LA Tech was first to score in the top of the third, but WKU quickly tied the game in the bottom of the inning.

Fifth year outfielder Brylee Hage singled to drive fifth year infielder Taylor Sanders in.

Afterwards, fifth year infielder Sophie Weber homered which also drove Hage and freshman utility and pitcher Annie White home to make the score 5-2 in favor of WKU.

In the bottom of the fifth, Weber homered again to drive Hage in for another run.

To continue the scoring in the inning, fifth year infielder TJ Webster singled and freshman infielder Becca Campbell scored on a throwing error.

Later, redshirt junior utility and catcher Cheyanne Sales homered which also drove Webster and senior utility Kelsey Schmidt home to put WKU up 10-5.

LA Tech posted a run in the sixth, but ultimately could not catch up to the Hilltoppers.

Fifth year pitcher Katie Gardner threw four innings for WKU with three hits and five runs.

Freshman pitcher Rylan Smith pitched three innings with two hits, one run.

WKU is set to face host, New Mexico State in the next round of the tournament Friday, May 10, following the Aggies 11-3 win over one seeded Liberty. 

Sports reporter Molly St. Clair can be reached at molly.st.clair185@topper.wku.edu.

But let’s back up. 

What is this “NIL” that has been changing the landscape of college athletics and disrupting one of America’s favorite pastimes?

It’s not something that can be ignored and is now arguably vital to remain competitive in college athletics.

“I can’t guarantee you win a championship with NIL, but you can guarantee you probably won’t win a championship without it,” said Nick Uhlenhopp, executive director of the Red Towel Trust Nick Uhlenhopp and former WKU chief of football staff.

When former University of Iowa guard Caitlin Clark appears in State Farm Insurance Company commercials and Nike billboards she gets paid for it. Likewise, when a WKU student athlete on everyone’s Instagram feed posts about Mr. B’s or Cheetah Clean Auto Wash, those are NIL deals.

For years, athletes and many supporters have advocated for student athletes to be paid and allowed to partner with outside organizations, essentially making money from the use of their name, image and likeness. “Why not,” the argument went, “Universities and the National Collegiate Athletics Association always have.”

Basically, colleges and the NCAA owned each athletes’ NIL, making millions off of them, year after year while the athletes did the work on and off the field or court.

When a group of student athletes took the NCAA to the United States Supreme Court to fight for the rights to their NIL, they won that match. In a 9-0 ruling on June 21, 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that student athletes are treated and viewed as employees of universities and the NCAA. In any other situation, not paying “employees” would be illegal, and therefore, the NCAA was in violation of the anti-trust law. 

The Sherman anit-trust law prevents a focus of power from interfering in economic competition and trade in the workplace.

The Supreme Court had one overall message for the NCAA that was heard loud and clear across the nation’s playing field – “The NCAA is not above the law.”

Since student athletes have such limited time outside of classes and their sport, supporters of NIL argue that this gives athletes more freedom, financial stability and resources for careers. 

Dr. Stacey Forsythe, associate Professor in the School of Kinesiology, Recreation and Sport at WKU, has conducted various studies with student athletes and has followed the development of NIL since the ruling in 2021. She supports the Supreme Court’s view and understands college athletics are not just three-hour events fans watch on television.

“I think my personal opinion is that for a long time, colleges everywhere have been making money off of athletes’ name image and likeness, so to me it’s only fair that if an athlete has the platform to go out there and make money, they should be able to do it,” Forsythe said.

On the flip side, those opposing NIL believe paying college athletes will destroy college athletics, ultimately creating another professional league. Schools that dominate in the NCAA competitions – Power 5 Conference schools – such as the University of Alabama, The Ohio State University and others will receive the brunt of the NIL money and deals, making recruiting and competing inequitable. The best athletes will go to the larger, more successful schools where they can enhance their opportunities for NIL money.

While talk show hosts and fans argue amongst themselves, the reality is that the reach of NIL to athletes outside of football and basketball (specifically men’s) isn’t stretching very far.

The Red Towel Trust and WKU

This brings us back to WKU. A school in Conference USA with under 15,000 undergraduate students isn’t at the top of NIL partnership ideas with Gatorade – owned by Stokely Van Camp Inc. – or Nike, which is where a collective such as the Red Towel Trust comes in.

The trust was founded in 2022 by Bowling Green Realtor, WKU alumni and former WKU employee Hank Wilson as a way to financially “sponsor” WKU athletes in their endeavors and support WKU’s relevance in a constantly changing NIL world.

