Photo by: Jonathan Bentley
2021 Baseball: Year in Review
6/28/2021 4:00:00 PM | Baseball
ABILENE – Rags to riches. Unknown to well-known. Underrated to over-achieving. Whatever cliche you want to use, it works when talking about what the ACU baseball program just did in the spring of 2021. It might just be the quickest turnaround in all of college baseball. ACU won five Southland Conference games in the spring of 2018, and just a few months later they brought in a new head coach, Rick McCarty. The change was eminent, and the results came quickly. And it all came together in the spring of 2021 with the first-ever Southland Conference championship, a school-record 36 wins, and one of the great offenses in Wildcat history. ACU baseball arrived on the landscape of Division I college baseball this spring, and it plans to stay there awhile.
This year's team brought back quite a few familiar faces from the squad that was left on a bus in March of 2020. ACU had just got done playing the Texas Longhorns in Austin, and was returning home to Abilene for what was supposed to be the second Southland series of the year as they planned to host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Well, not only did that series not happen, the rest of the season was canned too due to COVID-19. The Wildcats had only played 15 games, and then everything was shut down. In the blink of an eye, the task shifted to preparing for 2021. Well, that worked out. ACU returned seven position starters and added a few more. Altogether 23 players were back for another chance to play ball after a 7-8 season in 2020. ACU added new pieces including sophomores Grayson Tatrow, Adam Stephenson, and Bryson Hill, freshmen Sebastian Randle, Tyler Morgan, Brett Hammit, and Max Huffling to go along with grad transfer Mike Brown. Returners such as Spencer Chirpich, Mitchell Dickson, Alexei Cazarin, Genner Cervantes, Colton Eager, Hunter Gieser, Miller Ladusau, Tanner Riley, and Tommy Cruz set the tone, and the new players followed suit. The pieces were falling into place for the team, and the offense was going to be very good. And that showed right away and all throughout the spring.
The strength of the 'Cats this season was the offense, but in key moments the pitching was outstanding as well. It all came together during a historic 11-game winning streak that catapulted ACU to the top of the Southland Conference standings. Then the thought turned from just making the conference tournament to maybe winning a league title. The baseball team had never been to a Southland Conference Tournament since joining the league, and knew they had a pretty good chance this spring. That turned into needing just a couple wins against SFA in the final weekend to become conference champions for the first time, and what a weekend it was. It all came together with the first championship at the Division I level for the program.
36 wins. 7 all-conference players. A new strikeout record. An outstanding GPA as a team. In the classroom, on the field, in faith, this team came together and played for one another. It was a blast to watch the Wildcats this past spring, and it gave us a huge glimpse of what was to come.
So before we turn the page to the spring of 2022, let's take one final look back at a spring that featured a couple rain-outs, COVID-19 testing, a Texas-sized snowstorm, and so much more. It was a long wait to see this team play in 2021, and it was well worth the wait.
Here are some of the top moments from the 2021 season.
Top Moments of the 2021 Season
The final out to claim the Southland Conference regular season championship
VIDEO // GAME RECAP
May 21: After sweeping the SFA Lumberjacks, ACU became the regular season champion in the Southland Conference, cementing the No. 1 seed in the league tournament in Hammond, La. The Wildcats celebrated one of the quickest turnarounds in the country after game one on Crutcher Scott Field. Coming into that Friday, the team either need a win or a Southeastern Louisiana loss to ensure a regular-season championship. They got both. ACU's 7-3 and 6-4 wins ensured a series win, a conference title, and a No. 1 seed; the final two items are both new to the program's identity. This program is going to new heights, and the belief it has to win each and every time it steps out on the field is unparalleled.
Historic win at Texas A&M
GAME RECAP
Feb. 23: Tie game. Ninth inning. In one of the toughest ball parks in the country to play in. ACU delivered in a big way. Hunter Gieser roped a one-out double to right center field and Alexei Cazarin came in as a pinch-runner. The speedster moved up to third on a wild pitch, and Bryson Hill stayed patient at the plate and delivered a go-ahead sacrifice fly into right to give ACU a 6-5 lead. Tanner Riley closed the door in the ninth inning, and the Wildcats beat the Texas A&M Aggies for the first time in school history. It was a total team win, and the Wildcats perfectly placed all the right pieces to win their fourth-ever game against a Power 5 opponent.
