Western Kentucky OF Completes The Cycle & A Marquee Top 25 Matchup | 10 Things From Midweek College Games
Image credit: Ryan Wideman (Photo Courtesy of Savannah Philpot/WKU Athletics)
We’re back with another look around college baseball as the week four midweek slate provided some history and a big-time matchup Tallahassee.
Here are 10 standout midweek moments and results:
Western Kentucky’s Ryan Wideman Hits For The Cycle
Ryan Wideman knows that, on paper, hitting for the cycle is an individual milestone—he’s the one who recorded the hits, after all. But after the Western Kentucky center fielder became the first Hilltopper in history to accomplish the feat, going 4-for-6 with nine RBIs—four of which came on a grand slam—he saw it differently.
A day after his historic performance, Wideman deflected the spotlight, crediting his teammates for making it all possible. For him, the cycle wasn’t just his. It belonged to everyone who helped him round the bases.
“The mercy rule was coming up and we just started stringing along some great at-bats in the last inning,” Wideman told Baseball America. “The only reason I got to the plate to finish this thing off was because the team batted through the order and got back to me.”
More than anything, Wideman felt gratitude in the aftermath of his career night.
He made sure to thank his parents, his teammates and his coaches—everyone who had played a role in getting him to that moment. He was especially thankful for the opportunity to play at Western Kentucky, where he enrolled over the offseason after two standout years at Georgia Highlands College.
That perspective, Hilltoppers head coach Marc Rardin said, is what sets Wideman apart. His ability to recognize the bigger picture—to see his achievements as a reflection of those around him—is a marker of his awareness and maturity, qualities that have already made an impact in his first season at WKU.
“There’s a care there,” Rardin said. “There’s leading by example in a lot of things. We talk about how people don’t need to be grown up, they need to be growing up. He’s doing his part doing that since he’s gotten here. Guys around Ryan follow his example. He makes it easier for me.”
How The Top 25 Fared
For the fourth time in as many weeks, Top 25 teams’ performances in midweek games improved, as ranked squads went 25-4 in Week five midweek games. One of those four defeats was in a Top 25 showdown (No. 6 Florida beat No. 4 Florida State 7-2). No. 12 Oregon, No. 15 Ole Miss and No. 18 UC Irvine were responsible for the three midweek losses to unranked squads.
Here’s the complete breakdown of Top 25 performances:
| TEAM | RESULTS |
| No. 1 Tennessee | 4-2 win over West Georgia |
| No. 2 LSU | 18-4 (7) win over Xavier |
| No. 3 Arkansas | 9-2 win over Central Arkansas |
| No. 4 Florida State | 7-2 loss to No. 6 Florida |
| No. 5 Clemson | 6-4 win over Liberty, 8-2 win over Liberty |
| No. 6 Florida | 7-2 win over No. 4 Florida State |
| No. 7 Georgia | 8-6 win over ETSU |
| No. 8 Oklahoma | 9-5 win over Louisiana Tech |
| No. 9 Texas | 7-4 win over UT Arlington |
| No. 10 North Carolina | 7-3 (10) win over UNCW |
| No. 11 Oregon State | 15-1 win over Washington State, 4-3 win over Washington State |
| No. 12 Oregon | 4-2 loss to Grand Canyon, 16-6 (8) win over Grand Canyon |
| No. 13 Wake Forest | 16-6 (7) win over Coastal Carolina |
| No. 14 Vanderbilt | 12-0 (7) win over Valparaiso |
| No. 15 Ole Miss | 14-5 loss to South Alabama |
| No. 16 Alabama | 6-3 win over UAB |
| No. 18 UC Irvine | 11-4 loss to UCLA |
| No. 19 Virginia | 7-6 win over Maryland |
| No. 20 Dallas Baptist | 8-7 (11) win over Oklahoma State |
| No. 21 Texas A&M | 14-0 (7) win over Prairie View A&M |
| No. 22 Mississippi State | 9-4 win over Old Dominion |
| No. 23 Kentucky | 9-2 win over Northern Illinois |
| No. 24 UC Santa Barbara | 8-4 win over San Diego |
| No. 25 Louisville | 13-0 (7) win over Lipscomb, 13-5 win over Oakland |
Parker Byrd Records First Career RBI
East Carolina shortstop Parker Byrd last year became one of college baseball’s best individual stories after returning to the field two years after losing his lower right leg in a boating accident and recording two at-bats over three appearances.
Now in his third season (second playing) with the Pirates, Byrd entered Wednesday’s game against VCU in the top of the ninth with runners on first and second. After a wild pitch allowed both runners to advance, Byrd flicked a ball into the air deep enough to score a run on a sacrifice fly. It marked Byrd’s first-career RBI.
Wake Forest Races To Blowout Victory Over Coastal Carolina Behind Ethan Conrad, Kade Lewis Bats
Allow this to serve as your weekly reminder that midweek games will ultimately have very little bearing on postseason selection, especially for high-major teams. However, there are always weekly standalone contests that present more intrigue than others. That was exactly the case in a meeting between No. 13 Wake Forest and Coastal Carolina, which is among the teams in consideration for a spot in the Top 25.
The Demon Deacons ultimately wasted little time making the contest lopsided, as they outscored Coastal 13-4 from the second through the seventh innings to earn a run-rule victory.