The trust is labeled as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. In order to be granted this specific tax class, the nonprofit must be “a trust, corporation or an association,” according to the IRS. Additionally, it must have a specific dedication to a cause. With this, the trust is exempt from federal income and unemployment taxes.

According to the trust’s Form 1023, “RTC (Red Towel Trust) exists to encourage citizenship volunteerism and civic participation in Kentucky’s athletes. To do this, the organization will pair athletes with other non-profit organizations for activities where their engagement will raise visibility, inspire others, or encourage them to live healthier or more value-driven lives. The donations of committed community members will primarily fund these activities… By supporting the work of community nonprofits, and using athletes’ visibility to raise awareness, Red Towel Collective will elevate regional social causes and generate awareness. This will increase community participation for participating nonprofit partners, allowing them to benefit while athletes grow in their character and values through civic participation.”

The difference between what the trust does and what brand representation does is that the money given to athletes through the Red Towel Trust comes from donors, not corporations. In its first year, the collective distributed a cumulative $350,000 to athletes.

“We are by the fans.” Wilson said during the trust’s website launch party in December. “We are the fans. So, we are pulling our resources collectively to support as many of these guys (athletes) as we can.”

Although brands such as Nike or Gatorade may partner with multiple athletes at one university, they are not exclusive to one school, unlike the Red Towel Trust.

“The Red Towel Trust is a collective. So, collectives are completely separate from universities,” Forsythe said. “They work in partnership with universities, because they’re benefiting the student athletes, but they’re totally separate from universities and totally separate from NIL, essentially. So it is, I guess, a form of NIL but the way that it works is totally different.”

This is what makes collectives so unique and important, especially in mid-major schools that can’t afford to keep up with Power 5 schools in the NIL game. Collectives can also be a valuable resource for sports that are not at the forefront of media coverage like basketball and football.

“I think collectives nationwide are super important for athletics, specifically when you’re talking about an institution like WKU, where our athletic programs are very, very strong, but you’re still going up against other athletic departments that have more money, have more NIL partnerships [or] have bigger collectives that can offer these transfer students or recruits more money,” Forsythe said.

With the NCAA’s 2023 amendments to transfer statutes, athletes can enter the transfer portal as many times as they want without it affecting their eligibility. Consequently, schools are scrambling to find ways to recruit athletes and make sure they stay.

The transfer portal makes recruiting more competitive and NIL more important. Collectives have the ability to make smaller universities lacking large NIL opportunities more attractive to athletes.

“NIL is a flawed system,” Forsythe said. “The transfer portal impacts that. That’s (the transfer portal) a flawed system. So I think that there will have to be some kind of regulation put on it, but I think it’s kind of like, you know, you’ve squeezed the toothpaste out. You can’t get it back in. It happened so quickly…It’s just a Wild Wild West right now.”

Learfield, a sports marketing company that has partnered with hundreds of colleges, handles and owns all of WKU’s athletic marketing and partnerships, acts as a form of communication between brands that want to be partners with WKU. 

As the college athletic landscape has changed, Learfield has adapted.

In order for the Red Towel Trust to use WKU-associated logos such as the Red Towel or White Squirrel, the trust had to work with Learfield.

With Learfield’s help, the Red Towel Trust is now directly partnered with WKU athletics.

Depending on the level of membership a donor has, they may request personalized video calls from athletes or bi-monthly zoom calls with an athlete or coach depending on how much they donate to the trust each month.

The trust also hosts a podcast, Topper Talk, on which athletes and coaches are invited to speak.

In addition to signing memorabilia and making fan calls, the Red Towel Trust athletes are required to do a certain amount of community service hours in order to receive money promised in their contracts. 

This might raise questions about incentives for community service and if being “technically” paid for community service still makes it community service.

“So for us to keep our nonprofit status. We have to provide services to nonprofits, right? So yes. Is it incentive? Yeah, of course,” Uhlenhopp said. “I mean, there’s nothing to hide behind it… But what I have noticed is guys have really taken a love to it. They’ve done more. They’ve gone above and beyond what their requirement was.”

Uhlenhopp said many of the trust’s athletes do much more than what their contract required, “Because they went to the Boys and Girls Club, developed a relationship and loved it and wanted to continue to give back so that’s been the cool thing about it,” Uhlenhopp said.

