went 20-1 to start the year and finished 30-3 at home—both program records. Rardin reached 100 career wins faster than all but one coach in WKU history.
Assistant coach Dillon Napoleon’s pitching staff has been one of the best in the country, with a team ERA of 3.28—second-lowest in Division I. Seven WKU pitchers have sub-3.00 ERAs with 25+ innings pitched. Standouts Jack Bennett and Drew Whalen were named to the National Pitcher of the Year Watch List, while relievers Cal Higgins and Lucas Hartman earned spots on the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List.
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