Two Wake Forest players, center fielder Ethan Conrad and third baseman Kade Lewis, were particularly impressive throughout the contest. Lewis went 4-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs while Conrad, who hit just nine home runs at Marist in 2024, blasted his seventh long ball of the year and fifth in his last six games.
Wake Forest is 15-3 overall and 3-0 in ACC play after a sweep of Notre Dame. The Demon Deacons are set to host Miami this weekend.
No. 4 Florida State & No. 6 Florida Square Off In Marquee Midweek Matchup
The best midweek matchup of the week from a rankings standpoint occurred in Tallahassee, where No. 4 Florida State hosted its arch rival, No. 6 Florida, in the first of three midweek meetings between the Gators and Seminoles.
The Gators dictated the pace throughout the matchup, jumping out to a 4-0 lead in their first five offensive innings before allowing the Seminoles to score a run in the home half of the fifth. Florida ultimately won the top 10 matchup 7-2 with shortstop Colby Shelton (2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs) and center fielder Justin Nadeau (2-for-5 with a double, RBI and two runs scored) leading the way. A transfer from Jacksonville, Nadeau enters SEC play batting .438 and needs just a few plate appearances to qualify for team and national leaderboards.
With one top 10 win already in the books, the Gators have the best opportunity in the nation to make a significant move up the rankings, as they’ll now travel to Knoxville to face No. 1 Tennessee. A series victory could put them in consideration for a top-three spot in the Top 25, if not higher.
Kansas Slugs 5 Consecutive Homers Against Minnesota
Even in a week that included a cycle, the most noteworthy statistical highlight came from Kansas, which blasted five consecutive home runs in a 29-1 smackdown against Minnesota, which had beaten the Jayhawks a night earlier.
Second baseman Chase Diggins, catcher Max Soliz, left fielder Brady Counsell, first baseman Brady Ballinger and designated hitter Jackson Hauge were responsible for the third-inning onslaught. Hauge and Diggins homered twice in the contest.
Kansas is off to an excellent start in 2025, as it enters Big 12 play with a 15-2 overall record, which included the program’s first 8-0 record since 2014, which also marked the Jayhawks’ last NCAA Tournament appearance. Armed with one of the oldest rosters in the country, Kansas is confident that it could return to the postseason this year.
UCLA Snaps Years-Long Losing Streak Against No. 18 UC Irvine
UCLA hasn’t quite been itself in recent years, missing the tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time in head coach John Savage’s storied 21-year career, which includes a national title.
But the Bruins this season have shown encouraging signs of new life, including their latest highlight: a stress-free 11-4 victory over No. 18 UC Irvine. The victory snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Anteaters, which dated back to February 2021.
UCLA first baseman Mulivai Levu (3-4 with a home run and three RBIs) and center fielder Payton Brennan (2-5 with a home run and three RBIs) paced their team at the plate.
The Bruins are set to open Big Ten play at home against Nebraska this weekend, which should provide another valuable test for a promising squad.
Michigan Completes Comeback Over Rival Michigan State
Michigan has struggled since making a brief cameo in the Top 25 following a roaring 4-0 start to its season, including a win over then-No. 5 Virginia. The Wolverines are just 6-6 over their last 12 games.
However, Michigan has shown signs of breaking out of their mini slump with four wins in their last five games, including two in their Big Ten opening series against Illinois. They added another important win Wednesday when they used a nine-run fifth inning to beat their rival, Michigan State, 11-7.
Preseason All-American two-way player Mitch Voit once again paced Michigan’s offense with four hits, four RBIs, a double and a stolen base. He recorded all four of his RBIs in the fifth inning as he came to the plate twice and recorded a single and double.
The Wolverines certainly seem to have the talent to compete for an NCAA Tournament bid in the Big Ten. If they’re successful, it would snap a two-year postseason drought and mark head coach Tracy Smith’s first tournament appearance in Ann Arbor.
Oregon Leadoff Hitter Mason Neville Posting Eye-Popping Numbers
Oregon junior outfielder Mason Neville turned heads in his first season with the Ducks last year when he batted .268 with 16 home runs, 43 RBIs, five doubles and three triples in 56 appearances (just 36 starts).
A full-time start now who seems to be settling into Oregon’s leadoff spot, Neville this season has impressed even more with .352 batting average, 10 home runs, 21 RBIs and seven doubles in just 17 games.
In two midweek games against Grand Canyon, Neville went 4-for-9 with a homer, double, two RBIs and four runs scored. He’ll look to stay hot this weekend at home against Minnesota
Oregon State Kicks Off Unique Schedule With Midweek Sweep
This takeaway perhaps extends beyond just the scope of midweek action, but No. 11 Oregon State is a month into the most unique schedule in its history.
First of all, the Beavers this week dismantled their former Pac-12 foe, Washington State, with a two-game midweek sweep in which they outscored the Cougars 19-4.
The fact that those two teams met in midweek games was odd enough, but Oregon State’s schedule for the remainder of the season is brimming with interesting scheduling moves. For example, the Beavers this weekend are set to face Grand Canyon on Friday and Sunday and Santa Clara on Saturday. Also on Oregon State’s schedule? A March 25 midweek against Washington, a road series against Nebraska on the final weekend of March and a weekend series against UC Irvine a week after that.
The only semblance of normalcy on Oregon State’s schedule this year is a four-game series against rival Oregon in late April.