Uhlenhopp also said that the trust benefits everyone and introduces an outlook on the community for athletes. Through the collective, Wilson and Uhlenhopp believe the opportunity of NIL can impact everyone, not just the athletes. As of December 2023, the trusts’ athletes had served over 500 hours of community service. 

Collectives similar to the Red Towel Trust have been popping up all over the country to directly sponsor athletes of the school with which they are affiliated. “On to Victory” for Auburn University and “For the Peayple” for Austin Peay State University are both examples of collectives similar to the Red Towel Trust.

Although NIL is legal, the NCAA still has regulations preventing coaches and universities from directly assisting in providing NIL deals and money as to avoid recruiting incentives.

“Our [WKU] coaches aren’t allowed to necessarily use the trust and collective in recruiting per se, but they’re allowed to be a component of the WKU experience,” Scott Swegan said, WKU’s head sports information director. “So you know, our athletes have a chance when they’re on campus to sign with the Red Towel Trust or other NIL partners.”

Although NIL can’t be used directly by coaches to recruit, which would be a form of bribery and therefore illegal under NCAA laws, the more opportunities and connections a school has in the NIL world, the more appealing universities look to athletes. This was part of the idea around forming the Red Towel Trust.

“(What) I would say from a recruiting, retention and student athlete interest in WKU standpoint is that collectives exist almost everywhere now, and the Red Towel Trust is certainly one component and a major component of a recruiting pitch because of the ability when you’re a WKU athlete to sign with the Red Towel Trust and it might make them money,” Swegan said.

Overall, it’s not just coaches that hustle to stay in bounds with NCAA regulations and NIL, but the universities and faculty, too.

“Our (WKU) compliance office is checking that a contract meets WKU requirements, state requirements, NCAA compliance,” Swegan said. “Not saying ‘Yeah, that’s a good contract’ or ‘No, that’s not a good contract.’ That’s for the student athlete and then either their parents or if they have somebody that they use for some of that.”

The Red Towel Trust also acts as a bridge for athletes and larger, outside brands. Some Red Towel Trust athlete appearances may begin to correlate with collective requirements.

The ultimate goal is to widen opportunities for student athletes. But, some things can become too fast paced even for athletes.

A balancing act

While fans watch with excitement as the players compete on the court or field, it’s easy to forget the elite athletes are human beings. And like any human being, there is always more going on behind the scenes.

“I’d say a lot of people in my situation haven’t really had money until probably the last couple of years,” Dontaie Allen said, a redshirt senior guard and forward for WKU Men’s Basketball. “So I get to send some of this money back home. I know that my mom has gone through a lot. So to be able to send her money really makes me feel better about myself as well as my sister and father. So I’d say it’s more for things like that.”

Allen has NIL deals with The Muse Bowling Green, Mr. B’s and the Red Towel Trust. 

In a sense, it creates a job for athletes– a way to provide for themselves– when that hasn’t always been an option due to a demanding practice and season schedule. 

As a professor who has many student athletes in her sports management classes and often works with WKU athletics, Forsythe has seen first hand what impact NIL has on athletes.

“They’re practicing every single day, weird times in between classes, so they literally do not have time to go out and get a job,” Forsythe said.

“So this kind of NIL deal, it’s just a relief for them to pay their rent, they can eat,” she said. “So it’s just a relief for a lot of them. It’s not flashy, ‘hey, I’ve got millions of dollars now.’ It’s just kind of like, ‘okay, I’m working hard like this is helping me’.” Forsythe said.

Typically, athletes receive compensation, merchandise and/or benefits for uploading ad-like posts for a company to their social media. In larger brand deals, athletes are compensated for making appearances in commercials or brand advertising.

“I like to spend it on my body so I can give my best on that court, which that’s what it’s about anyway,” Allen said. “You’ve got to keep the main thing, the main thing.”

Fans hear stories about international players never getting to see their families because of travel costs and the need for visas, but no one talks about U.S. economic and logistical barriers.

Allen said that players with NIL can afford to go home more often and when players can spend time with loved ones, it creates a better atmosphere in the locker room.

 Before NIL, collegiate athletes’ lives were always time consuming and chaotic. Instead of a work life balance, it was more like a work-if-you-can, school, study, social, athletic life balance.

In a survey completed prior to NIL by Professor Daniel Eisenberg at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, 33% of all student athletes experience some form of mental health condition, but only 30% of them seek help.

With NIL, its athletes must deal with excess media and added responsibilities.

