Baseball announces 2023 schedule
11/18/2022 10:30:00 AM | Baseball
ABILENE – Head coach Rick McCarty and the ACU baseball program announced its 2023 schedule on Friday, and it is the toughest one to date. The season begins Friday, Feb. 17 at home against Nevada. The 2023 slate encompasses 55 games, including 30 Western Athletic Conference games (10 three-game series), and another 25 non-conference games (four series and 11 single games). Overall the team will host 35 times at Crutcher Scott Field, where the team is will open with the first 12 games at Crutcher Scott Field, where the team is 61-39 over the last four seasons. ACU will also have a special neutral site game over at Globe Life Field in Arlington, the home of the Texas Rangers, for a game against the Oklahoma Sooners of the Big 12. This season will also be a full WAC schedule, as opposed to last spring, with the top eight teams making it to Mesa for the conference tournament.
"As our program grows, our schedule continues to become more challenging," said McCarty. "We are fired up at the way it came together for the 2023 season. We will host 35 games here in Abilene and we will see some of the nation's top programs. We are excited to play 14 games against teams that participated in an NCAA regional in 2022, and we love that we get ten of those teams here on campus. We want to be in the discussion for an at-large bid at the end of the spring, and this schedule allows us to do that if we can find ways to win. We have taken so many steps forward over the last few years and we want that to continue. This schedule will be full of opportunities to push the ACU brand and our program another step forward on the national stage. We are very proud of our program and our players. I hope to see all of the Big Country at Crutcher Scott Field this spring wearing the Purple and White."
2023 Opponents By The Numbers
- 35: Home games in 2023, the most in the Rick McCarty era
- 21: Games against teams that finished in the top 100 in RPI in 202
- 9: Games vs. Power 5 opponents (Oklahoma, TCU x2, Baylor x2, Nebraska, Texas Tech x2, Texas)
- 7 Games against 2022 regional teams (Oklahoma, Southeast Missouri, Oral Roberts, TCU, Texas Tech, Texas, Grand Canyon)
- 5: First-time opponents (Southeast Missour, Sacramento State, Nebraska, California Baptist, Utah Tech)
- 4: Home games vs. Power 5 opponents (Nebraska, TCU, Texas Tech, Baylor)
The Midweek Slate
- ACU kicks off a huge midweek schedule with the Oklahoma Sooners over at Globe Life Field in Arlington on Wednesday, Feb. 22. It's the first matchup with the Sooners since 2016.
- The Wildcats welcome in Oral Roberts from The Summit League on Wednesday, March 15 at 12:05 p.m. at The Crutch. It's the first game against the Golden Eagles since a three-game series in Tulsa against ORU in 2014.
- The first of two meetings with TCU starts in Fort Worth on Tuesday, March 21. The return trip is scheduled for April 11 in Abilene at The Crutch. ACU topped then No. 12 TCU in Fort Worth last spring for its first top-25 win in program history.
- ACU heads to Waco for the first of two with Baylor on Tuesday, March 28. The Bears come to Abilene on Tuesday, May 2 at 6:05 p.m.
- The home-and-home with Texas Tech starts Tuesday, April 4 in Lubbock, where ACU won its first-ever top-10 matchup, taking down No. 9 Texas Tech last spring. The return trip to Abilene is on Tuesday, April 25 at The Crutch.
- ACU heads back to Austin to battle the Longhorns of Texas on Wednesday, April 19 for a single game. The 'Cats played UT in Austin for a three-game series during their championship spring of 2021.
- The Wildcats host UTSA of Conference USA on Tuesday, May 16 to wrap up an impressive home midweek schedule. It'll be just the second-ever meeting with the Roadrunners, and the first since May 15, 2018.
The Non-Conference Weekends
- ACU opens the season with a four-game series at home against the University of Nevada from the Mountain West Conference. It's a unique four-game series, beginning on Friday, Feb. 17 and wrapping up on Monday, Feb. 20. The Wildcats have played the Wolfpack in one other series, coming all the way back in 2015.
- Southeast Missouri of the Ohio Valley Conference comes to Crutcher Scott Field for a four-gamer from Friday, Feb. 24 through Sunday, Feb. 26. It's a traditional weekend with a doubleheader built in on Saturday, Feb. 25. It's the first-ever meeting with the Redhawks.
- A former Southland Conference rival heads to town with a big-name head coach when Houston Christian (formerly Houston Baptist) comes to ACU for four games from Friday, March 3 through Sunday, March 5. HCU is led by former big-leaguer Lance Berkman, and the Wildcats and Huskies will get together as non-conference foes for the first-time ever. HCU leads the all-time series, 12-8, and the teams played from 2014-21.
- A unique weekend takes place at the end of March into the first of April, when both Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and the University of Nebraska come to the Big Country. The Islanders from the Southland Conference come in for a game on Friday, March 31 and Sunday, April 2, but sandwiched in between is the first-ever meeting with the Cornhuskers of the Big Ten on Saturday, April 1. ACU and Corpus played each other from 2014-21 as members of the Southland, but it will be a non-conference game for the first time ever. The last time the two got together was the quarterfinals of the 2021 Southland Tournament, when ACU won 4-3 with a three-run eighth inning.
