Friday
4 p.m. -- Central Arkansas vs. ACU (
Live Audio / Video I
Local Radio I
Live Stats)
Saturday
11 a.m. -- Central Arkansas vs. New Jersey Tech (
Live Stats)
4 p.m. -- New Jersey Tech vs. ACU (
Live Stats)
Sunday
11 a.m. -- Central Arkansas vs. New Jersey Tech (
Live Stats)
4 p.m. -- New Jersey Tech vs. ACU (
Live Audio / Video I
Local Radio I
Live Stats)
ABILENE – ACU will be back on the field this weekend when it hosts two other teams in the Al Scott Memorial Baseball Classic at Crutcher Scott Field.
The three-team, five-game classic is being played to honor the memory of Al Scott, one of the ACU baseball program's most ardent and enthusiastic fans and benefactors. Scott passed away last fall after a bout with cancer. His family provided the funding to help build Crutcher Scott Field when ACU resurrected the baseball program in 1991. All proceeds from this weekend's gate will be given directly to the Al and Dottie Scott Memorial Endowment for Baseball.
The classic will get started Friday at 4 p.m. when ACU (3-0) takes on defending Southland Conference Tournament champion Central Arkansas (1-3). Games will continue Saturday when Central Arkansas takes on New Jersey Tech (0-0) at 11 a.m., followed by the Wildcats taking on New Jersey Tech at 4 p.m. Sunday's schedule will be the same as Saturday's schedule with games once again scheduled for 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
On Saturday, the first 200 ACU fans through the gate for the Wildcats' 4 p.m. game will receive a free game jersey-style T-shirt in the design of the Wildcats' jersey for that day.
Friday's ACU game will be broadcast on the radio on Classic Rock 102.7 FM, while Sunday's game will be broadcast on 98.1 FM The Ticket. ACU will also provide live audio and video for those two games on acusports.com. ACU will provide live stats for all five games.
The Wildcats are 3-0 on the season for the first time since the 2010 squad opened 6-0 on its way to posting a 50-win season. The Wildcats swept Arlington Baptist last weekend, outscoring the Patriots 30-8 en route to winning two games via the 10-run rule.
ACU steps up in competition level this weekend, however, as the Wildcats will play NCAA Division I opponents for the first time as a member of the Southland Conference and NCAA Division I. Friday's game against Central Arkansas will be ACU's first game against an NCAA Division I opponent since a 19-9 loss at Texas Tech on April 20, 2004.
ACU's last win over an NCAA Division I opponent came on March 20, 2002, when the Wildcats beat Texas-San Antonio, 7-2, in San Antonio.
Last weekend the Wildcats were led by senior first baseman / catcher
Seth Spivey, who was 6 for 10 with one home run and six RBI. Freshman
Russell Crippen hit a pair of home runs – including a first-inning grand slam on Sunday – and drove in six runs for the Wildcats.
Another pair of freshmen – shortstop
Aaron Draper and second baseman
Gunnar Buhner – hit .462 and .444, respectively, with a combined eight RBI.
The Wildcats' pitching staff allowed just with runs and 12 walks and struck out 29 batters in 23 innings of work. Starters
Nate Cole and Garrett Demeyere each picked up a win, and new closer Kyle Sheets picked up a save in Saturday's 4-2 win.
Here's a quick look at both Central Arkansas and New Jersey Tech:
Central Arkansas (1-3): The Bears opened the season last weekend by losing two of three at home against Missouri State. Central Arkansas then lost at Wichita State, 9-6, Tuesday night to bring a 1-3 record to Abilene.
The Bears lost 10 seniors and one junior draftee from arguably the best team in school history, one that won the Southland Conference Tournament title, advanced to the final of the NCAA Starkville Regional and shattered the school record for victories with 42.
UCA has 22 newcomers on its 35-man roster for the upcoming season. Only five position players _ two starters _ and five pitchers return from last season. The Bears, which had a school-record three players taken in the Major League Baseball Draft, will try to build on the momentum from last season with a fresh batch of players in Coach Allen Gum's fourth season in Conway.
The Bears return two starting pitchers who put up impressive numbers a year ago in senior Bryce Biggerstaff and sophomore Connor Gilmore. Biggerstaff threw just the second no-hitter in school history in a 13-0 win over Jackson State, an NCAA regional team. He finished with a 6-5 record and a 3.01 earned-run average as a weekend starter in 2013.
Biggerstaff, a righthander is expected to be the Friday starter for the Bears. The Bears workhorse logged 107.2 innings last season – including a 10-inning outing against Lamar in conference play – and had four complete games and five games of 9+ innings pitched.
Gilmore, a 6-foot-5, 190-pounder was the postseason star for the Bears, tossing a two-hitter against Southeastern Louisiana in the SLC Championship game, then coming back with a four-hit shutout against South Alabama in an elimination game in the Starkville Regional.
Gilmore, 5-0 with a 0.73 ERA last season, was named to the SLC All-Tournament team and the Starkville Regional All-Tournament team.
Senior shortstop Justin Treece is the only starter returning in the everyday lineup for UCA. Treece was named to the All-Tournament team at the Starkville Regional and hit .230 for the season with 47 hits and 27 RBI. Senior Scott Zimmerle was UCA's starting first baseman last season but will be in the UCA bullpen this year.
New Jersey Tech (0-0): Like the Bears of Central Arkansas, the Highlanders make their first trip to Abilene this weekend. The Highlanders haven't played a game this season after having their season-opening four-game series at North Carolina Central in Durham, N.C., was cancelled because of a heavy snowstorm along the eastern seaboard.
The Highlanders were 20-34 last season and hit just .254 as a team while opponents hit .305 against a pitching staff that had a combined 5.68 ERA. Only two players hit better than .300 for the Highlanders in 2013, and they both return in 2014.
Senior first baseman / designated hitter Tom Bouck returns after hitting .359 with two home runs and 24 RBI as a junior. And senior first baseman / outfielder Teddy Bickert also returns after hitting .359 with 18 RBI in 2013.
The leading returning pitcher is 6-6 senior right-hander Matt Coughlin, who was 4-6 with a 4.33 ERA in 2013.