“There’s certain days that it can be very difficult because you have a 20 minute time slot to get to (point) A and B, and you’ve got to get across town,” Allen said. “So obviously, that makes it difficult, but I think staying consistent and being accountable (helps). To be at these places when you’ve got to be at them and make sure you get homework in on time, it can get so hard.

Allen, who formerly played for the University of Kentucky and recently entered the transfer portal again, said the Wildcats provided classes to student athletes so they could be better prepared with money management and NIL regulations

If this isn’t already a common practice at every university, there is a good chance it will be soon with how rapidly NIL is developing.

NIL: Breaking the glass ceiling or patching it back up?

Among the predicaments, NIL possibly perpetuates the gender gap in college athletics. Although  it’s still early to tell the full impact of NIL on gender equity and equality, some statistics are already evident.

As of April 2024, the Red Towel Trust sponsored 35 athletes. All are players for WKU Football and Men’s Basketball. It was said at the website launch party that the trust has a goal of expanding to other WKU teams, specifically women’s athletics on the Hill.

Donors can request that their contribution goes toward athletes on a specific team. Uhlenhopp even said that there have been some donors asking to sponsor WKU Volleyball players.

According to a 2023 report by Opendorse, an NIL based company, male athletes in the NCAA took up 77.1% of all NIL compensation while female athletes made up 22.9%.

However, when football is removed, male athlete NIL compensation drops to 57.7% with female athletes rising to 42.3%.

“I’ve always been a champion for women’s sports and… I would like the same level of opportunities for the women to make as much money as the men,” Forsythe said.

Forsythe said that although women may make more NIL deals, they are still awarded less money than the men. 

The Opendorse report stated that women’s sports make up for 60% of NIL activities as opposed to men’s sports with 40%, but statistically, men make more money because their fewer deals are for larger amounts.

Of the Top 10 NCAA athletes who make the most disclosed NIL money, only one is female. Louisiana State University gymnast Olivia Dunne, a senior, is ranked third at an estimated $3.7 million in NIL compensation.

Despite the growth of support and media coverage for women’s college sports, specifically basketball, the trickle down of economics may be slow until women’s professional sports see the same salaries and media coverage male sports do.

The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team was the first on a national stage to put a crack in the athletic glass ceiling when they won a lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation for equal pay in 2022. 

The women won a total of $24 million in the lawsuit with promises of an equal rate of pay between the men’s and women’s national teams from the federation moving forward. The U.S Women’s National Soccer Team has four world cups while the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team has zero.

On the collegiate level, take for example, WKU Volleyball. It is the winningest team on the Hill, but has yet to see many NIL contracts. The team has eight NCAA Tournament appearances, seven regular season wins and two East Division victories.

“But my hope would be that alumni and business owners will see the value in the student athletes who are women as well and what they can do for their products,” Forsythe said.

Several female basketball players such as Clark and LSU forward Angel Reese were encouraged to play an extra year because they would make more in NIL deals than in their WNBA contracts. 

Clark made an estimated $3.1 million in NIL compared to her WNBA Indiana Fever contract of four years for $338,056. Reese’s NIL value during her time in college was an estimated $1.8 compared to her WNBA Chicago Sky contract of $324,383 for four years. Both player’s jerseys sold out within days of the WNBA draft.

Currently, most NIL deals are non-disclosure agreements, which makes NIL estimations and impact difficult to fully place. This may create a new battle in the coming years of NIL as universities, organizations and critics may call for contracts to be public information. Additionally,  federal agencies and courts are now taking a closer look at non-disclosures.

Economics, education and expectations

Athletes everywhere are electing to stay in college longer because NIL benefits often outweigh professional expectations. For example, Arch Manning, redshirt freshman quarterback for the University of Texas is estimated at $2.8 million in NIL deals, which is nearly three times Brock Purdy’s annual salary, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback.

But who advocates for the athletes in this media and money frenzy? That is what critics of NIL have been asking. 

It isn’t a new question, but a more pressing one since 2021.

Uhlenhopp said that WKU has shared resources to help guide athletes to make sure contracts are not “one-sided.” However, the majority of contract negotiation is left up to the athlete and whomever they choose to oversee it, whether that be family, a lawyer or trusted advisor.

WKU has also launched an NIL store where fans can buy merchandise with athletes’ names. Athletes receive a percentage of sales.