The WAC Schedule
- The WAC schedule is different this season. Instead of the two divisions, and only playing in-division games, it's back to one big league, and everyone plays each other ONCE for a three-game series.
- ACU opens league play with a very familiar foe, SFA, at home from Friday, March 10 through Sunday, March 12.
- The Wildcats have played UT Arlington 13 times before, but this is the first as members of the same conference. The Mavericks will host ACU in Arlington from Friday, March 17 through Sunday, March 19.
- The first-ever matchup with baseball-only member Sacramento State takes place in Abilene from Friday to Sunday, March 24-26.
- April opens in Huntsville with the Wildcats taking on Sam Houston for what could be the final time. The Bearkats are headed to Conference USA in the summer of 2023. That series takes place from Thursday, April 6 to Saturday, April 8.
- Grand Canyon, who ACU saw three times in the WAC Tournament last year (winning two of those to advance to the championship game), comes to The Crutch for a three-gamer from Friday, April 14 to Sunday, April 16.
- ACU heads way down south to Edinburg, Texas for a three-game set with UTRGV on Friday, April 21.
- Another first-time team on the schedule is California Baptist. ACU heads over 1,200 miles to Riverside, Calif. to battle the Lancers from Friday, April 28 to Sunday, April 30.
- May begins withe another first-time opponent in Utah Tech, formerly known as Dixie State. The Trailblazers come to Abilene on Friday, May 5 for a three-game set.
- May opens with a key stretch of eight-straight home games, and in that mix is also a three-gamer with Tarleton. The Texans come over on a short trip Friday through Sunday, May 12-14.
- ACU closes the regular season as far away as possible, all way up in Seattle to battle the Redhawks of Seattle U. The season wraps Thursday through Saturday, May 18-20, against a team ACU beat in the WAC Tournament last spring, 10-3, giving the Wildcats their first-ever tournament win in the new league.
- The WAC Tournament in Mesa, Ariz. at Hohokam Stadium takes place Wednesday through Sunday, May 24-28.
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"As our program grows, our schedule continues to become more challenging," said McCarty. "We are fired up at the way it came together for the 2023 season. We will host 35 games here in Abilene and we will see some of the nation's top programs. We are excited to play 14 games against teams that participated in an NCAA regional in 2022, and we love that we get ten of those teams here on campus. We want to be in the discussion for an at-large bid at the end of the spring, and this schedule allows us to do that if we can find ways to win. We have taken so many steps forward over the last few years and we want that to continue. This schedule will be full of opportunities to push the ACU brand and our program another step forward on the national stage. We are very proud of our program and our players. I hope to see all of the Big Country at Crutcher Scott Field this spring wearing the Purple and White."
2023 Opponents By The Numbers
- 35: Home games in 2023, the most in the Rick McCarty era
- 21: Games against teams that finished in the top 100 in RPI in 202
- 9: Games vs. Power 5 opponents (Oklahoma, TCU x2, Baylor x2, Nebraska, Texas Tech x2, Texas)
- 7 Games against 2022 regional teams (Oklahoma, Southeast Missouri, Oral Roberts, TCU, Texas Tech, Texas, Grand Canyon)
- 5: First-time opponents (Southeast Missour, Sacramento State, Nebraska, California Baptist, Utah Tech)
- 4: Home games vs. Power 5 opponents (Nebraska, TCU, Texas Tech, Baylor)
The Midweek Slate
- ACU kicks off a huge midweek schedule with the Oklahoma Sooners over at Globe Life Field in Arlington on Wednesday, Feb. 22. It's the first matchup with the Sooners since 2016.
- The Wildcats welcome in Oral Roberts from The Summit League on Wednesday, March 15 at 12:05 p.m. at The Crutch. It's the first game against the Golden Eagles since a three-game series in Tulsa against ORU in 2014.
- The first of two meetings with TCU starts in Fort Worth on Tuesday, March 21. The return trip is scheduled for April 11 in Abilene at The Crutch. ACU topped then No. 12 TCU in Fort Worth last spring for its first top-25 win in program history.
- ACU heads to Waco for the first of two with Baylor on Tuesday, March 28. The Bears come to Abilene on Tuesday, May 2 at 6:05 p.m.
- The home-and-home with Texas Tech starts Tuesday, April 4 in Lubbock, where ACU won its first-ever top-10 matchup, taking down No. 9 Texas Tech last spring. The return trip to Abilene is on Tuesday, April 25 at The Crutch.
- ACU heads back to Austin to battle the Longhorns of Texas on Wednesday, April 19 for a single game. The 'Cats played UT in Austin for a three-game series during their championship spring of 2021.
- The Wildcats host UTSA of Conference USA on Tuesday, May 16 to wrap up an impressive home midweek schedule. It'll be just the second-ever meeting with the Roadrunners, and the first since May 15, 2018.