First-ever Southland Conference Tournament win
VIDEO // GAME RECAP
May 26: Junior Hunter Gieser blasted two home runs, freshmen pitchers Tyler Morgan and Max Huffling dominated on the mound, and top-seeded ACU picked up a 7-1 win over the No. 8 seed Lamar Cardinals in the opening round of the Southland Conference Tournament. ACU's first tournament appearance in the Southland since 1968 was worth the wait as they advance to the second round at Alumni Field. The 'Cats trailed 1-0 after the first, but scored back in the second and third and never trailed again as the pitching constantly got in and out of trouble throughout the game. It was ACU's second-ever Southland Conference Tournament win. ACU won a tournament game in this league back in 1965, but was 1-10 in that five-year stretch before leaving the conference they were a founding member of.
Ladusau's heroics pushes ACU past Corpus Christi
VIDEO // GAME RECAP
May 27: Just when you think they're down, they aren't. ACU had one run through seven innings against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the second round of the tournament, but rallied for three in the eighth on a Miller Ladusau home run to top the Islanders, 4-3, to advance to the semifinals. Grayson Tatrow, who homered in the third, drew a lead-off walk in the eighth, forcing the first pitching change for A&M-Corpus Christi, as Hayden Thomas left after 7.0 innings of one-run ball on just four hits. After the pitching change, Colton Eager drew a walk, and ACU had first and second with no one out for Tommy Cruz. Cruz laid down an awkward-yet-effective sacrifice bunt to move the runners over, and ACU had the tying run at third with one out. In came Miller Ladusau. The Wildcat left-fielder, who was 0-for-3 in the game, stepped up and demolished a 1-2 pitch to dead left field for a go-ahead, three-run homer to put the 'Cats back up 4-2. Tanner Riley then closed it out, despite allowing a run, to hold on for the 4-3 win an a date in the semifinal game.
Opening day demolition of Tarleton
GAME RECAP
Feb. 20: The Wildcats took the field for the first time in 346 days in the season opener, and the excitement for the year was as an all-time high. One could not have asked for a better start to the season as ACU scored 23 runs on 24 hits in two wins over the Tarleton State Texans. The Wildcats were 2-0 to start the year for the third time in the last four seasons, winning 16-3 in Game 1 and 7-2 in Game 2. Six Wildcats recorded at least two hits during the dominant victories.
Wimpee walks off to top Lamar
GAME RECAP
May 7: Senior Eric Wimpee singled into center field with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, and ACU walked off with its sixth-straight win after a 3-2 victory over the Lamar Cardinals. Wimpee, in just his 10th at-bat of the season and his second at-bat with the bases loaded, worked a 2-2 count, and delivered one up the middle just to the right of the second base bag to plate Mitchell Dickson, and the Wildcats were at the time in the midst of their largest winning streak over the last four seasons.
Mother's Day sweep
GAME RECAP
May 9: Freshman Sebastian Randle hit a three-run home run, sophomore Grayson Tatrow launched a two-run blast, the offense was clutch late in the game, and the Wildcats used a comeback to win their ninth in row and sweep the Lamar Cardinals at Crutcher Scott Field. It was a perfect, picture-esque Mother's Day in the Big Country, and ACU scored four runs in the final three innings at the plate to win a 7-5 contest over their guests, completing the first four-game sweep of the season, and the first sweep in Southland Conference play since the final series of the 2019 season. The nine-game winning streak at the time was the longest such streak in the Division I era of the program. The streak got up to as many at 11 the next weekend.
26 runs against Arkansas State
GAME RECAP
March 5: ACU recorded one of its most lopsided victories of all time, beating the Arkansas State Red Wolves in game on of their three game series, 26-3. The Wildcats finished two runs shy of tying the school's single-game record for runs in a game with 28 (vs. Panhandle State, 1997), and junior outfield Colton Eager tied Matt McGuire's long-standing RBI record from 2007 with eight runs driven in, and became one of several Wildcats with five runs scored.