“I think WKU athletics has changed out of necessity because college sport is a business and if you’re not keeping up with competitors, or the business you’re not going to be successful, getting recruits having successful programs,” Forsythe said. “So I think college sports as a whole has shifted, which has necessitated changes all over college athletics.”

With so many NIL opportunities and more to come, the fear that college sports will end up being just another mirror of professional sports may come to fruition. 

On the other hand, student athletes have a better way of supporting themselves in college.

The Red Towel Trust is still in its early stages and it may have kept WKU in the NIL sprint.  However, the game of NIL is also a new one, and the NCAA may yet lose more power over the regulation of NIL deals which could either spur more chaos or more interesting competition in the collegiate world.

“If you look at what’s happening with the Power 5 schools, specifically with football, I mean, I think the NCAA will look very different in five years than it does now,” Forsythe said. “I mean, there’s no way to tell what it will look like or how fast it will change. Schools like WKU, where you’re mid-major, super competitive and successful athletically, but our media market kind of limits us with with conference realignment type stuff because we don’t have a good media market here.”

As WKU Basketball made its first March Madness appearance in 11 years in 2024, the Red Towel Trust and NIL may have more of an impact than people anticipated. With a successful volleyball, softball and women’s golf team, opportunities for the collective and NIL seeking businesses to capitalize on WKU athletics are ample.

“We can impact NIL and a roster more quickly here (at WKU) than a lot of other places in the country, so let’s not lose sight of that,” Wilson said. “I appreciate what we have and what we’ve done, but we need to continue to grow and be great.”

The Hilltoppers now hold an overall season record of 31-19-1.

Game 1

In their first matchup, WKU took the win 5-3.

In the second, fifth year infielder Sophie Weber grounded to drive fifth year outfielder Brylee Hage in to score.

WKU put up two more runs in the second. The first came after fifth year infielder Taylor Sanders singled to drive fifth year infielder TJ Webster home.

Afterwards, Weber singled which drove Sanders in for the third run of the game.

In the fourth, Sanders singled to drive Webster in for another run.

After a UTEP run in the sixth, freshman infielder Morgan Sharpe hit a sacrifice fly to center field which sent sophomore utility Kaytlan Kemp in for WKU’s final run of the game.

Despite UTEP’s effort in the seventh, the Hilltoppers emerged victorious.

Fifth year pitcher Katie Gardner threw 6.2 innings with six hits, three runs and seven strikeouts.

Game 2

WKU secured the series win in the second game against UTEP winning 6-2.

WKU started scoring off with a bang. With the bases loaded, redshirt junior catcher and utility Cheyanne Sales homered for a grand slam. Sanders, Webster and freshman utility and pitcher Annie White ran home to put WKU up 4-0.

In the fifth, Sanders homered which also drove Webster in.

UTEP put up runs in the sixth and seventh, but could not recover from WKU’s early lead.

Smith pitched five innings for the Hilltoppers with two hits and four strikeouts.

Redshirt junior pitcher Kelsie Houchens threw for two innings with two hits, two runs and four strikeouts.

Game 3

WKU fell in the third game to UTEP 7-2. 

UTEP put up all seven runs by the end of the fifth. 

WKU posted its first run in the fifth with a single from Sales to send Sharpe home.

In the seventh, Hage popped to center field to drive Sanders in for WKU’s last run. 

Gardner threw 2.2 innings for WKU with five hits and five runs. 

Smith pitched for 3.1 innings. She threw four hits and two runs.

Houchens pitched one inning with one hit.

WKU will take on either UTEP or LA Tech in their first matchup of the CUSA Tournament on May 9 in Las Cruces, New Mexico at 3:30p.m. CST.

Sports reporter Molly St. Clair can be reached at molly.st.clair185@topper.wku.edu.

Matt Dinerman, Oaklawn’s Track announcer called as Thorpedo Anna sprinted across the finish line in a green number 12 saddle cloth to win the Arkansas Fantasy Stakes Race on March 30 in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

The three-year-old filly won by four lengths at Oaklawn to secure her spot in the Kentucky Oaks – The filly race that precedes “The most exciting two minutes in sports,” the Kentucky Derby. 

Among those in the crowd cheering on Thorpedo Anna to victory was WKU alum Mark Edwards. However, unlike the majority of Arkansas Derby goers, Edwards ended up in the winners circle.

Edwards, better known during his time on the Hill as “Eddie,” is a Marine, lawyer, business owner, horse racing enthusiast, dedicated thoroughbred owner and a Hilltopper. 