🚨𝕄𝕀𝔻𝕎𝔼𝔼𝕂 𝕊ℂℍ𝔼𝔻𝕌𝕃𝔼🚨
— ACU Baseball (@ACU_Baseball) November 17, 2022
𝑾𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝑩𝑰𝑮 𝑻𝑰𝑴𝑬 ⚾️ 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝑰𝑮 𝑪𝑶𝑼𝑵𝑻𝑹𝒀 𝒊𝒏 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣3️⃣!
𝑩𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒍𝒆 𝒖𝒑 𝑾𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒄𝒂𝒕 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆...👀😎#𝑨𝑻𝑶 pic.twitter.com/UhYCrDcU2o
The Non-Conference Weekends
- ACU opens the season with a four-game series at home against the University of Nevada from the Mountain West Conference. It's a unique four-game series, beginning on Friday, Feb. 17 and wrapping up on Monday, Feb. 20. The Wildcats have played the Wolfpack in one other series, coming all the way back in 2015.
- Southeast Missouri of the Ohio Valley Conference comes to Crutcher Scott Field for a four-gamer from Friday, Feb. 24 through Sunday, Feb. 26. It's a traditional weekend with a doubleheader built in on Saturday, Feb. 25. It's the first-ever meeting with the Redhawks.
- A former Southland Conference rival heads to town with a big-name head coach when Houston Christian (formerly Houston Baptist) comes to ACU for four games from Friday, March 3 through Sunday, March 5. HCU is led by former big-leaguer Lance Berkman, and the Wildcats and Huskies will get together as non-conference foes for the first-time ever. HCU leads the all-time series, 12-8, and the teams played from 2014-21.
- A unique weekend takes place at the end of March into the first of April, when both Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and the University of Nebraska come to the Big Country. The Islanders from the Southland Conference come in for a game on Friday, March 31 and Sunday, April 2, but sandwiched in between is the first-ever meeting with the Cornhuskers of the Big Ten on Saturday, April 1. ACU and Corpus played each other from 2014-21 as members of the Southland, but it will be a non-conference game for the first time ever. The last time the two got together was the quarterfinals of the 2021 Southland Tournament, when ACU won 4-3 with a three-run eighth inning.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄...ᵏⁱⁿᵈᵃ 😉
— ACU Baseball (@ACU_Baseball) November 15, 2022
Take a 👀 at our 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣3️⃣ Non-Conference Weekend Opponents! 😎
𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐮𝐩: 𝐖𝐀𝐂 𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬. pic.twitter.com/DvherycJj7
The WAC Schedule
- The WAC schedule is different this season. Instead of the two divisions, and only playing in-division games, it's back to one big league, and everyone plays each other ONCE for a three-game series.
- ACU opens league play with a very familiar foe, SFA, at home from Friday, March 10 through Sunday, March 12.
- The Wildcats have played UT Arlington 13 times before, but this is the first as members of the same conference. The Mavericks will host ACU in Arlington from Friday, March 17 through Sunday, March 19.
- The first-ever matchup with baseball-only member Sacramento State takes place in Abilene from Friday to Sunday, March 24-26.
- April opens in Huntsville with the Wildcats taking on Sam Houston for what could be the final time. The Bearkats are headed to Conference USA in the summer of 2023. That series takes place from Thursday, April 6 to Saturday, April 8.
- Grand Canyon, who ACU saw three times in the WAC Tournament last year (winning two of those to advance to the championship game), comes to The Crutch for a three-gamer from Friday, April 14 to Sunday, April 16.
- ACU heads way down south to Edinburg, Texas for a three-game set with UTRGV on Friday, April 21.
- Another first-time team on the schedule is California Baptist. ACU heads over 1,200 miles to Riverside, Calif. to battle the Lancers from Friday, April 28 to Sunday, April 30.
- May begins withe another first-time opponent in Utah Tech, formerly known as Dixie State. The Trailblazers come to Abilene on Friday, May 5 for a three-game set.
- May opens with a key stretch of eight-straight home games, and in that mix is also a three-gamer with Tarleton. The Texans come over on a short trip Friday through Sunday, May 12-14.
- ACU closes the regular season as far away as possible, all way up in Seattle to battle the Redhawks of Seattle U. The season wraps Thursday through Saturday, May 18-20, against a team ACU beat in the WAC Tournament last spring, 10-3, giving the Wildcats their first-ever tournament win in the new league.
- The WAC Tournament in Mesa, Ariz. at Hohokam Stadium takes place Wednesday through Sunday, May 24-28.
𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚝.
— ACU Baseball (@ACU_Baseball) November 16, 2022
Here is a look at our 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣3️⃣ WAC Conference Schedule! 😎
Save the dates and come spend some weekends at The Crutch 🫵🏼
𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐔𝐩: 𝐌𝐈𝐃 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒
𝐻𝐼𝑁𝑇: red, orange, green, purple, navy, gold 🫣 pic.twitter.com/yPIbEOO9nu
Follow ACU Baseball on Social Media
Twitter: @ACU_Baseball | @ACUsports
Instagram: @acu_baseball | @acusports
Facebook: /ACUSports
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