Bash's RIDICULOUS play
GAME RECAP
May 26: The defense dazzled in the eighth inning against Lamar, as a near-double play was turned by Sebastian Randle. The freshman leaped up and snagged a hard line drive, and flipped the ball somehow behind himself to Hammit covering the bag for what was called a double play. The umpires went to the replay and ruled the runner safe at second, but it was a ridiculous play by the youngster.
Season Summary
Final Record: 36-2 Overall, 25-13 Southland Conference
Southland Conference Standing: 1st (of 13 teams)
Final RPI: 104
Season Awards
Southland Conference Coach of the Year
Rick McCarty
Southland Conference Hitter of the Year
Colton Eager
Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year
Grayson Tatrow
All-Southland Conference First Team
Mitchell Dickson
Colton Eager
Sebastian Randle
All-Southland Conference Second Team
Grayson Tatrow
All-Southland Conference Third Team
Tommy Cruz
Brett Hammit
Southland Conference All-Tournament Team
Hunter Gieser
Brett Hammit
Southland Conference All-Academic First Team
Mitchell Dickson
Colton Eager
Southland Conference All-Academic Second Team
Hunter Gieser
Miller Ladusau
Records Set
- 36 wins (Southland Conference best in 2021)
- 25 Southland wins
- 11-game winning streak
- 3.45 Fall GPA // = 3.36 Cumulative GPA
- 473 strikeouts
- Seven all-conference players
- 104 Final RPI
This year's team brought back quite a few familiar faces from the squad that was left on a bus in March of 2020. ACU had just got done playing the Texas Longhorns in Austin, and was returning home to Abilene for what was supposed to be the second Southland series of the year as they planned to host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Well, not only did that series not happen, the rest of the season was canned too due to COVID-19. The Wildcats had only played 15 games, and then everything was shut down. In the blink of an eye, the task shifted to preparing for 2021. Well, that worked out. ACU returned seven position starters and added a few more. Altogether 23 players were back for another chance to play ball after a 7-8 season in 2020. ACU added new pieces including sophomores Grayson Tatrow, Adam Stephenson, and Bryson Hill, freshmen Sebastian Randle, Tyler Morgan, Brett Hammit, and Max Huffling to go along with grad transfer Mike Brown. Returners such as Spencer Chirpich, Mitchell Dickson, Alexei Cazarin, Genner Cervantes, Colton Eager, Hunter Gieser, Miller Ladusau, Tanner Riley, and Tommy Cruz set the tone, and the new players followed suit. The pieces were falling into place for the team, and the offense was going to be very good. And that showed right away and all throughout the spring.
The strength of the 'Cats this season was the offense, but in key moments the pitching was outstanding as well. It all came together during a historic 11-game winning streak that catapulted ACU to the top of the Southland Conference standings. Then the thought turned from just making the conference tournament to maybe winning a league title. The baseball team had never been to a Southland Conference Tournament since joining the league, and knew they had a pretty good chance this spring. That turned into needing just a couple wins against SFA in the final weekend to become conference champions for the first time, and what a weekend it was. It all came together with the first championship at the Division I level for the program.
36 wins. 7 all-conference players. A new strikeout record. An outstanding GPA as a team. In the classroom, on the field, in faith, this team came together and played for one another. It was a blast to watch the Wildcats this past spring, and it gave us a huge glimpse of what was to come.
So before we turn the page to the spring of 2022, let's take one final look back at a spring that featured a couple rain-outs, COVID-19 testing, a Texas-sized snowstorm, and so much more. It was a long wait to see this team play in 2021, and it was well worth the wait.
Here are some of the top moments from the 2021 season.
Top Moments of the 2021 Season
The final out to claim the Southland Conference regular season championship
VIDEO // GAME RECAP
May 21: After sweeping the SFA Lumberjacks, ACU became the regular season champion in the Southland Conference, cementing the No. 1 seed in the league tournament in Hammond, La. The Wildcats celebrated one of the quickest turnarounds in the country after game one on Crutcher Scott Field. Coming into that Friday, the team either need a win or a Southeastern Louisiana loss to ensure a regular-season championship. They got both. ACU's 7-3 and 6-4 wins ensured a series win, a conference title, and a No. 1 seed; the final two items are both new to the program's identity. This program is going to new heights, and the belief it has to win each and every time it steps out on the field is unparalleled.