“I’ve been a Western fan since I was like zero years old,” Edwards said. “So that’s mainly the reason I went to Western.”

Edwards, better known during his time on the Hill as “Eddie,” is still in touch with many of his brothers from Sigma Chi. Several of them have traveled to see Thorpedo Anna run and support Edwards.

After graduating from WKU in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in broadcasting and minor in speech, Edwards went to Officer Candidate School before he headed to law school at the University of Kentucky. 

“When I went to law school at UK, I set my schedule around Keeneland,” Edwards said. “I tried not to have any classes after one o’clock.”

Edwards always loved horse racing, but like any college and law school student, he didn’t always have the money to invest in racing.

“I didn’t have any money,” Edwards said. “I’d bet $2 a race and hope that I could beat the check to the bank.”

Following law school, he spent five years in active duty and nine years on reserve in the Marine Corps which included serving as a court martial and primarily a defense attorney.

Today, he is one of five partners at Edwards and Kautz Law firm based in Paducah, Kentucky. He also owns a chain of five liquor stores.

“Once I got in a position where I could spend money on a horse and not worry about whether I lost the money, that’s when I got involved in owning them,” Edwards said.

Edwards is a partial owner of Thorpedo Anna alongside three others, trainer Kenneth McPeek/Magdalena Racing (Sherri McPeek), breeder Judy B. Hicks and Brookdale Racing Incorporated.

The dark brown thoroughbred is named after Edward’s granddaughter, Anna Thorpe, who’s swim coaches refer to as “Thorpedo.” 

Edwards is a partial owner of another thoroughbred, Ten Days Later. The four-year-old came before Thorpedo Anna and raced at Oaklawn the same day Thorpedo Anna raced in the Fantasy.

“I’ve been involved with a lot of horses and it’s always awesome when one does good, but she (Thorpedo Anna) has done really well,” Edwards said.

After getting scratched by the vet at Ellis Park in what would have been Thorpedo Anna’s maiden race, or first race, she was eventually cleared to run her maiden race at Keeneland in October of 2023 where she won by eight and one-half lengths. 

Since then, she has won every race except for one at Churchill Downs last November, where she finished second. 

After recovering from a hip bruise, the Fantasy was her only way of qualifying for the Oaks.

“She had one shot to make The Oaks, which was the Fantasy and she did not disappoint,” Edwards said.

The horse racing business is a game of chance and the odds of a horse succeeding at such a high level are slim.

“Something like 35,000 thoroughbreds are born every year and 14 of them make the Oaks. 20 of them make the Derby,” Edwards said. “That’s pretty special to get in there and obviously I’d love to win it. It’s cool that we’re running and I think she (Thorpedo Anna) can win it.”

Overall, Edwards only had one way to describe the past five months since Thorpedo Anna’s maiden race and everything leading up to The Oaks.

“It’s unbelievable,” Edwards said.

Thorpedo Anna will run in the 11th race, The Oaks, on May 3 at Churchill Downs in Louisville. She drew post five and her odds are currently 5-1.

Sports reporter Molly St. Clair can be reached at molly.st.clair185@topper.wku.edu.

WKU has an overall record of 28-16-1.

Game one

WKU defeated MTSU 6-2 in the first matchup of the weekend.

The game was scoreless until the fifth inning when WKU put up four runs.

Fifth year infielder TJ Webster singled to drive senior utility Kelsey Schmidt home for the first Hilltopper run.

Fifth year infielder Taylor Sanders popped up to center field which sent Webster home.

Redshirt junior catcher and utility Cheyanne Sales homered to left field and sent Webster in for another run.

After a MTSU run in the top of the sixth, WKU responded with two runs.

Fifth year outfielder Brylee Hage singled up the middle which drove Schmidt home. To follow, Webster singled again to drive sophomore utility Kaytlan Kemp home for WKU’s sixth run.

MTSU grabbed another run in the seventh but were unable to fully respond to WKU’s lead.

Fifth year pitcher Katie Gardner pitched all seven innings with three hits, two runs and seven strikeouts.

Game two

The Hilltoppers won the second game of the weekend against MTSU 4-2.

WKU was first to score with a doble from Sales which drove Webster home.

After a MSTU run in the third, Sanders doubled to right center which sent Webster in for another WKU run in the fifth.

In the sixth, Hage singled to advance freshman infielder Morgan Sharpe home.

Later in the inning, Webster singled which sent Hage in for WKU’s fourth run.

