WKU etches combined no-hitter in run-rule rout of Tennessee Tech

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Baseball (16-13) defeated Tennessee Tech (9-20) 12-0 in seven innings on Tuesday evening at Nick Denes Field.

WKU pitching combined to throw the team’s first no-hitter since Devyn Terbrak did so in a 3-0 win over South Dakota State on March 12, 2023. The seven pitchers WKU used on Tuesday combined to toss seven strikeouts and just two walks.

Offensively, the Hilltoppers scored 12 runs on 14 hits. Daniel Stewart led the offensive effort, finishing 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs. Two more Hilltoppers in Kyle Hayes and Cael Frost recorded multi-hit games.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• In the second, Kyle Hayes lofted a double over the right fielder and Cael Frost followed with a single to right field to put runners in the corners.
• Reid Howard, playing in his first game since March 7, grounded a ball through the left side to score Hayes and give WKU the early lead.
• Daniel Stewart followed and had a high pop up on the right side that was lost in the clouds and dropped in for a single to score Frost.
• Ian Nguyen followed with a sacrifice bunt along the first base side to score Howard and give WKU a 3-0 lead.
• A sharp line drive from Austin Haller just out of the reach of the third baseman got the second baseman aboard to leadoff the third.
• Lane Arroyos then hit a line drive into the gap in left center to score Haller from first and give WKU a four-run lead.
• A couple of doubles from Stewart and Parker Coley put the Hilltoppers up five with one out in the fourth.
• Coley, on third with a stolen base, took off towards home and successfully did so for a 6-0 WKU lead.
• On the second pitch of the Hilltopper fifth, Hayes launched his seventh home run of the year out to left center.
• Stewart picked up his second RBI of the night with a line drive base hit to right field to put WKU up eight runs.
• The ninth run of the game for the Hilltoppers came when Ian Nguyen lifted a single into right field with one out.
• A bases-loaded RBI walk from Lane Arroyos gave WKU a 10 run lead.
• The Hilltoppers tacked on two more runs in the sixth inning on an RBI double from JP Acosta and an RBI groundout by Grayson Godbee.

NOTABLES

• With the win WKU improves to 16-13 on the year.
• WKU moves to 72-50-2 all-time against Tennessee Tech.
• RHP Jude Favela started on the mound for the Hilltoppers on Tuesday.
• Out of the bullpen WKU used Ka’olu Holt, Dominic Monaco, Jacob O’Day, Roman Petricca, Trey Reinburg, and Bryson Vawter.
• WKU pitching combined to throw the team’s first no-hitter since the 2023 season when Devyn Terbrak did so against South Dakota State.
• The combined no-hitter is the first since WKU used four pitchers in a 15-0 win in seven innings over Kentucky Wesleyan in 2009.
• The staff finished with no runs on no hits with seven strikeouts and just two walks allowed.
• The shutout marked the first non-conference shutout for WKU since they did so against UNC Asheville in a 3-0 win on March 9, 2025.
• Bryson Vawter closed out the game for WKU and recorded a team high two strikeouts in 1.0 inning of work.
• WKU has now allowed two or fewer walks in a game on 10 occasions in 2026.
• Daniel Stewart paced the offense, going 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs.
• Three hits for Stewart mark a career high, beating his previous best of two on Feb. 16 against BYU.
• Kyle Hayes had a 2-for-3 night, scoring two runs and hitting his seventh home run of 2026. Hayes now holds the team lead for home runs this season.
• Parker Coley went 1-for-4 with a run, an RBI, and two stolen bases.
• In the fourth inning Parker Coley stole home, the first for WKU since Henry Brown did so on a pickle play in a win over Jacksonville State last season.
• Coley’s two stolen bases match his career high which he set in WKU’s 8-2 win over Sam Houston last Sunday.
• Cael Frost finished 2-for-3 with two runs. Frost’s two hits match his best as a Hilltopper last achieved on March 29 against Sam Houston.
• Lane Arroyos finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a walk.
• Three Hilltoppers had two RBIs apiece in Stewart, Arroyos, and Ian Nguyen.
• Nguyen’s two RBIs match his best as a Hilltopper. The catcher finished 1-for-2.
• The Hilltoppers had five stolen bases. The team has now recorded five or more in a game on four occasions in 2026.
• WKU managed their first win at home against Tennessee Tech since the 1996 season.

QUOTABLE

On the no-hitter head coach Marc Rardin said “When you have a lot of energy and give a great effort all of a sudden you can create some opportunities for yourselves. Such as Parker Coley making a great play in center, Fiveash making plays at third base, and Frost’s diving play in the first for a double play. No-hitters are a team effort.”

NEXT UP

WKU will host Liberty for a three game CUSA series starting Thursday, April 2 at 6 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with audio on the Varsity Network.