🏆🏆🏆#ATO | #GoWildcats | #Champs pic.twitter.com/AfmZCeJcgu
— ACU Baseball (@ACU_Baseball) May 22, 2021
Historic win at Texas A&M
GAME RECAP
Feb. 23: Tie game. Ninth inning. In one of the toughest ball parks in the country to play in. ACU delivered in a big way. Hunter Gieser roped a one-out double to right center field and Alexei Cazarin came in as a pinch-runner. The speedster moved up to third on a wild pitch, and Bryson Hill stayed patient at the plate and delivered a go-ahead sacrifice fly into right to give ACU a 6-5 lead. Tanner Riley closed the door in the ninth inning, and the Wildcats beat the Texas A&M Aggies for the first time in school history. It was a total team win, and the Wildcats perfectly placed all the right pieces to win their fourth-ever game against a Power 5 opponent.
SLAM THE DOOR @triley_10! THAT'S A WIN IN COLLEGE STATION!
— ACU Baseball (@ACU_Baseball) February 24, 2021
ACU 6, Texas A&M 5#TearEmUp | #ATO pic.twitter.com/UUUQH4dNGZ
First-ever Southland Conference Tournament win
VIDEO // GAME RECAP
May 26: Junior Hunter Gieser blasted two home runs, freshmen pitchers Tyler Morgan and Max Huffling dominated on the mound, and top-seeded ACU picked up a 7-1 win over the No. 8 seed Lamar Cardinals in the opening round of the Southland Conference Tournament. ACU's first tournament appearance in the Southland since 1968 was worth the wait as they advance to the second round at Alumni Field. The 'Cats trailed 1-0 after the first, but scored back in the second and third and never trailed again as the pitching constantly got in and out of trouble throughout the game. It was ACU's second-ever Southland Conference Tournament win. ACU won a tournament game in this league back in 1965, but was 1-10 in that five-year stretch before leaving the conference they were a founding member of.
All business. See you tomorrow.#ATO | #GoWildcats pic.twitter.com/Lb0W788gU7
— ACU Baseball (@ACU_Baseball) May 26, 2021
Ladusau's heroics pushes ACU past Corpus Christi
VIDEO // GAME RECAP
May 27: Just when you think they're down, they aren't. ACU had one run through seven innings against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the second round of the tournament, but rallied for three in the eighth on a Miller Ladusau home run to top the Islanders, 4-3, to advance to the semifinals. Grayson Tatrow, who homered in the third, drew a lead-off walk in the eighth, forcing the first pitching change for A&M-Corpus Christi, as Hayden Thomas left after 7.0 innings of one-run ball on just four hits. After the pitching change, Colton Eager drew a walk, and ACU had first and second with no one out for Tommy Cruz. Cruz laid down an awkward-yet-effective sacrifice bunt to move the runners over, and ACU had the tying run at third with one out. In came Miller Ladusau. The Wildcat left-fielder, who was 0-for-3 in the game, stepped up and demolished a 1-2 pitch to dead left field for a go-ahead, three-run homer to put the 'Cats back up 4-2. Tanner Riley then closed it out, despite allowing a run, to hold on for the 4-3 win an a date in the semifinal game.
Game. Winner.@ladusau_m #ATO | #GoWildcats pic.twitter.com/uEEFqMZ3cp
— ACU Baseball (@ACU_Baseball) May 28, 2021
Opening day demolition of Tarleton
GAME RECAP
Feb. 20: The Wildcats took the field for the first time in 346 days in the season opener, and the excitement for the year was as an all-time high. One could not have asked for a better start to the season as ACU scored 23 runs on 24 hits in two wins over the Tarleton State Texans. The Wildcats were 2-0 to start the year for the third time in the last four seasons, winning 16-3 in Game 1 and 7-2 in Game 2. Six Wildcats recorded at least two hits during the dominant victories.