Redshirt junior pitcher Kelsie Houchens threw for three innings with four hits, two runs and three strikeouts.

Freshman pitcher Rylan Smith pitched the remaining four innings with two hits and five strikeouts.

Game three

WKU secured the series win 3-0 on Sunday over MTSU.

In the second, the Hilltoppers put up all three runs in one play. Sanders doubled to right field which sent Webster, Hage and fifth year infielder Sophie Weber home.

MTSU did not respond which led to the third WKU win of the weekend.

Gardner pitched all seven innings with only two hits. She also threw five strikeouts.

The Hilltoppers will take on Jacksonville State University on April 26 in Jacksonville, Alabama.

Sports reporter Molly St. Clair can be reached at molly.st.clair185@topper.wku.edu.

This was the team’s third loss in a row. The Hilltoppers now have a record of 25-15-1.

WKU took the lead early. Freshman utility and pitcher Annie White singled to drive in fifth year senior Brylee Hage in.

To follow, fifth year infielder Sophie Weber walked which drove fifth year infielder TJ Webster in.

In the second, redshirt junior Cheyanne Sales singled up the middle to send Hage in for the third and last WKU run of the game.

The rest of the game belonged to UK. The Wildcats posted 12 runs and the Hilltoppers were unable to respond.

Fifth year pitcher Katie Gardner threw for three innings with four hits, five runs and two strikeouts. 

Freshman pitcher Rylan Smith pitched for one inning. She threw three hits, four runs and one strikeout.

Lastly, redshirt junior pitcher Kelsie Houchens walked away from her inning on the mound with three hits and three runs.

WKU Softball will compete against Middle Tennessee State University on April 19 at 6p.m. CST at the WKU Softball Complex.

Sports reporter Molly St. Clair can be reached at molly.st.clair185@topper.wku.edu.

The Hilltoppers now stand 25-15-1 overall. They are ranked second in Conference-USA.

Game 1

WKU defeated Ole Miss 3-0 in their first matchup of the weekend on Friday.

The Hilltoppers put up all of their runs in the top of the first.

Freshman utility and pitcher Annie White singled to drive fifth year infielder Taylor Sanders home.

On the following play, Redshirt junior catcher and utility Cheyanne Sales stole home to put WKU up 2-0.

Later, freshman infielder Morgan Sharpe singled to third base to drive White in for another run.

Ole Miss never responded to the Hilltoppers busy first inning.

Fifth year pitcher Katie Gardner pitched all seven innings with three hits, zero runs and four strikeouts.

Game 2

The Hilltoppers fell to Ole Miss 11-3, in the initial rematch on Saturday. 

WKU was first to score when Sanders homered in the first to put WKU ahead early.

After six runs from Ole Miss in the first and second innings, Sanders homered again in the fourth.

White followed Sanders’ lead with a third homer for the Hilltoppers to make the score 6-3.

WKU was unable to score again within the matchup as Ole Miss pulled further ahead with five more runs throughout the game.

Freshman pitcher Rylan Smith pitched two innings with five hits, six runs and three strikeouts. 

Redshirt junior pitcher Kelsie Houchens also spent some time on the mound. Houchens pitched 2.2 innings with three hits and two runs.

Sophomore pitcher Maddy Wood threw 0.1 innings for WKU with four hits and three runs.

Game 3

Ole Miss overwhelmed WKU, 12-3, on Sunday, taking the series win.

After a grand slam in the first from Ole Miss, Sanders doubled to drive fifth year infielder TJ Webster home to finally get WKU on the board in the third.

In the fourth, Sharpe tripled to send fifth year infielder Sophie Weber in for a run.

Sharpe was able to score on a later play in the fourth to make it 4-3, Ole Miss.

Ole Miss posted eight more runs, starting in the fourth inning. The Hilltoppers were unable to respond, ultimately leading to the second loss of the weekend.

Gardner pitched three innings. She allowed seven hits, seven runs and threw one strikeout.

Smith threw one inning with four hits and five runs.

WKU will host the University of Kentucky on April 17 at 6p.m. CST.

Sports reporter Molly St. Clair can be reached at molly.st.clair185@topper.wku.edu.

She was originally committed to the University of Tennessee at Martin. Fortunately for the Hilltoppers, the plates aligned for Gardner to find her way home to WKU.

But she never had to find WKU as Gardner is a hometown hero in her own right. From Bowling Green, Gardner attended Warren East High School and was the 2019 Kentucky Miss Softball.

