ABILENE – The ACU Wildcats begin Southland Conference play this weekend looking to start another winning streak as they host Incarnate Word in a three-game set at Crutcher Scott Field.
The Southland Conference-opening series for both teams will get started Friday at 6 p.m. with the second game set for a 2 p.m. start Saturday. The series will wrap up Sunday at 1 p.m. All three games will be broadcast on 98.1 FM.
Here's a quick glance at each team going into the series:
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
ACU Rotation
Friday: LHP
Austin Lambright (0-0, 0.75 ERA)
Saturday: RHP
Case Rolen (1-0, 4.38 ERA)
Sunday: TBA
On the mound
• The Wildcats' team ERA dropped again after Wednesday's 5-4 loss to UT-Arlington when ACU gave up just four earned runs in the contest. The Wildcats will carry a 5.73 team ERA into the game.
• ACU's pitching numbers are skewed by the four-game series against Michigan State that started the season. The Wildcats gave up 51 runs (45 earned runs) and exited the series with a team ERA of 11.25. But in their last eight games, the Wildcats have allowed just 27 runs (25 earned) in 74 innings for a team ERA of 3.04.
• The Wildcats have struck out 104 opposing batters, but have also issued 60 walks on the season. Opposing pitchers, meanwhile, have recorded 83 strikeouts, but issued just 33 walks.
• ACU's Friday night starting pitcher, left-hander
Austin Lambright, has an 0.75 ERA, but hasn't recorded a decision in three starts. His longest outing was his last one when he went 4 1/3 innings in a no-decision last Friday against Creighton. The biggest culprit to his not having a decision is the number of pitches he's throw, mainly because of walks allowed. In his first start, he threw 83 pitches (nine strikeouts, three walks) in just 4.0 innings against Michigan State. In his next start, he threw 97 pitches (six walks, five strikeouts) in 3 2/3 innings against North Dakota State. And last Friday against Creighton, he threw 98 pitches in 4 1/3 innings (four walks, four strikeouts).
At the plate
• The Wildcats are hitting an even .300 on the season through 12 games and have scored 71 runs in 12 games (5.9 per game) with 36 extra-base hits (29 doubles).
• Junior designated hitter
Luis Trevino extended his hitting streak to 12 games Wednesday with an eighth-inning RBI single to draw ACU to within 4-2 in a 5-4 loss to Dallas Baptist. Trevino is hitting .422 on the season and leads the team in doubles (7) and RBI (15).
• Last year's team RBI leader was
Russell Crippen with 19. This year Crippen is hitting .420 with a team-high 21 hits to go along with six doubles, one home run and nine RBI.
• Sophomore centerfielder
Derek Scott extended his hitting streak to eight games Wednesday night with a third-inning infield single, and he pushed his average to .404. He leads ACU with 14 runs scored and is second on the team in hits with 19. He had just 14 hits in more than 100 at-bats last season. He also leads the club with four stolen bases.
• ACU has seven starters hitting better than .315 on the season: Trevino (.422), Crippen (.420), Scott (.404), first baseman Koby Claiborne (.400), catcher
Cole Solomon (.389), right fielder
Anthony Dominguez (.333), and second baseman
Dalon Farkas (.316).
• ACU hit two home runs in Wednesday night's game vs. DBU to increase its season total to six. The Wildcats hit just nine home runs in 53 games in 2016. The last time ACU hit at least two home runs in a game at Crutcher Scott Field was April 19, 2015, when Taylor Fajardo and
Kyle Carroll each went deep in a 3-2 win over Sam Houston State. Fajardo's home run was a game-tying two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth, and Carroll's was a leadoff home run in the bottom of the 10th to win it.
• In their first three seasons in the Southland Conference (2014-16), the Wildcats were 19-31 in one-run games (6-7 in 2014, 6-13 in 2015 and 7-11 in 2016). However, ACU has started the 2017 season 3-1 in one-run games,
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
• The Cardinals enter the series at 9-6 on the season, hitting .294 as a team and carrying a 6.61 ERA on the season.
• David Anaya leads the team in RBI with 10, but is hitting just .220 on the year (11 for 50).
• Among regulars, Kyler Genenbacher leads the team with a .447 batting average, while Bryce Shepherd is hitting .429 with eight RBI.
• The Cardinals have scored 103 runs in 15 games (6.9 runs per game), and eight Cardinals have at least eight RBI on the season: Anaya (10), Tanner White (9), Ryan Gonzalez (9), Shepherd (8), Mark Whitehead (8), Garrett Terrell (8), Lee Thomas (8), and Kyle Bergeron (8).
SERIES HISTORY
The Wildcats lead the all-time series against the Cardinals, 41-22, although the teams are tied 4-4 since each joined the Southland Conference in 2014. ACU, however, has won four of the last five meetings between the teams: 2-1 against UIW in Abilene in 2015 and 2-0 against the Cardinals last year in San Antonio. Of the teams on ACU's 2017 schedule, ACU hasn't played any team more often than UIW. Texas Tech is next with 49 games between the two teams, followed by Dallas Baptist (47), Sam Houston State (39) and UT-Arlington (25).