We got the dub.#TearEmUp | #GoWildcats pic.twitter.com/F3qm2bfwOc
— ACU Baseball (@ACU_Baseball) February 21, 2021
Wimpee walks off to top Lamar
GAME RECAP
May 7: Senior Eric Wimpee singled into center field with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, and ACU walked off with its sixth-straight win after a 3-2 victory over the Lamar Cardinals. Wimpee, in just his 10th at-bat of the season and his second at-bat with the bases loaded, worked a 2-2 count, and delivered one up the middle just to the right of the second base bag to plate Mitchell Dickson, and the Wildcats were at the time in the midst of their largest winning streak over the last four seasons.
Mother's Day sweep
GAME RECAP
May 9: Freshman Sebastian Randle hit a three-run home run, sophomore Grayson Tatrow launched a two-run blast, the offense was clutch late in the game, and the Wildcats used a comeback to win their ninth in row and sweep the Lamar Cardinals at Crutcher Scott Field. It was a perfect, picture-esque Mother's Day in the Big Country, and ACU scored four runs in the final three innings at the plate to win a 7-5 contest over their guests, completing the first four-game sweep of the season, and the first sweep in Southland Conference play since the final series of the 2019 season. The nine-game winning streak at the time was the longest such streak in the Division I era of the program. The streak got up to as many at 11 the next weekend.
The final out of a Mother's Day SWEEP!
— ACU Baseball (@ACU_Baseball) May 9, 2021
🧹🧹🧹🧹#ATO | #GoWildcats pic.twitter.com/sFwKtolKVO
Happy Mother's Day! 🌸🌸🌸#ATO | #GoWildcats | #HappyMothersDay pic.twitter.com/4Aqb9xpCfp
— ACU Baseball (@ACU_Baseball) May 9, 2021
26 runs against Arkansas State
GAME RECAP
March 5: ACU recorded one of its most lopsided victories of all time, beating the Arkansas State Red Wolves in game on of their three game series, 26-3. The Wildcats finished two runs shy of tying the school's single-game record for runs in a game with 28 (vs. Panhandle State, 1997), and junior outfield Colton Eager tied Matt McGuire's long-standing RBI record from 2007 with eight runs driven in, and became one of several Wildcats with five runs scored.
Bash's RIDICULOUS play
GAME RECAP
May 26: The defense dazzled in the eighth inning against Lamar, as a near-double play was turned by Sebastian Randle. The freshman leaped up and snagged a hard line drive, and flipped the ball somehow behind himself to Hammit covering the bag for what was called a double play. The umpires went to the replay and ruled the runner safe at second, but it was a ridiculous play by the youngster.
ARE. YOU. SERIOUS.
— ACU Baseball (@ACU_Baseball) May 26, 2021
They overturned the call at second, but that's still a RIDICULOUS play by @BashRandle!#ATO | #GoWildcats pic.twitter.com/Aj7VsJzo0z
Season Summary
Final Record: 36-2 Overall, 25-13 Southland Conference
Southland Conference Standing: 1st (of 13 teams)
Final RPI: 104
Season Awards
Southland Conference Coach of the Year
Rick McCarty
Southland Conference Hitter of the Year
Colton Eager
Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year
Grayson Tatrow
All-Southland Conference First Team
Mitchell Dickson
Colton Eager
Sebastian Randle
All-Southland Conference Second Team
Grayson Tatrow
All-Southland Conference Third Team
Tommy Cruz
Brett Hammit
Southland Conference All-Tournament Team
Hunter Gieser
Brett Hammit
Southland Conference All-Academic First Team
Mitchell Dickson
Colton Eager
Southland Conference All-Academic Second Team
Hunter Gieser
Miller Ladusau
Records Set
- 36 wins (Southland Conference best in 2021)
- 25 Southland wins
- 11-game winning streak
- 3.45 Fall GPA // = 3.36 Cumulative GPA
- 473 strikeouts
- Seven all-conference players
- 104 Final RPI
Players Mentioned
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