“It [being from Bowling Green] definitely brings a lot of support to like all of our games,” Gardner said. “It’s just really cool to be able to play close to home because my parents can come to almost every single game, which they do come to a lot of our away games, too.”

In Gardner’s freshman year, she only pitched a total of 2.1 innings out of 30 games before Covid-19 interrupted the remainder of the 2020 season. 

“My freshman year I didn’t really play that much,” Gardner said. “And then COVID hit so we had only played like 25 games my freshman year anyway, but I feel like that definitely helped me a lot…And then winning the conference ended my sophomore year. [Former pitcher Kelsey] Aikey went down, so then I had to step into a different role that I hadn’t gotten to step into yet. So that was really fun to do.” 

Today, she is one of the Hilltoppers’ most trusted players, spending more time in the circle than any pitcher.

“Last year, we lost a couple of pitchers and then there was just three of us,” Gardner said. “So that was another different role that I had to do and then this year, being the top pitcher; just really encouraging the rest of our pitching staff. But it’s been really fun so far this year.”

As of April 11, the Bowling Green native has thrown 113.0 innings, 86 strikeouts and has a 2.17 ERA in the 2024 season. Additionally, she has helped lead the Hilltoppers to 14 wins.

In an April 5 game, Gardner pitched a near shutout against Liberty University when she only allowed one hit in seven innings.

When Gardener reflects on her progress over the course of five years on the Hill, she credits much of it to her team.

“I definitely think it reflects on our team because I can’t do everything by myself,” Gardner said. “I’m not going to get 21 strikeouts. So definitely, depending on my defense for a lot of those wins. And of course, just all of the process of going through fall and then coming back super early for spring training. I think it does reflect a lot on how hard everybody works.”

Aside from statistics, Gardner’s determination and dedication to the game also proved true in other ways. 

In Gardner’s junior year, she broke her non-pitching wrist during weight training with the team. To Gardner, the biggest problem wasn’t her wrist, it was figuring out how to still play. At the time, WKU was about to play Texas A&M, and she refused to be benched.

“But I still pitched and literally just held my arm up,” Gardner said. “They would roll the ball back at me.”

Gardner is earning her masters in speech-language pathology. Following graduation she plans to do a clinical fellowship, most likely outside of Bowling Green.

As graduation approaches, Gardner will step off the field of the WKU Softball Complex for the last time on May 5, following a matchup against the University of Texas at El Paso.

The Hilltoppers now hold a 24-13-1 overall record with a 10-5 conference record.

Game 1

WKU grabbed their only win of the weekend in their first meeting with Liberty on Friday, 1-0. 

Freshman infielder Morgan Sharpe flew out to right field which drove redshirt junior catcher and utility Cheyanne Sales home for the only run of the game.

Fifth year pitcher Katie Gardner threw all seven innings for the Hilltoppers in shutout fashion. Gardner only allowed one hit and threw six strikeouts overall.

Game 2

The Hilltoppers fell 9-1 in their second face off against Liberty which ended in four innings.

Despite the loss, WKU was the first on the board.

In the top of the second, fifth year infielder Sophie Weber doubled to allow Sharpe to run in. However, WKU was unable to keep the momentum going as they did not score the remainder of the game.

Freshman pitcher Rylan Smith threw 3.1 innings for the Hilltoppers. She allowed four hits, six runs and threw four strikeouts.

Redshirt junior pitcher Kelsie Houchens pitched 0.2 innings with four hits and three runs.

Game 3

WKU lost the last game of the series 7-5.

Sanders was first to score with a homer in the top of the first.

Freshman pitcher and utility player Annie White followed Sanders’ lead with a homer in the second.

In the third, White reached on an error to drive Sanders and fifth year infielder TJ Webster home to put WKU up 4-0.

After Liberty tied the game up in the fourth inning, White singled to center field which once again drove Sanders home in the fifth.

Despite WKU’s efforts, Liberty posted three more runs in the fifth. The Hilltoppers were unable to respond and ultimately picked up their 13th loss of the season.

Gardner pitched 4.1 innings with seven hits and six runs. She also threw four strikeouts. 

Smith threw 1.2 innings for the Hilltoppers with one strikeout.

WKU will next face the University of Mississippi April 12 at 5p.m. CST in Oxford, Mississippi.

Sports reporter Molly St. Clair can be reached at molly.st.clair185@topper.wku.edu.