ABILENE – Baseball is almost here. There has not been a game played on the diamond at the collegiate level in nearly 11 months. We are almost there. But as has been the case throughout the season, we have another amendment to the schedule. Southland Conference approved a modified schedule format for the 2021 baseball conference season, increasing the number of league games from 30 to 40. The 10 previously-scheduled weekend series will expand from a three-game series to four games. The change also adjusts the number of non-conference games. Teams get 16 out-of-league games to compile a 56-game schedule. Head coach
Rick McCarty has finalized this year's slate for ACU, and it still begins Feb. 19 at Tarleton State.
ACU is still playing almost the same non-conference schedule ahead of Southland play, but had to take away almost every mid-week non-conference matchup after March 14. ACU will still play power five Texas in a three-game series as well.
The format for each Southland series will include a nine-inning game on Friday, a doubleheader on Saturday, and a nine-inning game on Sunday. Saturday's doubleheader includes a seven-inning game one and a nine-inning game two. Should game one of the doubleheader go to extra innings, game two would become a seven-inning contest.
The presidents and athletic directors also approved a participation minimum of 24 student-athletes, which must include 13 pitchers and 11 position players (two of which must be catchers). Should a team drop below the four-game minimum, the coach has the discretion to play a four-game series or revert to a three-game series by mutual agreement.
Conference play will begin March 12-14 and run through May 20-22. Members may schedule up to 16 non-conference contests at the program's discretion for a maximum of 56 regular-season games.
The 2021 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament will be held May 26-29 at a location to be determined. On Jan. 13, the conference reinstated full postseason participation for upcoming 2020-21 league championship events, including expanding the baseball tournament field back to the top eight schools.
"After our conference announced we were shifting to a four-game weekend series format, we were forced to adjust the makeup of our schedule for 2021," said McCarty. "All in all, we feel very good about filling out a very challenging 56 game schedule. With 24 freshmen and sophomores on our roster, we felt like it was very important to keep our non-conference schedule in tack to maximize the amount of games played early in the season. We were able to keep our three-game series scheduled with Texas on our bye weekend in Austin, which our guys are excited about. Even though we lost the majority of our mid-week games after conference play begins, we were able to pick up an additional five home games earlier in the season for our fans to come out and watch our guys compete at Crutcher Scott Field. We are very excited about the opportunities in front of us and look forward to getting the new year started on Feb. 19."
2021 Schedule By The Numbers
- 29: Home games, making more than 50% of the schedule at home
- 27: Road games, with seven non-conference road games
- 4: Game against Power 5 opponents (Texas A&M, Texas x3)
- 7: Games against teams that finished in the top 50 RPI in an abbreviated 2020 season
- 40: Games against the Southland Conference (ACU's final year in the Southland)
- 7: Games against the Western Athletic Conference (ACU moves to the WAC for the 2022 season)
- 5: Games against the Sun Belt Conference
- 3: Games against the Big 12
- 1: Game against the SEC
- 2: Holidays at home (Easter and Mother's Day)
February: Six of the first nine at home now
- ACU kicks off the season with former and now future conference rival Tarleton State. The first two games of the series will be played in Stephenville Feb. 19-20. The game on Feb. 21 is being moved to Abilene.
- The game Feb. 23 is in tact at Texas A&M for a matchup in SEC country with the Aggies. A&M finished 15-3 last season and 17th in RPI.
- ACU was supposed to GO TO New Mexico State, but the future WAC opponent is coming to Abilene now for a four-game series Feb. 26-28. The two teams were supposed to play a two-game series last season in Abilene, but it was canceled when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. New Mexico State finished with an RPI ranking of 77 in 2020.
March: Seven home games
- ACU still opens March on the road at UT Arlington in the first of two meetings between the schools. The game takes place in Arlington on Tuesday, March 2. UTA finished 14th in RPI last season.
- The Wildcats are home Friday, March 5 when they open a three-game series with Arkansas State.
- ACU then opens Southland Conference play with a weekend series in Conway, Ark. against the Central Arkansas Bears, March 12-14.
- March 19-21 is the first home Southland series for the 'Cats, when they host Nicholls.
- March 26-28 features the third Southland series of the season, with ACU taking on New Orleans in the bayou.
April: Big non-conference series awaits
- ACU opens the month with a home series against Northwestern State April 1-3.
- The Wildcats embark on their longest trip of the season to Hammond, La. April 9-11 against the Southeastern Louisiana Lions.
- ACU has a Tuesday, April 13 home date with UT-Arlington. It's the final game of that home-and-home series as well with the Mavericks.
- The most high-profile non-conference matchup features a SERIES in Austin against the Texas Longhorns. The Wildcats battle a Power 5 in a three-game series for just the sixth time ever, and the first since 2017. ACU hosted Michigan State, and went to Kansas State and Oregon State that season.
- The Wildcats host the UIW Cardinals from April 23-25.
- The final game of April happens on day one of the series at Houston Baptist (Friday, April 30 thru Sunday, May 2).
May: Wrapping up the SLC season
- ACU hosts Lamar in a four-game Southland series from May 7-9 at Crutcher Scott Field.
- ACU goes to Huntsville, Texas May 14-16 to battle the Sam Houston Bearkats.
- The regular season ends with a four-game series May 20-22 at Crutcher Scott Field against the SFA Lumberjacks.
