WKU Softball prepares to host and compete in 2025 CUSA Tournament

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Over the weekend, WKU softball secured the second seed in the 2025 Conference USA Tournament, held here in Bowling Green from May 7-10, and Tuesday, the Tops took to the diamond at the WKU Softball Complex to prepare for postseason play.

After starting the season a bit cold, with losses coming more frequently than wins, the Hilltoppers have turned things around in the back half of the calendar, winning 12 out of 17 contests throughout the months of April and May.

This recent hot streak has jolted the Tops from on the fringe of making the CUSA Tournament, to earning a first round bye alongside the top seed Liberty.

The final nine games of the year have resulted in eight wins and one tie, with the team playing their best softball as a whole, and a few of the key pieces in that success shared when the switch was flipped, giving WKU not only a chance at a trophy, but a good one at that.

“ I would say, actually, the mindset started at New Mexico State,” said WKU pitcher Rylan Smith. “We mapped it out and we said, ‘Alright, we need to win at least six out of these next nine games,’ and I guess we all just said, ‘Okay, let’s win the first six,’ so I think that’s where it started.”

“You know, we’re a young team. We’re feisty, we’re gritty, we’re all out, we’re all in for each other, and I think that’s what’s helped us these past few games and past few series,” said WKU outfielder Kendle White.

Now you may have connected the dots to see that WKU is the two-seed for the second straight season, but make no mistake, this year’s team is only responsible for its path.

With just one senior on the roster and a handful of freshmen seeing plenty of innings on the diamond, it’s taken the whole schedule to adjust to growing pains and correct minor mishaps, and that’s where head coach Amy Tudor comes in, as the Hilltopper softball alum has reeled this group together down the stretch to make sure they are where they should be this time of the year.

“ It means a lot to play here and we’re proud of our team and our school and we want to represent it in the highest regard that we can,” said Tudor. “They were challenged and, you know, they went through a lot of valleys and when we got the chance to start peaking, we did. You know, yes, we look completely different, new faces, but we’re in the same position we were last year.”

The Hilltoppers first action of the tournament will come on Thursday May 8 at noon local time, with the team facing the winner of Jacksonville State and Sam Houston, the two teams that bookended the conference calendar for WKU.