Baseball bound for California, battles defending Big West champs

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Wildcat baseball team continues its week-long road trip in a big way this weekend as it heads to sunny California for a three-game series in non-conference play. ACU (4-1) takes on UC-Santa Barbara of the Big West Conference at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium, and it's another big test this week. The Gauchos are the defending Big West Tournament champions, and won 45 games a season ago.

The Series

• Game 1: Friday, Feb. 21 (7:30 p.m. CT)
  • LHP Austin Wagner (ACU) vs. TBA (UCSB)
• Game 2: Saturday, Feb. 22 (6 p.m. CT)
  • RHP Austin Ruesch (ACU) vs. TBA (UCSB)
• Game 3: Sunday, Feb. 23 (2 p.m. CT)
  • LHP Nate Hawkins (ACU) vs. TBA (UCSB)

The History

• This will be the first-ever meeting between the schools in any sport.

ACU Storylines

• ACU is off to its best start (4-1) since 2016. The new-look Wildcats under second-year head coach Rick McCarty swept Utah Valley at home to open the season before falling to TCU.
• The pitching has seen a huge improvement in the young season. ACU is posting a 3.91 team ERA, and dominated the opening series, particularly with the starters. Austin Wagner, Austin Ruesch, and Nate Hawkins combined to give up one run in the first three games of the season.
• Tanner Riley was spectacular on opening weekend; the right-hander went 2-0 in relief and pitched six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts.
• Tommy Cruz and Mitchell Dickson each lead the team with a .400 batting average, while Ryne Randle and Joseph Craig have the two home runs thus far.
• Hunter Gieser leads the team with seven runs driven in through five games.

Tuesday Night at #20 TCU

• ACU made some middle-inning noise, but couldn't overcome the several crooked numbers posted early by No. 20 TCU Tuesday night in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs won the game 14-4.
• ACU was held off the scoreboard until the fifth inning. Mitchell Dickson led off with a hit by pitch and with one out Ryne Randle drew a base on balls. Then Hayden Clearman dropped an RBI single into left fielder to plate Dickson.
• TCU's starter was eventually chased from the game in the sixth as an infield single from Cameron Cromer was followed by a Tommy Cruz walk and a blast off the right-center field fencing by Colton Eager.
• Hunter Geiser slapped a single up the middle to plate both Cruz and Eager for the Wildcats' third and fourth runs in the eighth inning.