LYNCHBURG, Va. – Conference USA announced Tuesday the 2025 Baseball Superlative Awards along with the league’s all-conference and all-freshman teams. After a record-setting regular season at the plate, WKU’s Ryan Wideman was crowned CUSA Player and Newcomer of the Year. Hilltopper right-hander Drew Whalen was dominant on the bump and posted a 2.84 ERA with a 9-2 overall mark on his way to being named CUSA Pitcher of the Year. It’s the first time since 2018 that two players from the same team claimed Player and Pitcher of the Year honors.
 
DBU centerfielder Nathan Humphreys was named the CUSA Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in his career, while right-hander Brooks Roberson won Freshman of the Year honors. WKU’s Marc Rardin and Dillon Napoleon were named the Keith LeClair Coach of the Year and Assistant Coach of the Year, respectively.
 
DBU had the most first-team All-Conference selections with five, while LA Tech boasted three. All 10 of the league's teams had at least one representative on an all-conference team. FIU, Kennesaw State, Liberty, LA Tech and WKU each garnered two members on the all-freshman squad.
 
Wideman, a Marietta, Ga., native, finished the regular season with the highest batting average in the league, while ranking 15^th nationally (.408). The junior center fielder tallied 89 hits, 64 RBI, 42 stolen bases, 145 total bases and an on-base percentage of .476, which all rank in the top three in CUSA. On March 11 against Southern Illinois, Wideman became the first Hilltopper to hit for the cycle with a program record nine RBI.
 
Whalen made 14 starts with a 9-2 record on the mound in the weekend rotation for the Hilltoppers while posting the second-lowest ERA (2.84) in the conference. The sophomore right-hander ranks top five in the league in ERA, opponent batting average (.223), innings pitched (69.2), strikeouts (79) and wins (9). He has allowed only two long balls and 11 extra base hits on the season. Whalen racked up seven or more strikeouts in six of his 14 starts.
 
Humphreys, a two-time CUSA Defensive Player of the Year, manned centerfield for the Patriots as he posted a .990 fielding percentage in 104 chances with one outfield assist. During his career, he has only committed four errors in 451 chances with seven assists. The senior out of Midlothian, Texas, snagged highlight reel catches all season long as their defensive anchor.
 
Roberson became a part of the weekend rotation for the Bulldogs as a true freshman and posted a 4.70 ERA in 15 appearances and 10 starts. The right-hander from Lubbock, Texas, fanned 59 batters in a team-high 67.0 innings while holding opponents to a .229 batting average. Roberson’s best outing came against Southern Miss, where he punched out a career-high seven batters and allowed just one run on no hits through 5.2 innings of work.
 
Rardin was named the Keith LeClair Coach of the Year after leading his squad to new heights in only his third season at the helm of the Hilltoppers. The WKU skipper led his team to a 42-12 overall record and an 18-9 mark in CUSA play. His 42 wins this season breaks the program record for most wins in a regular season and exceed what he’s accomplished the previous two seasons in Bowling Green. Rardin led WKU to a 20-1 record to begin the season, marking the best start by a CUSA team in the league’s history. The Tops finished the regular season with a 30-3 mark on home turf, which is the most wins at home in program history. For the second consecutive season, WKU took two of three from No. 17 DBU at Horner Ballpark in Dallas. Rardin earned his 100^th win during his third season, making him the second-fastest coach to reach that mark at WKU.
 
Napoleon has built one of the strongest pitching staffs in the country as the Hilltopper’s 3.28 ERA is the second-best in Division I baseball. Seven of his arms hold a sub-3.00 with at least 25.0 innings pitched. Jack Bennett and Drew Whalen drew national attention as they were both selected to the College Baseball Hall of Fame National Pitcher of the Year Watch List. Relief pitcher’s Cal Higgins and Lucas Hartman were also recognized on the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List as two of the top relievers in college baseball.
 
Player & Newcomer of the Year
Ryan Wideman, WKU
 
Pitcher of the Year
Drew Whalen, WKU
 
Defensive Player of the Year
Nathan Humphreys, DBU
 
Freshman of the Year
Brooks Roberson, LA Tech
 
Keith LeClair Coach of the Year
Marc Rardin, WKU
 
Assistant Coach of the Year
Dillon Napoleon, WKU
 
First Team All-Conference
C: Grant Jay, DBU
INF: Keaton Grady, DBU
INF: Chayton Krauss, DBU
INF: Brylan West, FIU
INF: Brandon Forrester, NM State
OF: Nathan Humphreys, DBU
OF: Eston Snider, MTSU
OF: Ryan Wideman, WKU
SP: Ryan Borberg, DBU
SP: Easton Marks, FIU
SP: Ben Blair, Liberty
SP: Drew Whalen, WKU
RP: Bo Rhudy, Kennesaw State
RP: Lucas Hartman, WKU
DH: Steve Solorzano, NM State
UT: Donovan Cash, Kennesaw State
 
Second Team All-Conference
C: Grayson Ashe, Jax State
INF: Trey Hawsey, LA Tech
INF: Brett Vondohlen, MTSU
INF: Kyle Hayes, WKU
INF: Carlos Vasquez, WKU
OF: Kishon Frett, FIU
OF: Nate Anderson, Kennesaw State
OF: Mitch Namie, NM State
SP: Jackson Phipps, Jax State
SP: Brooks Roberson, LA Tech
SP: Drew Horn, MTSU
SP: Jack Bennett, WKU
RP: Mason Peters, DBU
RP: Cal Higgins, WKU
DH: Sebastian Mexico, LA Tech
UT: Hunter Autrey, Sam Houston
 
All-Freshman Team
Cole Cleveland, FIU
Andrew Ildefonso, FIU
Wesley Alig, Kennesaw State
Ty Bayer, Kennesaw State
Jack Frankel, Liberty
Landon Scilley, Liberty
Trey Hawsey, LA Tech
*Brooks Roberson, LA Tech
Brett Rogers, MTSU
Reid Howard, WKU
Taylor Penn, WKU
 
*Freshman of the Year
 
Several members of the All-Conference and All-Freshman Teams, as well as all of the superlative award-winners will be in action this week at the 2025 CUSA Baseball Championship in Lynchburg, Va. Championship action begins with a four-game slate from Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium starting at 9 a.m. ET on Wednesday, May 21.