ABILENE – The ACU Wildcats will try to get to the break-even mark Tuesday night when they host old NCAA Division II foe Texas-Permian Basin in a non-conference game at Crutcher Scott Field.
First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on 98.1 FM The Ticket with
Grant Boone calling the play by play. Before the game, former ACU head baseball coach and longtime assistant football coach Jerry Wilson will throw out the first pitch.
The Wildcats closed the gap on the .500 mark last weekend with a three-game sweep of North Dakota State that pushed their record to 3-4. ACU was swept in a four-game series by Michigan State to open the series two weeks ago. But the Wildcats got their season on track by taking all three games from the Bison in dominating fashion.
Sophomore centerfielder
Derek Scott went 3 for 4 with one run scored, two RBI and his first collegiate home run in Sunday's game, the best outing of his ACU career. He finished the weekend 5 for 11 with three RBI and four runs scored. Freshman
Anthony Dominguez got his first start in the outfield (right field) and went 2 for 3 with one RBI in Sunday's contest.
• Second baseman
Dalon Farkas had two more hits Sunday to lift his average to .333 on the season, and
Hillin Warren got his first start of the season at third base and went 2 for 4 at the plate with one run scored.
North Dakota State hit just .189 against the Wildcats this weekend (18 for 95) with only four extra-base hits. ACU, meanwhile, hit .299 in the series (29 for 97) with nine extra-base hits: six doubles, one triple and two home runs.
The Wildcats hit just nine home runs in 53 games in 2016, but have already hit four in seven games in 2017. The Wildcats committed nine errors two weeks ago in four games against Michigan State, but played three error-less games last weekend against North Dakota State.
Junior college transfer
Luis Trevino – who was slated to be the team's starting catcher but has been relegated to designated hitter duties in the Wildcats' last six games because of injury – leads the team with a .423 batting average (11 for 26) to go along with a team-high seven runs scored and a team-best seven RBI.
Senior outfielder
Russell Crippen is also off to a fast start for the Wildcats as he carries a .414 batting average (12 for 29) into Tuesday night's contest. Crippen leads the team in hits, doubles (four), is tied for the team lead in home runs (one) and is second in RBI (five).
Junior right-handed pitcher
Drew Hanson – who got the start Sunday against North Dakota State and pitched an effective two innings on a day when six ACU pitchers got work – will get the start again Tuesday night against the Falcons, who will see plenty of arms out of the ACU bullpen as the Wildcats gear up for a three-game series this weekend against Creighton, next Tuesday's home contest against Texas-Arlington and next weekend's Southland Conference-opening series against Incarnate Word.
The Falcons are 6-3 on the season, but enter on a two-game losing streak after dropping the final two games of a three-game series against New Mexico Highlands last weekend.
UTPB is hitting .325 as a team with six home runs and 68 runs scored in nine games. The Falcons are led by Tyler Houlihan, who is hitting .559 (19 for 34) with three doubles and seven RBI. Jordan Zazulak is hitting .375 with a team-high 11 RBI, and Doug Clapperton (.333) leads the team in home runs (two) and is tied for second with seven RBI.
The Falcon's team ERA is 3.97, although their starter is undetermined.
